Although most frequently, letters are requested for new Eagle Scouts, the list below can and should be used when requesting letters of commendation for Venturers who have earned the Summit Award, and for Sea Scouts who have earned the Quartermaster Rank, and for Girl Scouts who have earned the GSUSA Gold Award. When sending letters for those awards, please in your explanation, don't include phrases like "The Summit Award is the Venturing version of Eagle" or "Quartermaster is the Sea Scout equivalent of Eagle" or "the Gold award is the Girl Scout version of Eagle Scout". Summit and Quartermaster, and the Gold Award are their own awards and what should be stressed are the skills and leadership experiences gained by earning them!
When sending notes to people asking for letters of commendation, please include:
- The Scout or Venturer's FULL NAME (not just "Sparky" or "Jimmy" but "Samuel James Jackson" or "James Ray Morrison")
- The UNIT NUMBER and COUNCIL NAME (the Unit number is that number on his left shoulder; the Council name appears on the patch right above it), and
- A SHORT DESCRIPTION of the Service Project led by and completed as a requirement for the award.
- It is also courteous to include a self addressed stamped envelope when writing to private individuals or organizations. That is usually not necessary when writing to government officials.
Many people writing a letter to acknowledge an Eagle Scout, Quartermaster, or Gold or Summit recipient, would also like to know how the person earned the badge. But don't only discuss the Service Project. Give some information about the Scout and his or her activities. This gives them more than just a "congratulations, Johnny, on your achievement" line and also can allow the letter to be a bit more personalized than boilerplate letters. In this regard, here is what our resident Commissioner "Andy McCommish" wrote on his "Ask Andy" blog after he got a request for a letter to a new Eagle Scout.
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I've just received another letter inviting me to a court of honor for your troop's newest Eagle Scout - the most recent in a string of several hundred in the past ten years alone. Your letter lauds this Scout's service project and gives great detail of all the work done. Inevitably, however, and like all others preceding it, the letter - except for time, date, and location - stops there. To the uninitiated, it would seem that attaining the rank of Eagle solely involves a community service project of some kind. To others, including myself, there's disappointment: It's as if the coffee-after-dessert is all I get; there's no mention of the preceding courses all of which have led up to this. Where, I wonder, is a description of what this young man has learned about citizenship and his role in his community, nation, and the world at large. Will I not learn that he's now skilled in first aid and has the ability to save life on both land and in the water, or has developed and carried out a mobilization plan for his troop in an emergency situation? How many miles has he hiked and backpacked; how many camping trips has he taken, and where has he gone? How has he developed and honed his communication and leadership skills both among his peers who have elected him to lead, and how has he learned to be a responsible team member when called upon? This young man has led his patrol and troop in significant ways for extended periods, yet I learn nothing of these roles. Nor do I learn how he has developed his physical and mental fitness in this preparation for his future life. Can he handle a canoe? A sailboat? Can he survive in the wilderness by himself - a skill few outside of Scouting know anything at all about? Does he know firearms safety? Has he grown as a member of his own family? Does he know how to protect himself and other youth, if necessary, from bullying and other forms of abuse? Can he manage money and a budget? What does he know of ecology and - today's buzzword - sustainability? What explorations into subjects only Scouts get to choose from has he made? Does he know what to do if confronted by a snake bite, or contact with a poisonous plant? Does he know the flora and fauna of the region he lives in? Has his service project developed not only his leadership skills but also his knowledge of project planning, including "sweating the details." How does he live the Scout Oath and Law in his daily life? What are his aspirations for his own future? Tell me about his life beyond Scouting. What has he accomplished for himself scholastically and in team and individual sports? What of his religious life? Has he been recommended for this rank by his teachers or principal, his employers, his religious mentor? All of this and more ... absent. Instead of understanding the "whole" of this fine young man, I'm left with impressions of wood and gravel and plantings and such. There's no "three-dimensional image" of him here; he's done community service and that's all your letter tells me. Please tell me more. Please honor everything that this young man has accomplished for himself. Make that image "3D"! |
Remember that the purpose of a congratulatory letter is to honor the Scout and that each person you write may be getting many, many requests. This is not a race or a contest to see who can get the most letters. Often a few letters are more meaningful than a scrapbook full of letters that ends up on a shelf. Sometimes the best thing is a letter or two from an admired prominent person, a state official like a governor, a local official like a mayor, and letters from local prominent people that the Scout knows or who know the Scout.
