From Misfits to Eagles

Okay, I just had to pass this along to you all. There is a story in the Saturday edition of the Washington Post about eleven Tigers Cubs who stayed together through Cub Scouting, into Boy Scouting, and all recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout. They were described as cry babies when they entered the troop, but through Scouting they grew into outstanding young men. Here is just a small piece of the article:

As Cub Scouts, they were so wild that the exasperated leaders insisted that their parents attend the meetings to keep things from getting out of hand. Their first hike as Boy Scouts became notable for the "strike" when the boys lay down side by side on an easy trail and refused to go on after having covered about the length of the Mall.

But something happened to these 11 whiny, quick-to-say-quit goofballs from Boy Scout Troop 681 in Falls Church. It happened somewhere along the way between pinewood derbies and knot-tying in the Scout House, the log cabin where the group met three times a month under the glassy eyes of a stuffed moose. And it happened on 50-mile hikes and canoe trips, under the watch of scoutmasters such as the retired lieutenant colonel who spun war stories and taught them how to set up an L-shaped ambush, Ranger-style.

I hope the Post leaves the article online for quite awhile, and that this gets picked up by national news organizations. Read about it HERE.

The Christmas Scout

I first read this tale years ago in a book of short stories. The title caught my attention, The Christmas Scout, so I just had to see what that was about. It turned out to be a great tale about a Boy Scout who does a great Good Deed for the unfortunate in his community. A couple years ago I read this story to the boys in my troop at our December court of honor. I debated with myself for the last week whether I should post this story here on the blog and finally decided it was worth it.

By the way, I did not write this. It was written by Sam Bogan. I do not know if this is a true story or a fictional one, but to tell the truth, it really does not matter.

The Christmas Scout

In spite of the fun and laughter, 13 yr. old Frank Wilson was not happy. It was true, he had received all the presents he wanted, and he enjoyed the traditional Christmas Eve reunions with relatives for the purpose of exchanging gifts and good wishes.......... but Frank was not happy because this was his first Christmas without his brother, Steve, who during the year, had been killed by a reckless driver. Frank missed his brother and the close companionship they had together.

He said good-bye to this relatives, and explained to his parents that he was leaving a little early to see a friend, and from there he could walk home. Since it was cold outside, Frank put on his new plaid jacket. It was his FAVORITE gift. He placed the other presents on his new sled, then headed out, hoping to find the patrol leader of his Boy Scout troop. Frank always felt understood by him.

Tho' rich in wisdom, his leader lived in the Flats, the section of town where most of the poor lived. His patrol leader did odd jobs to help support his family. To Frank's disappointment, his friend was not home.

As Frank hiked down the street toward home, he caught glimpses of trees and decorations in many of the small houses. Then, thru one front window, he glimpsed a shabby room with limp stockings hanging over an empty fireplace. A woman was seated nearby....weeping.

The stockings reminded him of the way he and his brother had always hung theirs side by side. The next morning, they would be bursting with presents. A sudden tho't struck Frank--he had not done his "good deed" for the day. Before the impulse passed, he knocked on the door. "Yes?" the sad voice of a woman asked. Seeing his sled full of gifts, and assuming he was making a collection, she said, "I have no food or gifts for you. I have nothing for my own children."

"That's not why I am here, " Frank replied. "Please choose whatever presents you would like for your children from the sled."

"Why, God bless you!" the amazed woman answered gratefully. She selected some candies, a game, a toy airplane and a puzzle. When she took the Scout flashlight, Frank almost protested. Finally, the stockings were full.

"Won't you tell me your name?" she asked, as Frank was leaving.

"Just call me the Christmas Scout," he replied.

The visit left Frank touched, and with an unexpected flicker of joy in his heart. He understood that his sorrow wasn't the only sorrow in the world.

Before he left the Flats, he had given away the rest of his gifts. His plaid jacket had gone to a shivering boy. Now, Frank trudged toward home, cold and uneasy. How could he explain to his parents that he had given his presents away?

"Where are your presents, son? asked his father as Frank entered the house. "I gave them away," he answered in a small voice.

"The airplane from Aunt Susan? Your new coat from Grandma? Your flashlight?? We tho't you were happy with your gifts."

"I was......very happy," Frank said quietly.

