Arnav and his crew showed up to Troop 904’s open house in pressed uniforms, with documented ranks, a letter of recommendation. They learned their credentials were a threat.

Seattle, Washington, Queen Anne High School, June 8, 1999, Saturday morning 9:00am.

Over the next seven days Arnav relentlessly pushes the other guys, Kamal, Deepak and Ashwin, to come with him to the scouting open house. But, to Arnav’s surprise, he’s met with constant resistance.

“We want to, but…” Ashwin starts to say but his voice drops off.

“But what” Arnav asks?

“We want to,” Kamal picks up where Ashwin leaves. “But there is something you need to know about that troop.” He looks at the other boys as if he’s revealing a secret, or snitching. “There are a lot of rumors of disrespect and hazing that goes on. That’s what keeps us from joining. We know we’ll be targeted. First, because we are different. We experience enough of that in school. Second, because we are new. That makes us an easy target by the older boys in the troop.”

“In middle school, I met a boy who joined and only lasted one month,” Deepak adds in. “On that boys’ very first camping trip ever, one patrol called the Red Devils, grabbed him at lights out.

The boy was simply walking to the bathroom before getting into his tent for the night. The patrol called Red Devils have a reputation as the bullies of the troop. The Red Devils grabbed the boy, stripped him down to his underwear, took him down to the lakeside, duct taped him to a tree and proceeded to pour ketchup, mustard and any other condiment they could steal from the camp kitchen all over him. They left him taped to the tree for an hour. Eventually the Red Devils cut the tape, tossed him in the lake and ran off. They told him it was all part of a rite of passage into the troop. They said every boy went through the same thing. You must show you really want to be a part of the troop and will go through anything to be a part of it. Snitch and you’ll never advance in this troop. You’ll be branded as a snitch. But the new boy didn’t see it that way. He never returned to another meeting. The Red Devils laughed it off as a sign of weakness.”

“Who knows,” Ashwin says, “That kid could have been a great scout. But we’ll never know because of a few bullies.”

“I get it,” Arnav says. “But if we stick together, maybe we can push back and fight it. If we don’t like something, let’s change it.”

“I don’t know if I have that fight in me,” Deepak says. “It’s easier if I keep my head down and avoid the whole situation.”

“But If we stay invisible, we lose by default,” Arnav told himself. He tells the group, “Danny is on our side. We go in as a unit. He’ll look after us.”

Seattle, Washington, Queen Anne High School, the next Saturday June 15, 1999, 9:00am.

So here they stand, Saturday morning on the lawn outside the old gymnasium at Queen Anne High school. The scouting open house is already a flurry of activity with demonstrations on First Aid, Pioneering, Map Reading, Camp Set Up and many other activities. The five boys show up in their Bharat Scout uniforms. Each of the boy’s uniforms is ironed crisp and perfect; every patch, from his shoulder badge to his troop leader’s badge is sewn in its proper place. As Arnav scans the grounds, he sees their uniform do not match his American counterparts. Arnav’s shirt and pants are blue, while the American scout’s uniform is green. Most of the boys are wearing blue jeans instead of the regulation of green pants. He also notices his black beret cap is much different than the standard baseball cap worn by American kids.

But they still look like a team. But are they here as a team? Or five scared individuals? Today is the day they find out.

As they approach the old gymnasium, the boys instantly see a swarm of Boy Scouts in various states of uniform playing on the large lawn to the side of the gymnasium building. The sounds of boys screaming, laughing and general chaos fill the air. At the far side of the lawn, a group of boys are laying in a pile of 6-foot-long wooden poles, rope and piles of canvas. Clearly this will be used for one of the events Danny mentioned. A waft of smoke drifts across the boys’ faces. “Great,” Kamal says. “It’s a barbecue.” “More hot dogs and hamburgers,” Ashwin says.

Arnav studies the swirl of chaos happening in the center of the lawn. He easily recognizes it is some sort of game. It’s unclear what game they are playing. But, as he scans the field, he can’t determine the make-up of the teams, the positions, the goals or even any rules. But it’s evident that one boy has the ball, and the others are trying to tackle him and steal it from him. No rules.

