keschmahalen

Hello, Even with only seven responses, the most of them seem to agree that the elangomat is the best route to take. I agree with Le Voyageur that you should go with your interests. Barring any particular interests, go with elangomat. It gives you a unique chance to reexperiance your ordeal without being overwhelmed or nervous. And, when the ceremonies occur, you may have a deeper appreciation for what is being said. YIS, paul e. conley

Hello, JB, the "oldie but goodie" snipe hunt included leaving the young boys alone in the woods acting like fools and afraid of catching at least a "three" in order to become a member of the "club". Meanwhile the older more mature? boys and sometimes adults? were back safe at camp haveing the time of their life, enjoying their prank. Scouting has matured and such things are not allowed for reasons already stated. Like all things good and bad, they can get out of hand. If I may take the 'tap out' as an example. An honored tradition which was, on occasion, taken too far a

Hello, Could it be that the COR listed for the pack (for longer than anyone can remember) has passed on, left the church, or just moved away, and his name just carried on the charter because nobody knew, cared, or understood? You have noticed the error, and now you know what is proper. Go to that Scouter, show him the problem, and ask him if he would mind working in the same position for the pack as he is for the troop. If he agrees, point out the situation to the IH when it comes time to recharter to make sure he knows what is going on and that there is no problem from h

Hello, You spelled it correctly the second time and it is lodge #293. Sorry, I do not have a dupe to trade. I am from lodge 271 in Maine and if you are interested in one of our lodge flaps, send me a private message with your dupes list and I would be glad to trade with you. I checked John Conley Williams most recent catalogue and he did not have one listed either. That does not mean that he doesn't have it or couldn't find it for you: Trader@hottrader.com Also looked in the most recent issue of the International Scouting Collectors Association (ISCA) Journal

Hello, I have been thinking of this for some time, and the recent thread on gifts for SM's finally prompted me to start my first thread. I was pinned so long ago that I can't remember giving my SM anything, (I hope I did). I do remember giving my father an eagle tie clasp and he always wore it! It hurts me that we couldn't find it after he died. I also gave my mother some kind of pin. When I got back into scouting as an adult, I was suprised at the gifts bestowed upon the eagle! I have attended few Eagle COH's. and I was wondering if this is common. I can unde

Welcome and remember, you are not a lowly ordeal member because that is the most important step in the order. There is no other such organisation that I know of which has its members selected by people who are not members! Keep up the spirit and Brotherhood should be an automatic step. YIS paul e. conley

Tamegonit Arrowman Welcome to the order, keep up the spirit. YIS, paul e. conley

Hello, Mine is a double. For some reason the Webelos in our pack ended up without any scouts from our corresponding troop, nor the two deep leadership we had expected. When I told my DE, he told me which troops were ajoining our site, and I should try to hook up with one of them. The SM of the troop we camped with made a big thing when one of the Webelos said that his flashlight batteries had died! Burial, headstone, and all. When his ASM said he wouldn't mind turning the tables around, I told him to just play along. Then I asked the Webelos Scout if he wanted

Hello, I am on my way out, and have just seen this thread for the first time. So forgive me if everything I say is just repetitious, as I have only read your original query. River2K, you are very clear about your abillities and weaknesses. If I can trust them to be accurate, I would say that you could make a good SM. So go to the present SM and committee, and ask them to provide you with a couple of ASM's who will agree to be the support you need, and the three of you go and serve. YIS, paul

Hello, Singing has always been a favorite part of what I remember when I was a Scout. Even though I could never sing a scale when I had to. The program planner which comes out in a yearly format or in the Scouter magazine usually has one or two songs or participation story to use. Get the pack to learn one song a month and it soon becomes easier for us less gifted singers to "join in". When a Cub Scouter I usually got a volunteer to write the words of next month's song on a large flip sheet of lined paper. Check your parents info sheet for the proper person to select.

Hello, It is part of the uniform. Wear it. Wear it with pride. Wear it correctly. I too care. paul

Hello, At least one of our council camps uses a cannon when we retrieve the colors, and it is quite dramatic. In the meantime, and probably for a long time to come I suspect that the council in question may have a more dramatic and meaningful affect by inserting a moment of silence (is that irony? a moment of silence during a silent ceremony?) in respect for the deceased youth. paul

Hello, While it may not be of immediate help to you, this winter you may want to make sure that if you have a member of the troop who is in the OA you steer him toward attending NOAC next summer. NOAC ( National OA Conference) is an amazing week of training, competition, and shows. The last time I attended as a participant they had a very informative LNT session. A youth who was helped to attend such an event would, I expect, come back excited and prepared to come back to his unit to help do just what you are looking for. I can't say enough about NOAC, yet I dou

