Eagle69

Scout Sunday - Full Uniform including MB sash) Scout events (district awards cermonies, etc.) Court of Honor - Full w/sash Family nights Charter organization events - Full w/sash non-scout funeral (attending as a troop) Scout/ Scouter funeral - Full w/sash Traveling to and from troop outings(campouts, bike trips) - whatever Day trips - whatever/Full it depends community events (fairs, school recruitments nights) - Full w/sash fundraisers - Full summer camp daytime - whatever summer Camp flag ceremonies - appropriate summer Camp meals - whatever/Full w-s (most camps

I used to be a Beaver!

I've tried it both ways, not meeting at all and an every other week schedule. For my troop one was about as successful as the other. With only 6 boys now we will dismiss for the summer after they take a trip in June. In Arkansas it's too hot to camp after mid June until September. I and the other leaders are at it 9 months out of the year and we enjoy a little break as well.

From what I have heard and read about Wood Badge for the 21st Century I am so glad I went through the course in 1978. I talked to a former course director this past weekend about this and he wasn't real enthusiastic about the new course. Be that as it may, it is probably still a good idea to attend.

Computer Programmer/Analsyst for the great state of Arkansas (26 years). I am an Eagle Scout, Vigil OA, and have spent 2 years as an ASM and 24 as SM.

Car Camper. I did High Adventure for 6-10 years with the Backpack Stoves, freeze dried food, etc, but eventually the size of kids I had made this no longer practical. However even when we were doing it we mixed in car camplng. On Saturday morning we would use the big Coleman Gas Stove and Dutch Ovens to cook a big breakfast before we left.

Here is the link to the Great Smokie Mountain Council which serves Knoxville. You might try contacting them and see if they can give you some references. http://www.bsa-gsmc.org/

One day someone from the church I was visiting invited me to lunch to talk about a new Singles Sunday School Class. It turned out that that was the last thing they REALLY wanted to talk about. They knew that I was an Eagle Scouta and was helping as a ASM in another Troop. They were looking for a SM. I went and visited a meeting and was going to say No because I was only 26 and not much older than the kids when 2 of the other leaders backed me into a corner and promised me thay would help in any way if I would say yes. They were so persuasive that I agreed and now I am in my 24th year as S

Here in Arkansas I can remember the term being used back in the late 60's. When I first heard it was was tied to the snack time after the weekly OA induction ceremonies. It was a time for fellowship so that the new members of the OA could meet with the old hands and those that had gotten their Brotherhood could be congratulated. I always looked forward to the bologna, cheese and crackers! Now as SM I see the term being used for the Friday night leaders/SPL meeting at istrict/Council Camporee where snacks/coffee/hot chocolate and bug juice is served and also use it as the term for a Friday n

My troop from Arkanas is headed to Southern Colorado to a camp run by the Rocky Mountain Council. While in camp they will do rock climbing, rappelling, white water rafting on the Arkansas River. On the way out they will get to experience two different BSA run Indian Dance groups including the famous Koshare Dancers.

Something like this really sticks in your craw, but since everybody involved signed off, there is nothing you can do. I suspect this goes on a lot more often than we imagine.

Convincing scouts to leave the tent flaps unzipped a few inches is one of the hardest things in the world to do. They insist on zipping it up to the top and the next day the inside of the tent is like a sauna.

I agree with you that it should be celebrated as a major accomplishment, however it is up to the Scout and if he doesn't want a big court of honor you have to abide by it. You can award the badge however/whenever you and the scout can get together, be it at a campout, a troop meeting or whatever. If no formal Court is done as the boy wishes, I think somewhere down the road he will look back and realize that he made a mistake.

I'll be a son of a gun, you sure can. When you said it was a fill in version I assumed you had to have the full Adobe. This is now a very very useful form. Thank you for fixing it. The Council Office will appreciate too since they won't have to read my handwriting any more.

I appreciate your sending them to me. I wish I had the full Adobe package so I could fill the blasted things out with my PC instead of having to write it in. Of course I also wish that Troop Master could produce a document that was totally acceptable to the Scout Office then I wouldn't have a problem.

The Great Lakes Naval Training Center is there. Here is a link to it: https://www.ntcgl.navy.mil/phone.html You might also contact your nearest military reserve center and see if they can put you in touch with a Scouting Liason person. Back in the 80's I was taking Boy Scout Troops all across the country on trips and we stayed at lots of Reserve Centers and Air Force and Navy installations.

Since when did the blue cards become the "Offical" record? In my council they don't use them at Summer Camp, and when they are used they never go any further than my briefcase after they are turned in. Once I have turned in the award to national I chunk the blue card. The Council Office never sees it nor have they ever said anything about not seeing it.

Blass Scout Reservation part of the Quapaw Area Council in Little Rock. The camp is 2500 acres West of Damascus, AR. At one time it could boast of being the best protected Scout Camp in the US. It had Titan Missle underground silos surrounding it in 3 directions.

As a SM for 25 years I don't agree with a first year camper taking Rifle Shooting. That is a Merit Badge that I usually reserve for a 3rd yr or later camper. I'm sorry that the camp is only spending a couple of hours a day for their first year camper program. This program when well put together is wonderful. With that in mind here are my First Year Scout Merit Badges: First Aid, Swimming, any of the Handicraft Badges, a simple Scoutcraft MB. First year campers don't need to be doing a lot of Merit Badges. They need to be learning skills for Tendfoot - First Class. Take the list of offere

In 25+ years as a Leader and 6-8 years as a Scout I don't recall any explicit comments on this subject. I know what you are talking about as far as there being a big difference between 400yds in a pool and 400yds in open water. I did my Mile Swim in a Corp of Engineers lake and the depth of the water was probably 30-50ft. If BSA got to detailed on the Open Water vs Pool it might knock some people out of getting the badge. Personally I don't see that it is that big of a deal in a pool if the Aquatic Staff is watching to make sure they don't cheat and touch bottom.

I've been at it for 25 years. The dates have always been set by the adults because we are the ones that have to juggle work and other schedules in order to do these outings. The "Where" part I have done both ways. I have let the boys plan it and the adults have planned it. The adults are familar with the various places to camp and if we don't have a compelling reason to choose a particular one we will offer them choices from our list and let them choose.

If they are standard BSA issue cook sets you can order individual pieces from National Supply to replace those that are lost. I lost the big skillet to the adult cook set a couple of years ago and, which was about 18 years old, and got a new one from National Supply.

It's there on Merit Badge Com, but you have to do some digging. Here is the latest I found up through 2001. http://www.meritbadge.com/bsa/info/01chngs.htm I seem to recall seeing the changed ones with the changes shown in Red and the old requirements marked out, but I can't find that right now.

I have been dealing with Campmor for close to 25 years and they are an excellent company. I am on my 2nd set of Eureka tents. The first time we went with Timberlines and now we are using the Tetragon 7 tents. Good quality tents.

In my 20 years of being a SM I have seen this kind of thing before. After a couple of times I adopted a policy that the other leaders and Troop Committee would review the requirements completed as well as talk with the Scout to determine if he truly did complete things or if it was just rubber stamped.