A quick video about a Scout that is giving back. Thought I’d share this with you.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Category Archives: Service
The age of an Eagle?
Funny how time fly’s when you’re having fun. This week has been an amazing week of Scouting and thus, I have not been on the computer much at all. The Outdoor channel is currently filming Scouts from my Troop on an amazing adventure for the series Scouting for Adventure.
Last night I sat down with the Key 3 of our District, we had a little meeting on the changes we were going to make in the coming year. The conversation turned to advancement. The subject “young Eagle Scouts”.
Now before I go any further, let me tell you what the Boy Scouts say on the subject.
YOU MAY NOT ADD TO NOR TAKE AWAY FROM ANY REQUIREMENT. PERIOD.
So having said that if a Scout completes all of the requirements and has everything signed off properly.. well then.. he’s an Eagle Scout.
RIGHT?
Now some will argue.. and have, that a 13-year-old is too young to be an Eagle Scout. After all, we are looking for a young man who has DEMONSTRATED Leadership, a young man who has been an ACTIVE member of his Troop, a Scout that is KNOWLEDGEABLE in skills etc. These are all super valid points and I agree whole heartedly. Now, here is the rub. Has a 13-year-old done all of that.. I mean really done it all. Sure he may have served as a Patrol leader in a New Scout Patrol. Went to one summer camp and earned a bunch of merit badges, and can do the basics that got him to First class, but has he developed enough to truly test his leadership at the Troop level? Has he been that active?
I don’t know.
The other argument against is the maturity level of the young man. At 13 is he mature enough to understand his responsibility as an Eagle Scout?
I don’t know.
An argument for young Eagle Scouts is that they now can spend more time in the Troop as an Eagle Scout. Ok.. I buy that.
But I don’t know.
You see, boy develop at different rates and stages. They are all different. I know some 13 year olds that act 18 and some 18 year olds that act 12… so that is not a good measure. I know some young Scouts that develop the skills at a much faster rate than some of the older Scouts.. so that is not a good measure.
So here is the bottom line in my opinion. Becoming an Eagle Scout is not an excercise in passing through gates. Becoming and Eagle Scout is all about BECOMING the Eagle, developing leadership skills, demonstrating the skills of Scouting, and learning about the world around him. The way I see it is that the young man must participate in five Scoutmaster conferences before his conference for Eagle. IF the Scoutmaster and the Scout have not had these discussions during those conferences, IF the Scoutmaster has failed to mentor and coach the Scout along and develop him, IF the Scoutmaster has signed off the book and in good consciousness said that everything was alright.. then the Scout should be an Eagle Scout.
So having said that…. a 13-year-old Eagle Scout? I have not had one in my Troop.. and it’s not because any adult has thrown up a road block. If the book says to demonstrate.. the Scout demonstrates, if the book says to show, the Scout shows, if the book says to explain, the Scout explains. If he does not do it correctly.. it does not get signed off.
If the book says to serve in a leadership role for 6 months.. then the Scout is expected to actually serve in that role. And during the Scoutmaster conference explain what he did while in that leadership position.
You see the road to Eagle is not meant to be hard, but it is meant to allow the Scout to navigate the program and develop. You become an Eagle Scout over the course of the journey.
There are obstacles to over come and challenges to face, that is the way the program is set up. Can it be done by 13, I suppose. But at the end of the day, does the Scout get a patch out of it.. or a life experience?
I don’t have the answer here, the book does. I can only give you my take on the subject.
I am curious to know what you think. Drop us some feedback, leave a comment, or shoot an email!
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Standing on the shoulders of Giants
When I became a new Scoutmaster a good friend took me aside and gave me some great advice. He told me that its all about the Troop program. We were building a Troop from scratch and so he assured me that if we built a great program, the Scouts would come and we would have a troop that would do great things.
That was 7 years ago. We built a great program and as the Scouts got older they all added to that program building it stronger and stronger each year. Annually our District, like every other District in the BSA hosts their District Dinner or Annual Awards Banquet. For the past 4 years Troops 174, 544, and my Troop (664) have been competing for the Troop of the Year.. Trading off between the three of us, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, typically separated by 1 or points between Troops. My Troop has never been number one.. until now.
Last year Troop 174 won the top honors and we came in a very close second. There was a 3 point spread between 1st and 3rd place. This year there was a 4 point spread between 1st and 4th place and once again the three Troops were in the hunt. When they announced that Troop 544 was third place, I immediately thought.. “Well, we got second again this year”, then they announced that 174 was the runner up. My committee chair looked over at me and we smiled. “And the Troop of the Year is 664!” our Awards chair announced. 7 years of building and working with our Scouts to build this program and here it is the Troop of the Year for our District.