Laurie, Another note about merit badges and scouts. Have you noticed how we sort of expect the boy to mature as he follows the scouting trail? Tigers is a den of partners so the new Scout, among other things, may feel more secure among the adult leader before he enters a regular den. Then, as they move up to webelos, the den leader takes a more active role in signing off the Scout's advancement (as opposed to Akela). In Boy Scouts, it becomes more boy run __ your son teaching knots and getting help exploring the handbook is a prime, first hand example. The basic idea (o

Laurie, Laurie, I do not presume to answer for Bob. Usually he responds to posts quite promptly from what I've seen, but unless he sent you a private post, let me try to put some apprehension to rest. First I went back to his two previous posts which centered on advancement in rank as opposed to merit badges. Some people frown upon "merit badge" troops (a merit badge or two a month), and for lack of an exact phrase, the official policy is First Class in a year. The purpose for this is that boys tend to stay with Scouting more often when they advance to First Cla

Hello, I can't believe I've got three copies of the OA Handbook right near my computer desk, and the most recent issue I can find is the '98 revision. "The sash is worn at Order of the Arrow functions and special Scouting activities, when members need to be identified as Arrowmen rendering special services." The wording is the same in the '96 revision, but in the '92 revision it says, "...activities including courts of honor, and on occasions when..." I looked further, but could not find a more recent edition of the handbook, although I doubt that the wording ha

Hello, I recently had a discussion about addressing people. I was always raised to refer to an adult by their title: mr., mrs., father, ect. And I raised my children the same way, insisting that they show these people the proper respect due. Even, at times (or especially), if they said it wasn't necessary. In scouts it was Mr. and their last name. Those who prefered to be called by their first names were called uncle or aunt and their first name, thus giving proper respect and allowing some form of familiarity. I think that it is something which we give up too easily.

"Thanks, for the memories..." if you want more, try this link: http://home.maine.rr.com/jhall80/alumni/resource/index.htm

Hi, As a scout I was not always too observent. In fact, even to this day I discover things which happened around me as a youth actually had a purpose. I don't remember being taught, or told, about the scouters' knots. If I was, it was an opportunity lost. However, one of my first years on cub day camp staff, I remember we showed the cubs some knots, explained their significance, and who could earn them. KISS. The young cubs were taught about the ones they could earn, and it was helpfull if a Webelos Scout could explain one of those, or an Eagle Scout, another. Older c

Hello, I have started reading the posts recently. Spent many nights over the last two months going over the threads which interested me, trying to catch up. Frequently I found that a lot of folks took offense too easily, and often ended up appoligizing, because they read too much into a post or didn't read it correctly in the first place. Being new, I often wasn't sure who was calling who, what, but if it really mattered, it was usually in a jockular manner. I am not aware of the particular episodes which caused you to start this thread, and it is pro

Hello, About twenty odd years ago,I finally came back full time to Scouting nearly two decades after I made Eagle. About the same time I married, started a family, and also became involved with the local track and field. I've always said this was because I owed what I am to three men. In the same order as the three affiliations I mentioned above: my former SM, my father, and my high school cross country coach. I tell you this so that you will know all there is to know about me, but all I know about you and your son is what I've read in this thread. Do not take

Hello, This is one of the best threads I've read. Makes me want to get off my duff and take my son back there. I can't imagine going to NYC, without at least considering a show. Unfortunately that is very expensive. It's been a long time since I've been there, and even standing on line gave me sticker shock. There are two (only two?) museums, which I don't think anybody has mentioned, and they be of some interest. I've been trying to find the exact names and locations, but without much luck. My memory doesn't seem to be the same these days. They say that is t

NWScouter gave a very succient rundown on O. A. elections. As somebody posted they are frequently run by the lodge/chapter in the early part of the year. This does not mean that you can't have a late election. When you talk to the lodge advisor, that should be one of your questions. I understand your feelings about the SM and his family. Even good people can do only so much. However, I would hope that they feel the same way toward you, and would not find it as hard to accept your suggestion to have an election as they did your offer to be an ASM. Before you ask him, though, m

My son says that he is interested in trading csp's with you and any others who would like a Pine Tree Council CSP. He too is relatively new to this, and asked, if possible, could you e-mail a picture so he would know if he has one or not. As they say-- whatever! e-mail through me, paulec52@yahoo.com or send a csp c/o Paul E. Conley, box 8419, Portland, Me. 04104. For the Korea Scouter, he said he would like a Far East Council CSP. Thank You, PEC