Please pick and choose so that people who are willing to write a letter do not get overwhelmed and decide to stop accepting requests.
In the tables below, incumbents who are "Acting" or will be leaving office as a result of an election, resignation, or other reasons, are shown in RED, while "Elect" or newly appointed officials who are as yet unconfirmed or not yet installed are shown in GREEN.
According to protocol professionals in the United States, The Honorable is a courtesy title used with the names of current and retired high-ranking federal and state officials and judges, and with some local officials, when introducing them, and when addressing correspondence to them. Furthermore, The Honorable is always used before a full name, and should NOT be shortened. nor should it be combined with other honorifics, ranks or titles in the USA.
So The Honorable (Full Name), (Office Held) would be correct while The Honorable Dr, (Full Name), (Office Held) , or Hon. Gen (Full Name), (Office Held) would both be incorrect, In the table of addresses below, we have not included the courtesy title, but you are encouraged to use it when you send letters to those individuals.
The list below is, to our best knowledge, accurate as of September 29, 2021.Please forward comments, corrections, or additions
to:
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US Government OfficialsDue to security measures which can delay receipt of letters
sent through the US Mail, |
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President Joseph R. Biden. Jr. and Dr. Jill Biden |
Vice President Kamala Harris and Mr. Douglas Emhoff |
Cabinet Members and other Cabinet Level Officials
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Thomas J. Vilsack |
Gina M. Raimondo |
Lloyd J. Austin, III |
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Miguel Cardona |
Jennifer Granholm |
Xavier Becerra |
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Alejandro N. Mayorkas |
Marcia Fudge |
Debra Haaland |
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Merrick Garland |
Martin J. Walsh |
Anthony J. Blinken 9/29/2021: We received a note from the State Department stating that they are working hard to answer the many letters currently addressed to Secretary Blinken that have come in through the U.S. Mail, and they ask for patience while they get those letters mailed out. Because of the very lengthy process the mail has to go through at the Department and COVID-19, they will no longer be able to respond to physically mailed letters. Requests should be made using their Online request form: Click here |
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Pete Buttigieg |
Janet L. Yellen |
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Denis McDonough |
Michael Regan |
Isabel Guzman |
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Avril D. Haines |
Ronald A. Klain |
Shalanda Young |
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Katherine Tai |
Dr. Eric Lander |
Cecilia Rouse |
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Linda Thomas-Greenfield |
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Other Department of Defense Officials - |
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Joint Staff |
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Gen. Mark A. Milley |
Gen. John E. Hyten |
SEAC Ramón "CZ" Colón-López |
| Please include the full name of the scout,
Troop number, date of honor ceremony or date of or date acknowledged
for passing Eagle Scout or /Girl Scout Gold Award requirements and return
address. Return postage is not required. In order to expedite your request, please consolidate multiple awardees into one (1) troop request. Due to mail handling procedures, allow 4 - 5 weeks for processing. |
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Department of the Army |
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Christine Wormuth |
Gen. James C. McConville |
The U.S. Army's Youth Certificate of Recognition program has been suspended. |
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Department of the Navy |
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Carlos Del Toro |
Adm. Michael Gilday |
Gen. David H. Berger |
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Please include the full name of the scout, Troop number, date of
Court of Honor ceremony and return address. |
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Department of the Air Force |
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Frank Kendall III |
Gen. Charles Q. Brown |
Click here for an on-line application for letters from the Air Force
Secretary and Chief of Staff |
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CongressFor Congressional offices, due to security issues, mail to local offices will usually get a much faster response than mail sent to the Capitol or the House and Senate Office Buildings. |
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House of Representatives |
Senate |
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Nancy Pelosi |
Patrick Leahy |
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Steny Hoyer |
Charles E. Schumer |
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Kevin McCarthy |
Mitch McConnell |
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For other Representatives, __________ or simply address your letter to: ____________ There is no central listing of public e-mail addresses for
House members. |
For other Senators, Senator __________ or simply address your letter to: Senator ____________ e-mail addresses: Click Here |
Other Government Officials and Programs |
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Adm. Karl L. Schultz The Coast Guard has asked that we send all future Eagle Scout and
Gold Award requests to ScoutRecognition@uscg.mil.