I am proud of the work that the Scouts have done, the support of a fantastic committee, and the dedication of some great Assistant Scoutmasters that made this all happen.
It all started with a Giant helping me get started. Thanks
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Memorial Day 2011
Memorial Day has always been a day that our family observed beyond the BBQ and long weekend event. My Dad was a career soldier and served in Vietnam, and having lost many of his friends there, Memorial Day had special meaning. My Grandfather served in World War II and honored that generation of American Warrior that gave so much for the cause of freedom.
But Memorial Day took on a new or at least a special meaning to me once I returned from Iraq… and more so once I retired from the Army.
It was a hot early morning 18 miles south of Baghdad, I was returning with a Patrol from B CO. We had been patrolling a sector looking for insurgents that had been placing IED’s along MSR Tampa, the main supply route in and out of Baghdad.
We had turned the corner and were on the side road that led into our camp when all of a sudden the whole world came unglued. An RPG hit the HUMMV in the lead of the convoy flipping it over. The young soldier in the turret’s name is SPC Wright. He was severely wounded. The driver and co driver were shaken up pretty bad. The patrol dismounted and returned fire, in what seemed like an hour (it was actually about 2 minutes) it was all over. The insurgents fled.
Now this was not the first time we had engaged the enemy in and around our sector, but this day was the day that we really did not want to make contact.. we were heading home in a few days. Specialist Wright lay on the ground surrounded by medics covered in blood and transmission fluid from the HUMMV. I was looking down at the young man, he was only 20 at the time. His eyes stared at me and he asked me if he was ok. “You’ll be fine” I told him. The medic handed me an IV bag and I held it up as they opened it up to a full drip. “Am I going to die Sergeant Major?” he asked. “Not today” I told him. The Blackhawk with the big red cross on it arrived and we loaded him in. As he flew away I thought that this day would be one I never forget. I had seen death, destruction, and what the worst in human nature could do to other humans, but this was close. When we got back to the states I saw Wright, he is alive a well. He told me that all he could remember of that day was me standing over him telling him he would be ok.
Today we remember all of the men and women that paid in full for our Freedom. I lost a dear friend, SSG Brad Lindsey in the fight against Global Terrorism. He was a soldier in my company when I was a First Sergeant. He was my radio operator. On his second tour in the Global War on Terror he was killed in Action in Afghanistan. It was a hurt that I will never forget.
We have all been touched by the loss of a service member. So today, unfortunately is the one day that we all choose to remember.
So enjoy the BBQ, have a great day off… but some time today, look to the heavens (cause that’s where they are) and say thanks to those that paid the price for our freedom.
Last Thursday, the Scouts of my Troop, and the Scouts of the entire Thunderbird District placed a Flag on every head stone at the Willamette National Cemetery. A few hours of our Scouts showing that they really care and an opportunity to reinforce in this next generation the idea that freedom has a price and someone has to pay it.
I hope to God that none of the Scouts of my Troop ever have to go off to war. But I never want them to forget the men and women that did.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
To be a Man
I had a nice talk the other night with a friend of mine, a long time Scout and Scouter. I enjoy our talks because they typically get to the heart of what Scouting is all about. We were talking about the Aims of Scouting, you know… Citizenship, Character, and Fitness.. but the conversation turned to a theme that has flowed throughout Scouting since its inception in 1907, and really before that as Baden Powell put together the frame work of the organization that would become Scouting.
The idea that we as Scout leaders have a job to do, while we teach and coach these young men camping skills, character, and life skills in general, we are also tasked with teaching them to be men. Yes MEN. This may seem obvious and some may ask where I would find that in Scouting literature, and you may not find it. But look at the program, since the beginning. It has always been about the virtues or manliness. As I grew up my Dad tought me to be a man. And that is not to say just a member of the species. Respect, Honor, Duty, Courtesy.. those types of things. Standing up for what is right, defending the weak, treating women with respect, treating everyone with dignity and compassion. Having a strong heart and faith and exercising both your brain and your brawn when the right situation for them came up.
I was allowed as a boy to be a boy and explore and grow. To take risk and learn. This allowed me to become a man. Scouting was a major part of that. It tought me the Scout Law and Oath, great rules for all men to live by. These rules and promises were consistent with my faith and upbringing and as a result I was not conflicted in the direction that I should go to become a man. I had great role models. Teachers, Coaches, Scout leaders, and my Dad, who through there collective actions thought me to be a man.
Now it is my turn, as a Dad and a Scoutmaster to teach young men those qualities of being a man. It is the job of the Scoutmaster as he teaches Character, Citizenship, and Fitness to add to that manliness. He does this through his actions and example.