As a group of boys rush past, Arnav yells to them, “What game is this?”

“Kill the carrier,” they reply yelling over their shoulders not stopping.

“You made it!” A voice calls out to them from the door of the old gym.

“That’s him,” Arnav says, his voice showing hope. “That’s the boy I told you about. That’s Danny. He will help us. Come with me.”

Danny slowly jogs from the gymnasium door toward the boys. His excitement makes him want to run faster. However, it’s obvious his physical body can only deliver so much energy. Arnav and the boys walk towards Danny, all meeting in the middle. As they meet, Arnav decides to greet Danny with the traditional Bharat scout greeting. He extends his left hand for a handshake.

Simultaneously, he raises his right arm smartly to the level of his right shoulder, palm to the front with three fingers stretched out together. The first finger touched his forehead above the center of his right eyebrow. The thumb closes to the little finger. As Arnav extends his hand, he ensures he combines this greeting with a smile, shaking hands with the left hand while simultaneously shaking hands with is left.

“Wow! That’s some greeting,” Danny says.

“Is that not the proper scout greeting?” Arnav asks, confused.

“It’s great. In the U.S. we simply use the handshake,” Danny replies.

“Oh…” Arnav says, thinking he just made a fool of himself.

“But I really like your greeting,” Danny jumps in. “It’s much more…human. Less like the military. I like it.”

“Thank you,” Kamal says.

“Hey, I’d like you to meet out Scoutmaster, Mr. Miltner. He’s a really good guy. He can answer any questions you may have. After that,” Danny gestures to the pile of poles and ropes the other scouts are making “we have a fun challenge planned. You’ll love it.”

“That sounds good,” Arnav says.

Danny takes the boys into the old gymnasium. As they enter the building, they immediately take note of the high arched ceiling filled with wooden trusses and braces. Looking up makes the boys dizzy. Standing under it makes them feel like they are in a massive upside-down canoe.

Hanging from the trusses are old banners of old patrols that used to belong to this troop: the Eagles, the Panthers, the Wolves. Those kids aged out and graduated long ago. There are more banners from the Scouting competitions the troop has won: the National Camporee Troop of the Year, All-District Orienteering Competition, District Skills Challenge, All District Camping and Hiking Challenge. This troop clearly has some high standards.

Danny walks then through the old gymnasium, the wooden boards worn with time. The boys that are making the pile of wooden poles, rope and tarp are now inside. They have the doors to a side storage room propped open. This is where they are getting their equipment for the event later this afternoon.

One of the boys, a tall, lanky red-haired boy, stops his work and looks at this new crew Danny is escorting.

“Scoutmaster Miltner’s office is the last door on the right,” Danny tells them, still walking and pointing to their destination.

“New meat, Dolan?” The tall, lanky red-haired boy asks.

“If we’re lucky,” Danny says. “And you better watch out; these guys are more experienced and may outrank you.”

Arnav instantly notices the red-haired boys’ facial expression turn from mocking confidence to a mix of uneasiness, fear and panic.

Danny turns to the boys as they all finish the trek across the gym floor to the Scoutmaster’s office.

“I love teasing that kid. He thinks he’s Gods’ gift to scouting. But he’s not all that. He wants my job, but he’s nowhere nearly ready.”

Danny knocks on the open door to Scoutmaster Miltner’s office.

“Scoutmaster Miltner, do you have a minute? I have some boys that are interested in joining.”

“That’s great!” Mr. Miltner stands from his desk to greet the boys. The office is so small that not all of the boys can fit inside. Danny shifts to the side of the desk and Arnav enters the room. The other boys, Kamal, Deepak and Ashwin, stay standing in the doorway.

None of them have noticed that the tall red-haired boy and two others, identical twins, have stopped their tasks and came over to the office to listen in on the conversation. Standing behind Kamal, Deepak, and Ashwin, they are clearly interested in what will be said in this meeting.

