Re: "Charter Name Scout" question

First of all, and we've discussed this before relative to advancement -
"Registered actively" has a very precise meaning from National. It
means that he is on the charter, period.

Secondly, give all of the information to the National Committee that
reviews these items, including his attendance. If the honor is awarded,
then it should be a public affair.

And yes, scouts don't have to show up for scout meetings to earn this
award. You just have to pay your dues and get run over by a train.
Altho' it is easier to show up for meetings. However, we had one boy in
our troop who was VERY active in soccer. He steadily advanced, 1 MB at
a time. No one begrudged him his Eagle because he did not go onto
campouts as a 16yr old boy. Or come to meetings that were New Boy
training sessions. He went to Philmont, when he got an award he came to
the meetings.

Whether or not a scout shows up for a meeting depends more on whether or
not the meeting plan has something for him in it. There can only be so
many Instructors, Jr Asst ScoutMasters, etc. If you don't have a
meeting that meets his needs, he won't come. As long as he pays his
dues, however, he is a registered, active Scout.

Randy

>----------
>From: settummanque, or blackeagle (Mike Walton)[SMTP:blkeagle@DYNASTY.NET]
>Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 1998 9:40 AM
>To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L
>Subject: "Charter Name Scout" question
>
>It's *my* turn to ask all of you great Scouters a question; I hope that you
>can help me and my friend out!
>
>I have a friend of mine who's a Council Commissioner; he called me this
>morning and explained the entire thing. I was half asleep, so I had him to
>call me back in a few minutes while I turn the TV on and then start up the
>coffeepot. He called me back and here's the situation:
>
>He was called by a Scoutmaster and later by one of his District's
>Commissioners earlier the day before yesterday. The Scoutmaster told him
>about one of his "Scouts", a high school track player who was on his way
>home with some of his friends, when he noticed a kid playing on the rail
>track about two minutes away from getting hit by the oncoming train.
>The boy and his friends yelled and waved and the boy ran up to the track and
>found the boy connected to the track some way with his clothing...he
>stripped the clothing off the boy and both him and the boy tumbled down the
>side of the track in time to barely avoid getting hit by the train.
>
>The track member/Scout suffered scars on his leg which will knock him out of
>participating as a member of the track team or to practice until the scars
>heal up.
>
>Track coach is mad as a hornet, and Mom and Dad (living in separate towns)
>are extremely proud. Scoutmaster wants to recommend the kid for a Heroism
>Medal but here's the problem:
>
>The Scout is what I call a "charter name Scout". That is, he has been
>registered with this Troop from what I understand every year since his 12th
>birthday; he is now 17.5 years old. He is a Life Scout with no interest
>toward Eagle. He has attended meetings very rarely since becoming a member
>of the high school varsity track team two years ago. He hasn't attended
>summer camp in the two years, and he has not been to a Court of Honor in two
>years; but he did appear on the front row of the Troop's annual photograph
>that hangs in the lobby of the chartering organization (a factory).
>
>The application calls for the Scout to be "registered actively" as a member
>of the BSA, which he is and has been. However, is that good enough to
>recommend the awarding of a Heroism or Meritoritous Service Medal??
>Scoutmaster says "No", District Commissioner (and friend of Mom and Dad)
>says "Sure it is".
>
>I said to my Council Commissioner friend "I would recommend him for the
>national award, but I would make the presentation private to avoid losing
>the rest of my boys to this "charter name Scout" ". In dinner this evening,
>Jessi strongly disagreed with me, saying that "it's not fair; the boy did
>something based on Scouting and you're penalizing him for not showing up at
>the regular meetings??", which made me relook this issue and to bring it up
>here for discussion.
>
>The BSA is *starving* for some great news about its members, especially
>after defending itself in several venues....this would be a "good news
>story" for the BSA and this local Council, whereby the Council didn't do
>well in their SME/FOS this year (dropped a staggering 12 percent from last
>year), and the CC couldn't tell me if it could be recovered before the end
>of next month ("report card time" for local Councils are in June and
>December). So this would definitely help....
>
>So which is it going to be:
>
>Public ceremony, with all of the bells and whistles, which would meet the
>need of the parents, the local Council and get the track coach off this
>kid's back (even temporariliy) -- but will state this message to Scouts:
>"You don't have to show up or be active with our units to be a "good
>Scout"....just pay your money every year and everything will be fine"
>
>Or
>
>Private ceremony, without the bells and whistles, but dignified and which
>expresses the recognition due this hero, which won't meet the parents nor
>the Council's needs for the additional PR and because it's not public, the
>track coach may be invited, but he's still going to be mad because his 'good
>runner' is out because he "played Boy Scout"...but it says to Scouts that
>"good things come to those whom are active".
>
>What do YOU think? I'll post a summary in a few days and also call Ted up
>and hopefully offer him some additional suggestions!!
>
>Thanks for the help and assist!!
>
>Settummanque!
>(c) 1998 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") (502) 827-9201
> (settummanque, the blackeagle) http://dynasty.net/users/blkeagle
> 241 Fairview Dr., Henderson, KY 42420-4339 blkeagle@dynasty.net
> privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@hq.21taacom.army.mil
> ---- FORWARD in service to youth ----
>

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