The idea that we as Scout leaders have a job to do, while we teach and coach these young men camping skills, character, and life skills in general, we are also tasked with teaching them to be men. Yes MEN. This may seem obvious and some may ask where I would find that in Scouting literature, and you may not find it. But look at the program, since the beginning. It has always been about the virtues or manliness. As I grew up my Dad tought me to be a man. And that is not to say just a member of the species. Respect, Honor, Duty, Courtesy.. those types of things. Standing up for what is right, defending the weak, treating women with respect, treating everyone with dignity and compassion. Having a strong heart and faith and exercising both your brain and your brawn when the right situation for them came up.
I was allowed as a boy to be a boy and explore and grow. To take risk and learn. This allowed me to become a man. Scouting was a major part of that. It tought me the Scout Law and Oath, great rules for all men to live by. These rules and promises were consistent with my faith and upbringing and as a result I was not conflicted in the direction that I should go to become a man. I had great role models. Teachers, Coaches, Scout leaders, and my Dad, who through there collective actions thought me to be a man.
Now it is my turn, as a Dad and a Scoutmaster to teach young men those qualities of being a man. It is the job of the Scoutmaster as he teaches Character, Citizenship, and Fitness to add to that manliness. He does this through his actions and example.
I love this poem and have shared it on many occasions with our young men.
IF
by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;
If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build them up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings — nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds worth of distance run — Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!
Bring them up right!
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Have a Great Scouting Day!
The Test of Cheerful Service
We are well into “Ordeal Season”. Lodges all over America are conducting Ordeal weekends for new Arrowmen and those that are converting their membership to Brotherhood.
In this process we test (Ordeal) those that have been chosen by their peers as worthy of membership in Scoutings Society of Honored Campers.
During the ordeal the candidates are asked to deprive themselves of certain things they take for granted for. In doing this they set aside comfort and selfishness for the good of others.
This teaches the candidate that there are things in this world that are more important than selfish needs and comfort. It also demonstrates that a Cheerful spirit can accomplish anything when the heart and mind are willing.
Cheerfully the candidates work to better Scout camps. They work hard and in the end see the results of their labor. It is especially nice to go back to a camp that they worked and see the look of pride on their faces as they explain that they were the ones that made it better.
Not to be boastful, but pride in doing a job that benefited the whole Scout camp.
This test of Cheerful Service is then asked to be brought back to their Troops so that they can serve those that had chosen them. This sometimes can be the hardest task, but again, with a Cheerful spirit and a willing heart and mind, this too can become a reality.
Welcome to all the new Arrowmen. Continue to seek the Arrow within you.
WWW
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Memorial Day 2008
Memorial Day 2008
Thank you to all those that have served our Nation with pride and selflessness.
The Scouts of Troop 664 proudly assisted the Gresham Community at the Gresham Hero’s memorial.
Troop 664 helped with the set and preparation of the event and provided the Color Guard.
Thank you to all those that have served our Nation with pride and selflessness.
The Scouts of Troop 664 proudly assisted the Gresham Community at the Gresham Hero’s memorial.
Troop 664 helped with the set and preparation of the event and provided the Color Guard.
Citizenship in our Community is instilled in our Scouts when they participate in events like today. It is a great opportunity to teach and reinforce values of Honor, Character, and selfless service.
On Behalf of Troop 664 and the Scouting Community…. Thank you to all of our Veterans that have given so much so we can have so much.
Happy Scouting!
A great time to serve
Yesterday I spent 6 hours with 5 Scouts at the Portland International Airport. Horizon Airlines sent a plea for help during what was to be a pretty busy day at PDX with all the holiday travelers heading home.
Horizon Airlines wanted to provide an opportunity for the Scouts to “Do a Good Turn”, and the plan worked.
We assisted passengers that needed help with wheel chairs, young children, and other special needs. It turned out to be a good day for the Boy Scouts of America.
Dressed in our full uniforms we pushed wheel chairs with grateful passengers to baggage claim, helped them up the stairs into the aircraft, and even kept a few children flying unaccompanied entertained for a few hours. I am sure they will remember the time spent with a few Scouts that made their travel a little easier.
At the end of the day we all felt like we had done a good thing, it was not hard work, but it was work that really helped other people.
I have traveled a lot, and luckily I have never needed assistants, but seeing the folks that needed it yesterday, I can appreciate the difficulty of those travelers with needs.
Simple things like getting from one flight to the next in a wheel chair now becomes a task. A task that required coordination, planning, communication, and then someone to assist.
Horizon Airlines really provides a great service to those with special needs, we saw that in their plan yesterday. I am glad that we could help them out.
During this holiday season, lets not forget those that have extra or special needs. Something as simple as holding a door open could make the day of someone else.
Remember.. DO A GOOD TURN DAILY… that’s EVERY DAY.. not just days you are in your Scout uniform.
Happy Scouting!