"But, Frank, how could you be so impulsive?" his mother asked. "How will we explain to the relatives who spent so much time and gave so much love shopping for you?"

His father was firm. "You made your choice, Frank. We cannot afford any more presents."

With his brother gone, and his family disappointed in him, Frank suddenly felt dreadfully alone. He had not expected a reward for his generosity, for he knew that a good deed always should be its own reward. It would be tarnished otherwise. So he did not want his gifts back. However, he wondered if he would ever again recapture joy in his life. He tho't he had this evening....but it had been fleeting. He thought of his brother.....and sobbed himself to sleep.

The next morning, he came downstairs to find his parents listening to Christmas music on the radio. Then the announcer spoke:

"Merry Christmas, everyone! The nicest Christmas story we have this morning comes from the Flats. A crippled boy down there has a new sled this morning left at his house by an anonymous teenage boy. Another youngster has a fine plaid jacket, and several families report that their children were made happy last night by gifts from a teenage lad who simply called himself the 'Christmas Scout'. No one could identify him, but the children of the Flats claim that the Christmas Scout was a personal representative of old Santa Claus himself.

Frank felt his father's arms go around his shoulders, and he saw his mother smiling thru her tears.

"Why didn't you tell us, son? We didn't understand. We are so proud of you."

The carols came over the air again, filling the room with music--"Praises sing to God the King, and peace on Earth goodwill to men."

.

The Beagle Scout

I have a scrapbook that few people have seen. In fact, I seldom take it out to look at it myself. It contains some old Scouting mementos. It has my BSA membership cards, merit badge cards, and Totin' Chip card from when I was a Boy Scout. It's pages include over twenty years of BSA cards from my stint as an assistant scoutmaster and scoutmaster of Troop 68. It also contains pictures from my elementary school years, a couple report cards, and my high school graduation program. All these things are interesting to look at once in a while, but the book also contains something that is really fun to read, or look at, depending on your point of view.

The scrap book contains fifteen comic strips that I cut from a newspaper when I was a teenager. These strips feature that wonderful dog we all know and love, Snoopy! What makes these strips so special to me is that they are the ones that feature Snoopy as a Boy Scout.

The strip begin with Snoopy as a Tenderpaw. Lucy teases him about being such a low rank to which Snoopy replies that he will work and work to reach the top and become a... Beagle Scout! As the story line continues we watch as the lovable beagle go out for a hike, and then becomes hopelessly lost. He is finally rescued by a Girl Scout selling cookies. Of course, Lucy is true to form and has to tell Snoopy how disappointed she is to see a Beagle Scout rescued by a Girl Scout.

The strip then goes on and we see Snoopy as the "Scout Leader" of a "patrol" that contains Woodstock and his friends. Did you know Woodstock's friends were named Conrad, Oliver, and Bill? I like the strips when Snoopy talks about first aid and the evening meal with his troop.

I discovered, after a quick search on the internet, that Snoopy first appeared as a Scout on May 13, 1974. I was thirteen years old at the time. Wow, I did not realize that these newspaper strips were that old. You can see this first strip here and read about Lucy criticizing Snoopy on his new identity. The strip is found at the bottom of the page.

I also discovered that there are a couple Beagle Scout Snoopy toys available on Amazon.com. One plush Snoopy seems to come with a little book conatining the Scouting comic strips. Hmmm... how much credit do I have left on my card? Oh boy! Looks like I have enough to buy two of them!

The Camp Ranger

Scott was a typical Boy Scout in many ways. He began as a Tiger Scout, became a Bobcat, then a Wolf, and then a Bear. His father was his Webelos den leader. Both of them graduated into Boy Scout Troop 68. Scott would go on to earn seventeen merit badges and his Life Rank. His father became an assistant scoutmaster and troop chaplain.

Scott attended summer camp at Many Point Scout Camp a few times as a member of the troop. He liked Many Point so well the he and a friend of his became Councilors in Training (CIT) one summer. After he graduated from high school Scott began to spend his summers at Many Point working on the staff. During those years he would switch camps in which he would work, one year at Buckskin, the next at Ten Chiefs, and a few years at Family Camp. The beach areas were a favorite of Scott's so it came as no surprise when he became the Aquatics Director of one of the camps. Scott loved being outdoors and could not get interested in a job in which he would have to spend his summers in some air conditioned building.