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Jay Clayton |
Mr. Christopher A. Wray, Director |
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United States Military Academy Click here for
an on-line application |
US Air Force Academy Click here
then click on the link for |
United States Naval Academy The US Naval Academy is no longer able to respond to requests. |
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United States Coast Guard Academy The US Coast Guard Academy is no longer
able to respond to mail requests. |
National Park Service Youth Programs Please
click here to download the Eagle Scout Certificate of Recognition.
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Vice Adm. Vivek Murthy, MD |
| United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Recognition certificates for presentation to new Eagle Scouts, and Venturing Silver, Ranger, and Sea Scout Quartermaster Award recipients. The certificates are pdf files that can be filled out on line, and locally printed. Click here for access to the files. |
U.S. Postal Service Certificates of Recognition The United States Postal Service has a recognition certificate for presentation to new Eagle Scouts. The ertificate shows the USPS logo and theBSA logo, along with a reproduction of the 3¢ Boy Scouts of America commemorative stamp issued in 1950. To obtain a certificate, send your request, listing the name of the new Eagle Scout, to:
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Blue Angels The U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron recognizes Eagle Scouts and Venturing Summit Award recipients through an auto-generated letter. Click here |
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Information Affairs Coordinator |
NASA |
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Past Presidents and Vice Presidents |
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President Barack H. Obama |
President William J. Clinton |
President George W. Bush |
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President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter |
President and Mrs. Donald J. Trump Requests can be made online, using the link below. |
We have been provided with two possible addresses for Mr. Quayle Vice President Dan Quayle |
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Vice President Al Gore |
Vice President and Mrs. Mike Pence We have not been able to determine a mailing address for Mr. Pence, nor have we found a way to contact him online. |
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Governors |
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Gov. Kay Ivey |
Gov. Mike Dunleavy |
Gov. Doug Ducey |
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Gov. Asa Hutchinson |
Gov. Gavin Newsom Click here for instructions on how to request letters of recognition. |
Gov. Jared Polis |
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Gov. Ned Lamont |
Gov. John Carney |
Gov. Ron DeSantis |
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Gov. Brian Kemp |
Gov. David Ige |
Gov. Brad Little |
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker |
Gov. Eric Holcomb |
Gov. Kim Reynolds |
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Gov. Laura Kelly |
Gov. Andy Beshear |
Gov. John Bel Edwards |
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Gov. Janet T. Mills |
Gov. Larry Hogan |
Gov. Charlie Baker |
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer |
Gov. Tim Walz |
Gov. Tate Reeves |
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Gov. Michael L Parson |
Gov. Greg Gianforte |
Gov. Pete Ricketts |
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Gov. Steve Sisolak |
Gov. Chris Sununu |
Gov. Phil Murphy |
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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham |
Kathy Hochul |
Gov. Roy Cooper |
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Gov. Doug Burgum |
Gov. Richard Michael (Mike) DeWine |
Gov. Kevin Stitt |
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Gov. Kate Brown |
Gov. Tom Wolf |
Gov. Dan McKee |
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Gov. Henry McMaster |
Gov. Kristi L. Noem |
Gov. Bill Lee |
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Gov. Greg Abbott |
Gov. Spencer Cox |
Gov. Phil Scott |
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Gov. Ralph Northam |
Gov. Jay Inslee |
Gov. Jim Justice |
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Gov. Tony Evers |
Gov. Mark Gordon |
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Mayor Muriel Bowser Only District of Columbia residents will
be provided Eagle Scout letters |
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia |
Gov. Leon Guerrero |
