Troop 395, Hamburg, Michigan

Troop 395 is based in Hamburg, Michigan, and is part of the Three Fires District of the Michigan Crossroads Council (MCC), Scouting America.


Scouting America National Safety Minute


2026 Eastern Michigan Merit Badge Day

Sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0448ABA92BA2FB6-61691550-emumerit#/
Laura will sign up the troop as a group, but responding to the GroupMe by early next week will be important to (hopefully) ensure our scouts get access to the merit badges they are interested in. Spots fill up FAST!

Merit badge days are a fabulous and fun way for scouts to continue to make progress toward their goal of attaining eagle while also learning about some really cool subjects from experienced scouters in the region.

Merit badges offered at events like the EMU merit badge day often have prerequisites and those can be found here: https://scoutingevent.com/Download/272170255/OR/Merit_Badge_Prerequisites.pdf

EAGLE Merit Badges:

There are two eagle-required badges being offered, Citizenship in the Nation and Citizenship in the World. The following scouts require these two badges which are required for eagle, but also count toward the required number of eagle badges for Star (4 eagle required) and Life ranks (3 additional eagle required for a total of 7). I highly recommend signing up for at least one (if not both) eagle badges.

  • Levi (both)
  • Grayson (both)
  • Philip (both)
  • Jonah (both)
  • Thomas (Both)
  • Keegan (Cit in Nation only)
  • Aaron (both)
  • All other scouts have both completed and should consider the extensive list of other merit badges being offered.

Pre-Requisites:

Most (but not all) of the merit badges have pre-requisites. Eagle badges, however, always have requirements for completion that will not be covered during the merit badge day. Many scouts choose to endeavor to complete those ahead of time (if possible), however, it is possible to take the badge during the day and complete the final requirements in the troop. A few things to note about the two eagle badges being offered:

Cit in Nation – Requires visiting a national historic place or landmark (as one option) and researching a national monument. Your scout can find a list of historic places here: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm and landmarks by state here: The requirements also call for writing a letter to your member of congress about an issue of importance to you and discussing with your counselor. This can be done online via email message on many website pages for congressional members.

Cit in the World – Requires the following prep work. There are other options in requirement 7 but only two are required and the following are likely (although perhaps not conclusively) the most reasonable to complete prior to March 21 if that is your goal.

○ (a) Visit the web site of the U.S. State Department. Learn more about an issue you find interesting that is discussed on this web site.

○ (b) Visit the web site of an international news organization or foreign government, OR examine a foreign newspaper available at your local library, bookstore, or newsstand. Find a news story about a human right realized in the United States that is not recognized in another country.


1/11/2026 Scoutmaster Report

  • Starting in January 2026, Scoutmaster Erik Wessel, will be meeting for “Flash” Scoutmaster Conferences with each scout as part of the onboarding experience. The goal will be to understand each scout’s goals and establish a better sense as to their current scouting advancement status.
  • Merit badge Review
    Scouts have an average of 7 years in scouting at the troop level. This means that they need to achieve an average of two eagle-required merit badges per year to stay on track to earn eagle before the age of 18. Many of our scouts are on-track, but with better data we can more specifically know how to encourage our scouts to pursue eagle badges required for rank advancement at the Star, Life and Eagle rank.
    • Scouts can earn eagle badges at merit badge days (Commonly pursuing the “Citizenship” series merit badges).
    • Scouts can earn eagle badges in the troop (Commonly offering swimming, camping, communications, family life, and first aid)
    • Scouts can earn eagle badges at camp (Commonly offering emergency preparedness, sustainability, and cooking, among many others)
  • Eastern Michigan Merit Badge Day
    • March 21st
    • Registration now open to register as a troop
    • Citizenship in the nation (7 scouts need); Citizenship in the world (6 of our scouts)
    • Pre-requisites are required
    • Sign up Genius to be sent
  • The troop is always looking for Merit Badge Counselors. Check out the counselor needs
    Troop website → Resources → merit badge counselor application
  • February 7th crossover for 315 and 395. The sign up genius has also been sent via GroupMe and linked on the landing page of the website.
  • Scout camp
  • Eagle Recognition Dinner
    • April 28th, 2026
    • 5:30-9:00pm Packard proving grounds, Shelby township