As the years went by Scott continued to work at Many Point. He saw many young men and women come and go as staff members. He began to spend more time each year at camp, arriving earlier, and leaving later, then the camp staff. He began taking on more duties and responsibilities. It did not take long for Many Point to become Scott's unofficial home.

When the camp's head ranger announced that he would retire, and that the assistant ranger would step up to replace him, Scott wasted no time in applying for the assistant ranger position. It was a position that Scott had had his eye on for a few years. It came as no suprise to me when I heard that Scott was offered the position and had accepted the offer.

And so Scott, an alumni of Melrose Troop 68, became a full time ranger for the very camp he had attended as a Boy Scout. Many Point had become his official home. I was happy for him, and proud of him. It had reached the goal he had set for himself.

This week eight boys from Troop 68 attended Many Point Scout Camp. Tuesday morning, while the Scouts were having breakfast in the dining hall, Scott stopped by our table to visit with us, catch up a bit with the adult leaders, and meet the troop's newest Scouts. He told us he really loves his job, and that there could be a wedding in his future, to a girl he met while working at the camp. I wish him the best as he looks toward his future.

As a scoutmaster, it is great to visit with former troop members. It is especially pleasing to hear that they are doing well with their lives. A Scout leader always hopes that the brief time a boy spends in Scouting will have a positive impact on his life. In Scott's case, in was more then just an impact. It became a career.

Boy Scout soars far beyond the Eagle Rank

Here is a great story from MSNBC that you should read. It features Boy Scout, James Calderwood, who has attained all 122 merit badges. When only two to four percent of all Scouts ever reach the rank of Eagle Scout, finding a Boy Scout who attains all the merit badges is a rare thing indeed. You can read the article at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17902427/
(The picture is from the MSNBC article.)

Gerald Ford, "On My Honor"

I used to have a copy of a video that I think was called "On My Honor". It was a BSA promotional video which featured narration by former President Gerald Ford. It was several minutes long, and a very well done film. It was one of my favorite BSA videos. Unfortunately, somehow, somewhere, part of my copy was taped over. I tried calling my local council to see if they still had a copy of it. Unfortunately, they did not. I was a little upset when I discovered it was lost to me.

So, I went to the internet to see if I could discover a copy of it somewhere. So far, I have not had any luck. If any of you who read this blog have a copy, I would be willing to trade a dvd of 15 various BSA promotional films and commercials for it. Contact me through this web site.

As I was searching the internet, I discovered a site that had a speech given by President Gerald Ford in 1974 when he received the Scouter of the Year Award honoring him for being the first Eagle Scout to become the president of the United States. It is a great speech and I thought you might like to read it also, if you have not already read it. Just follow this link:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=4601

I sometimes wonder what the "Great Master of All Scouts" had to say when this Eagle Scout President arrived at the Pearly Gates. I bet both of them had an ear to ear grin when they met!

President Gerald Ford, Eagle Scout, Passes Away

Former President Gerald Ford, at age 93, has passed away. It was news that saddened me. He was the first president that I, as a teenager, really started paying attention to. I thought he was cool.

President Ford was our first and only president that was not elected to the office. He did not seek the position, but it found him. He accepted the duties and responsibilities and brought dignity back to the White House.

Some people have called him the accidental president, and in a way he was. Some called him the clumsy president. Every time he stumbled or fell we were able to see it on the evening news. Chevy Chase became a star on Saturday Night Live by mocking this former star college football player's mishaps. President Ford was the lucky president, surviving two assassination attempts.

President Ford was also the healing president. After the lies and scandals of the Nixon presidency, Ford brought openness, dignity, and honesty back to the office. He was well liked by both Republicans and Democrats. During his brief term he helped the country put Watergate and the Vietnam War behind us and began to move this great country forward once again.

A lesser known and sometimes forgotten fact is that President Ford was a Boy Scout in his youth. In fact, he was an Eagle Scout, the only one to ever serve as President of the United States. When he became the president he brought his Scouting values with him to the office - trustworthy, loyal, kind, cheerful, and brave. He did his duty to God and country. He kept himself physically strong, stayed mentally awake, and was always morally straight.

Unfortunately, President Ford did not win the next election to remain president. Fortunately, he did not forget his Scouting roots. He narrated a video supporting Boy Scouting, its ideal, and values. I wish I still had a copy of the video. It would be great to see it again.