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Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. |
Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga |
Gov. Ralph Torres |
Other Prominent People and Organizations |
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Sons of the American Revolution The SAR also presents the Arthur M. & Berdena King Eagle Scout Scholarship
awards. Three national-level scholarships are awarded: |
American Legion
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Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War |
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The Silver Star Families of America |
AMVETS National Headquarters |
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National Rifle Association The NRA requests 1 month advance notice |
United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. |
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary |
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Marine Corps League |
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Military Order of the World Wars |
East Tennessee State University |
East Carolina University Army ROTC program |
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Supreme Lodge |
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks |
Moose International |
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Mr. Bill Gates |
Mr. Steven Spielberg |
His Holiness, Pope Francis |
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Ms. Rosalyn Farb, Senior Vice President |
Mr. Ramon Laguarta, CEO |
Mr. James Quincy, Chairman & CEO |
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Public Relations Department email: consumers@hersheys.com, or call 1-855-802-8400 and a live representative will be happy to help. |
Walt Disney World Communications |
Mr. William Clay Ford, Jr., Executive Chairman |
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Nintendo |
Les Stroud Productions Inc. (Survivorman) |
Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity APO has an certificate which can be downloaded, filled in, and printed at: https://apo.org/resources/online-scout-certificate-2/ |
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Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation |
Condoleezza Rice |
Veterans of Foreign Wars National Headquarters |
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Religious Organizations |
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For United Methodist Scouts: |
For Islamic Scouts: |
For Catholic Scouts: |
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For Latter-day Saints Scouts: |
For Baptist Scouts: |
National Lutheran Association on Scouting They will mail certificates for Eagle Scout along with many others; Religious emblems, Silver, Gold, Webelos, Arrow of Light, AHG, 4H, Appreciation, Trail Life, etc. |
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For Jewish Scouts: |
For Jewish Scouts: |
For Jewish Scouts: Note: Please provide Eagle Court of Honor date
and contact information (phone/email) in case there are questions regarding
info for the certificate. |
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For Jewish Scouts: |
For Jewish Scouts: |
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For Jewish Scouts: |
For Jewish Scouts: |
For Jewish Scouts: |
If a name or organization has been removed from this list,
it is because we have had specific requests to NOT send letters to them.
In particular, the following people and groups have asked that they be removed:
The Central Intelligence Agency, The Justices of the
US Supreme Court, NASA Johnson Space Center /Astronaut Office,
US Air Force Recruiting Service, US Air Force Thunderbirds, Civil Air Patrol
Headquarters, US Naval Academy,
The Boeing Corp., The Cato Institute, Dr. William J. Bennett, Pat Boone, William
F. Buckley, The Joy Cone Company,
J. Willard Marriot, Allan H. "Bud" Selig, Mr. James R. Moffett, Mr. Stephen
Bechtel.
The Eagle Scout Service / NESA no longer provides congratulatory letters from James A. Lovell.
Mike Rowe (star of Dirty Jobs)
no longer sends personalized copies of his letter,
Click here for details). However, you can download a copy of his
"Completely Transparent, Totally Honest, Eagle Scout Congratulatory
Form Letter" and fill in the blanks, by clicking here:
http://mikerowe.com/about-mike/eagle-scout-letter/
The Lions Clubs' Scouting Recognition program
is being phased out.
However, for a limited time you may create a recognition letter for your Scout.
Go to this Lions website page:
http://members.lionsclubs.org/EN/serve/other-ways-to-serve/youth/scouts.php
Then open this link to view the recognition letter template:
http://www.lionsclubs.org/resources/EN/docs/scout-letterhead.doc
Click here to see other special Special Eagle Scout Recognitions that can be requested.
