The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) invites all Eagle Scouts (under 19 years of age) interested in the American Revolution to participate in the Arthur M. & Berdena King Eagle Scout Award. The contest is open to all Eagle Scouts who are currently registered in an active unit and have not reached their nineteenth birthday during the year of application. While the preliminary rounds of the contest begin at the local level, Scouts may eventually advance to the state or national levels, eventually held in June during the annual SAR Congress, and awarded up to $10,000.
College plans do not have to be completed in order to receive the cash award. Three cash awards are given: the National First Place Winner receives $10,000; the Runner-up receives $6,000; and the 2nd Runner-up receives $4,000. Scouts may apply more than one year if he meets the age requirements, but no more than $10,000 total may be granted to any one Eagle Scout. Prizes and recognition may also be awarded at the SAR chapter and society level. Each Eagle Scout must complete an application form, a four-generation ancestor chart, and a 500-word patriotic themed essay.
The competition is conducted in three phases: the local chapter, state-level society, and national phases. The competition is usually entered at the chapter level, though in Nebraska, the competition is entered at the society level. Applicants may not enter at the national level. Contest entrants need complete only one application for the SAR chapter-level competition. The application of the chapter-level winner is forwarded to be used in the society- and national-level competitions by the SAR as appropriate. A complete set of rules, along with the application for both the applicant and the sponsoring SAR
members, can be found below. Please be aware that the local application deadline dates may vary, so interested applicants
should reach out to the NESSAR Eagle Scout Chairman.
Four-Generation Ancestor Chart and Instructions (Applicant Form)
Consolidated SAR Youth Awards Application and Instructions (Applicant Form)
Consolidated SAR Youth Awards Application and Instructions (Sponsoring SAR Form)
NESSAR specific information All applications must be received by the NESSAR Eagle Scout Chairman by December 1 of each year. The Nebraska Society winner will receive a $500 cash award and will advance to the National competition.
Eagle Scout Certificates may be presented at the Eagle Court of Honor by our members upon notification at least two weeks in advance. If a member is unable to attend the Court of Honor, a certificate will be mailed.
The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) awards the ROTC Medal to foster the principle of the “citizen-soldier,” exemplified by the Minutemen of Revolutionary War days. This award is presented by an SAR Chapter, State-level Society, or the National Society to ROTC or JROTC cadets who are selected for having a high degree of merit with respect to leadership qualities, military bearing, and general excellence. The recipients are selected by the Commanding Officer of the ROTC or JROTC unit, who should be given full latitude in making the selection.
SAR members are direct descendants of those patriots that achieved the independence of the American people and the objectives of the organization are intended to perpetuate a more profound reverence for the principles of the government founded by our forefathers. Such were the ideals of Captain Alden Partridge, who is considered the founder of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program in the United States. Partridge founded the ROTC because his father, Samuel Partridge, a soldier of the Revolution, had concern for the newly founded United States and its lacking a development resource for qualified military officers. SAR supports all programs that encourage historical research, foster true patriotism, and maintain and extend the institutions of
American freedom. It strongly supports the United States ROTC and JROTC as exemplary programs of these ideals.
For ROTC or JROTC units with fewer than five hundred cadets or midshipmen, one ROTC or JROTC Recognition medal will be awarded each year. For larger units, one medal may be presented for every five hundred students enrolled in the unit. In cases where a school has more than one ROTC or JROTC unit, each unit is counted separately. The Silver ROTC Medal is presented only to students in a college or university ROTC unit and no recipient may receive it more than once. The Bronze JROTC Medal was authorized in 1965, and is presented only to students in secondary school JROTC and no recipient may receive it more than once.
As of June 15, 1998, the U.S. Navy Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC) is no longer eligible to receive the SAR JROTC Bronze Medal. Instead, the NSCC should be supported by recognizing the outstanding NSCC cadet with the SAR Bronze Good Citizenship Medal.
In 1876 there were many celebrations to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As part of this patriotic fervor, a group of men in the San Francisco, California, area who were descendants of patriots involved in the American Revolution, formed an organization called the Sons of
Revolutionary Sires. Their objective was to have a fraternal and civic society to salute those men and women who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to the battle for independence from Great Britain. They desired to keep alive their ancestors’ story of patriotism and courage in the belief that it is a universal one of man’s struggle against
tyranny — a story which would inspire and sustain succeeding generations when they would have to defend and extend our freedoms.
Out of the Sires grew the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, which was organized on April 30, 1889 — the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as our nation’s first President. We have used the acronym SAR to identify ourselves for over 100 years. The SAR was conceived as a fraternal and civic society composed of lineal descendants of the men who wintered at Valley Forge, signed the Declaration of Independence, fought in the battles of the American Revolution, served in the Continental Congress, or otherwise supported the cause of American Independence. The National Society was chartered by an Act of the United States Congress on June 9, 1906. The
charter was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a member of the SAR. The charter authorizes the granting of charters to societies of the various states and territories and authorizes the state societies to charter chapters within their borders. Federal Legislation that established a federal charter for the National Society SAR.