With the passing of President Ford not only has the country lost a great leader, but Scouting has lost a great role model, supporter, and friend.

"May the Great Master of all Scouts be with us until we meet again." I hope the Great Master has accepted this great Scout into his great kingdom with open arms. I hope to meet him myself one day and share Scouting stories.

A Year of Firsts of Scouting on the Internet

Hello friends of Scouting,

As the year comes to an end I want to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Great New Year.

As many of you have come to realize during the past twelve months, I am heavily into Scouting. I also like to play with photography, video, and websites. Although I have been the webmaster for our Boy Scout troop's site for over eight years this has been the first year dabbling with placing video on the internet. I have uploaded over forty Scouting related videos to youtube.com and to the new video section on our troop's website. My collection of Scouting commercials and promotions is now online, along with several short clips of Scouts from my troop doing skits and songs during their annual community Laughs For Lunch Show. I shall continue to post more as they become available to me.

I have also experimented with making videos with a puppet I like to call Buttons, the radical Boy Scout. Making the four videos has been fun, as much fun as seeing the number of views climb as people watch them. The best part of the videos that feature Buttons has been the emails from people telling me how much they and their children have enjoyed them. Keep an eye out for more of Buttons. I have three more videos planned for him to star in.

This has also been my first year experimenting with blogging (online journal). I have been trying to write at least one blog a week. It has been great to see that some people have actually been reading "A Scoutmaster's Blog". In fact, it has become one of the most hit pages on our troop's website. The real surprise came when I discovered that a couple of my entries had been mentioned on other websites. I have heard that most blogs are discontinued after three months, so I guess I have already done better then most bloggers. If I see that people keep reading my blog, then I plan to keep writing entries to it.

I would like to thank all of you, my Scouting brothers and sisters, who have watched the videos and read the blogs. Your views and comments have made the work worthwhile.

May you all have a great Scouting New Year.

Jamboree Scoutmaster: Part 3

The 2001 National Jamboree at Fort AP Hill was over. We had made the trip home. The camping gear was all put away. It was time to return to "normal" Scouting. Well, not quite. I still had one more Jamboree related meeting to attend.

A reunion meeting was held a couple weeks after our return. The Boy Scouts and leaders of both Central Minnesota Council troops, along with the boy's parents, were expected to be there. This would be the last meeting of the 2001 troops. The agenda included a slideshow to be presented by our Jamboree chairwoman, and would also be a chance to share photographs, stories, and experiences. Of course, a few words by the two scoutmasters was also expected.

The meeting began well. Most of the Scouts and their parents were in attendance. Photo books had been spread out on several tables. The 8 x 10 group photos had been handed out. Unfortunately, our chairwoman with the slideshow was nowhere in site. We had a laptop computer and projector available so I improvised by showing photos that I had on cd discs. It worked out alright, but it was not as good as a prepared slideshow would have been. Our chairwoman did arrive later but it was too late to watch the slideshow.

It came time for the scoutmasters to speak. I stood up, looked over the room of Scouts and parents, and told everyone that I had a good time. However, I continued, "I never want to attend another National Jamboree again!"

There were a few shocked expressions among the Scouts and parents before I explained why I made that statement. I told them that I had been a part of a nearly perfect Boy Scout troop. The adult leaders, the youth leadership, and the troop members had been great to work with, and to be with. We did have have any real problems. The boys got along well with each other.

"I do not think I will ever have another Jamboree experience as good as this one was," I said. "It was almost too good. I doubted I could ever have another group of adults and boys as great as this one. Thus, I did not ever want to attend another Jamboree again."

Time moves on. I did not attend the 2005 National Jamboree even though the council sent three troops and needed additional leaders. However, with the 100th anniversary of the BSA being celebrated during the 2010 Jamboree I am beginning to think about attending another one. I wonder if it would be possible to get my former Jamboree troop back together.

Photos of my trip to the 2001 National Jamboree can be found at
http://www.melrosetroop68.org/highadventure.html

Jamboree Scoutmaster: Part 2

In 1999 Sue talked to me about it, I thought about it, I applied for it, I interviewed for it, and finally, I got it. I was going to be the scoutmaster for one of the two troops the Central Minnesota Council would be sending to the 2001 Jamboree.