Clearly Danny’s comment rattled them.

“Will these new boys outrank us?” was the question going through their minds.

“Guys, this is Scoutmaster Miltner. He runs Troop 904.” Danny gestures at each boy in turn.

“We were all Bharat Scouts in India. I am of the rank Tritiya Sopan. My friends are at the rank of Pratham Sopan.” Miltner nods slowly, taking this in.

“Good. Good. We can use experienced boys like you. Do you have any paperwork from your previous organization?”

“Yes, sir,” Arnav says. He unzips his backpack and produces a folder, clean, and organized.

Arnav presents his Bharat Scout registration certificate, his rank advancement record, a sheet tallying what would be equivalent of his merit badge log, and a letter of recommendation from his former Scoutmaster, Mr. Krishnan, written in both Hindi and English.

Miltner takes the folder and begins to read. His eyes move carefully over each page.

“Very thorough,” Miltner says. He opens his desk drawer and pulls out a BSA handbook, flipping to a section near the back.

“Bharat Scouts and Guides is a WOSM member organization. Same world body we belong to. Transfer protocol says we evaluate foreign rank credentials on a case-by-case basis.” He looks up. “Provisionally, based on what I’m seeing here, I’d put you at Second Class rank. We’ll do a proper evaluation over your first few weeks to validate your skills and knowledge. Danny, as the Sr. Patrol Leader, will work directly with you and confirm his report back to me. Does that sound fair?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you,” Arnav says.

“Excuse me,” a voice calls from the back of the crowd blocking the door. A lean middle-aged woman with blond hair shoves her way through the boys. She is dressed in a brand new, perfectly ironed, and curated formal scout uniform. Every patch and detail is professionally sewn in place and perfectly ironed. On the back of the clipboard Arnav reads the lettering ADVANCEMENT CHAIR.

“I hear we have some new prospective members. I should be here for this. Advancement is my area, after all.”

“Hello Mrs. Kelly,” Miltner’s voice is neutral. “This is an informal meeting.” “Of course, of course,” she says dismissing the Scoutmaster’s words.

“I just want to make sure we follow the proper procedure. For the boys’ sake.” Another smile. “So, these young men are interested in joining us. Wonderful. Do we have documentation? May I see it?” She holds out her hand.

Miltner passes the folder to her. She opens it and begins reading with the careful attention of someone looking for problems.

“Bharat Scouts and Guides,” she says. “Lovely organization. International.” She turns a page. “The challenge, of course, is verification. These certificates are issued by a foreign council. We don’t have a direct relationship with their records office.” She looks up at Miltner, not at the boys. “I’d want to make sure we validate these properly before we assign rank. We wouldn’t want to shortcut the process for anyone. That wouldn’t be fair to the boys who earned their ranks here.”

From the doorway, the red-haired boy speaks over the other boys’ shoulders. “They should start at Scout rank. Same as everyone else.”

“Kyle, why are you standing here? You have work to do.” Danny says. His voice is firm and even.

The red-haired boy, Kyle, starts to protest “I should have a say who gets in and who advances. I’m going to be Sr. Patrol Leader…”

“Not yet,” Danny cuts him off. Arnav notices Danny’s demeanor is getting agitated. “I am still the Sr. Patrol Leader; your brother is an Assistant Sr. Patrol Leader. You are barely a second class scout that has never held a position of responsibility. You have been given a task to set up the event for today. Gather your patrol and get your tasks done.”

“That’s no way he should be speaking to….” Mrs. Kelly started to complain to the Scoutmaster. Scoutmaster Miltner simply raised his hand to stop her.

Now it all makes sense to Arnav. He remembers Danny’s comment: “And you better watch out; these guys are more experienced and may outrank you.”

“This boy Kyle and his mother are concerned we will challenge them. We will be in the same rank. rank them. I don’t understand why that bothers him.” Arnav thought to himself.

From the doorway, Kyle Kelly protests. “They should start at Scout rank, just like we had to.