Little did I realize how how work and how many meetings would be involved. I need to attend the council's Jamboree committee meetings, meet my assistant scoutmasters, and start putting our team together. I soon discovered that the eight men chosen to lead these two troops were very dedicated to the cause, that we would work together well, and make a great team.

I found that one of my duties was to promote the Jamboree among troops in the council and to recruit members. I quickly recruited nine members out of my home troop. My assistant scoutmasters did a great job of recruiting from their troops. The council did a little promotion. It did not take long before we had enough Boy Scouts to fill both troops and had a waiting list of boys who would like to participate.

After the first "troop meeting" was held with the Jamboree Scouts and their parents, we began accepting applications for the youth leadership positions. The assistant scoutmasters and I conducted interviews from the list of applications and chose our senior patrol leader, ASPL, troop quartermaster, and troop scribe. I have to admit, we did a good job with our appointments. Our junior leaders became a great team to work with.

The troop roster was divided into four patrols of eight Scouts. We made sure that no patrol contained over two Scouts from the same home troop. Once each patrol elected its own patrol leader we had a full patrol leader council and could begin training sessions.

During the next year I attended several meetings a month to prepare for the Jamboree. There was the monthly committee meeting, the monthly leaders' meeting, the troop meetings, training meetings, gateway building sessions, and more. Of course, this was all in addition to my usual duties and meetings in my home troop.

Scouting had begun to take a significant portion of my time through the years 2000 and 2001. But with a great cast of assistant scoutmasters, committee members, and junior leaders in both my home troop and the Jamboree troop, my positions of scoutmaster went smoothly.

In June of 2001 we help our pre-encampment which was basically a practice run for the Jamboree, with training mixed into the weekend. It was our first camp outing as a Jamboree troop. I am happy to report that things went very well. The only real problem to speak of was that we discovered some very loud snorers in the group.

Preparations were over. It was time for Central Minnesota Council Troops 1417 and 1418 to attend the 2001 National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia!

Jamboree Scoutmaster

Sue stopped in to see me at my work office. While we were chatting she asked if I had given any thought to going to the 2001 National Jamboree. I told her I had not even thought about it. She explained that she was a member of the council's Jamboree staff and that she thought I should apply to be an adult leader for the Jamboree. She did not give me much time to think about it though. Applications were due at the council office within a couple weeks.

So, I thought about it. Our troop did a high adventure trip every three years. The 2001 Jamboree happened to fall in the right year to be our troop activity. But the big question was whether the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 would want to attend the Jamboree instead of going to Philmont Scout Ranch, our usual destination.

At the next troop meeting I asked the boys if they would be interested in attending the Jamboree. I explained that if they chose the Jamboree then I would apply to be an adult leader for the event. The Scouts thought it sounded like it would be a fun time so I filled out the application.

Our council would send two troops to the Jamboree. Each troop would need four adult leaders, a scoutmaster and three assistants. The third assistant scoutmaster is usually filled by a young adult, usually 18-20 years old, that had previously attended a Jamboree. That left three positions for which I could apply.

After looking over the job descriptions I chose to apply for scoutmaster. The job would be very similar to being the scoutmaster of a regular troop. Besides that, it appeared to be the easiest job of the three open to me. I would just have to make sure that everyone else does their job well.

I turned in my application with only a day or two to spare. A short time later I received a letter asking me to go to St. Cloud for an interview. "An interview?" I thought. I have never done an interview for anything in Scouting in my life. It made me a little nervous.

One of my young assistant scoutmasters, Ben, who also happened to be one of my troop's Eagle Scouts, had applied to be a third assistant scoutmaster for the Jamboree so we carpooled to St. Cloud for our interviews. Ben had attended the 1997 Jamboree as a Boy Scout. The interview was conducted by four or five members of the Jamboree committee. They asked some interesting questions that seemed based on problems during the 1997 Jamboree. I answered them as honestly and as best as I was able.

On the way home Ben and I talked about how we did during our interviews. We both felt we did pretty well. I also asked Ben a few questions about his experience during the previous Jamboree and how well he enjoyed it.

It was not long before we received notice that I would be the scoutmaster for National Jamboree Troop 1417, and that Ben would be my third assistant scoutmaster. Suddenly, I found myself to be the scoutmaster in two troops. Now the work would begin!