Same as everyone else.” Danny looks at Miltner.

“These boys are WOSM members. Their ranks are internationally recognized. Mr. Krishnan’s letter is signed and dated. Arnav’s Tritiya Sopan maps directly to Second Class. The others’ Pratham Sopan maps to First Class Scout, which would mean at minimum Tenderfoot here.” A short silence fills the office. It’s obvious that Danny did his homework.

Kyle, getting agitated, “So they just walk in ahead of guys who have been working for years?”

Danny snaps back. “Nobody said anything about putting people ahead of anyone. We’re talking about recognizing work they already did.”

“Work we can’t verify,” Mrs. Kelly interrupts. “I’m not saying no. I’m saying let’s be thorough. We don’t want to lower the standards of the troop, After all.

“Lower the standards of the troop?” Arnav thought to himself. “Is that what they think of us?”

Mrs. Kelly closes the folder and holds it against her clipboard. “I’ll investigate the verification process. Give me a few weeks.”

“Mr. Miltner,” Arnav says. Everyone looks at him. “I understand Mrs. Kelly’s concern. But if it helps, I’m happy to demonstrate what I know. Today. Any skill, any rank requirement you want to test.” He keeps his voice steady. “I didn’t come here to be given anything.”

The room is quiet for a moment.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” Miltner says. “The boys will participate in today’s orienteering event. We see how they perform. Mrs. Kelly processes the paperwork in parallel. Provisionally, they come in at Second Class pending my review.” He looks at Mrs. Kelly. “That’s my call.”

Mrs. Kelly’s smile does not waver. “Of course.” She hands the folder back to Miltner. “I’ll get started on the verification.”

“Great,” Danny says. “Now that that is settled, they can enter the Orienteering Challenge we have planned for today.”

Danny looks at Kyle and the identical twins that are still listening in at the meeting. “Guys, do you have everything set up?”

Kyle and the other boys, the Delvechio twins, show a stunned look on their faces. They clearly neglected their duties to listen to this meeting.

“Not yet,” Kyle says.

“Get it done,” Danny commands them with authority.

“What patrol are these new guys in? Do we need to split them up?” Kyle asks.

“No,” Danny replies. “They’ll stay together and compete as a patrol team. You had better watch out. I think they are going to surprise you.”

Kyle and the Delvechio twins turn and head back to their tasks of setting up the event.

“Guys, there is no way those new kids can beat us,” Kyle whispers under his breath to the twins. “If they do, we are screwed. We have to do everything we can to make sure they lose. I’ll work on my mom holding back their rank advancement. If we fail, we are at risk of taking over the troop this fall.”

“There’s no way the Gandhi tribe is going to beat the red Devils,” Tommy, the eldest of the identical twins, says just loud enough for Arnav and the boys to hear.

Kyle’s words hung in the air just long enough for every one of Arnav’s crew to hear them.

They had crossed a lawn. Worn their uniforms. Handed over their paperwork. Done everything right. It didn’t matter.

Next week: the whistle blows, the equipment tells a different story, and Arnav’s unnamed patrol shows the entire troop what they’re made of.

You’re Reading: The Road to the Eagle Hunt: Origin Stories from The Great American Eagle Hunt. Arnav didn’t know it yet, but the team he was looking for was already being built.

While he was finding his footing in Seattle, other kids across the country were going through their own defining moments. Each of them would eventually find their way to the same troop, the same challenge, and the same impossible mission.

This is a five-part origin story series. Each installment stands alone, but together they tell you everything you need to know about the young man part of The Great American Eagle Hunt, before the adventure even begins.


More origin stories are here. Over the coming weeks and months, meet the other young men whose paths are about to collide, each one carrying a story that shaped who they became when it mattered most.

• The Great American Eagle Hunt, the novel these characters call home, is available soon.
  
  If this story moved you, share it with someone who may enjoy it. Forward this post. Send the link. Tag a Scout, a parent, a teacher, or anyone who still believes the right story finds you at the right time.— Joe Paul, Author