KoreaScouter

Most of the Scouts in my last Troop had nicknames we all used, but almost none in my current one do...I don't know why... Funniest one: we had two identical twins, Malcolm and Nelson. I swear you couldn't tell them apart, and they would often impersonate each other for sport. Our ASPL, exasperated at trying to figure out for the umpteenth time who was who, decreed that from that day forward, they would be interchangeably known as

The inside back cover of the 2004 Requirements Book has the latest revision dates listed for all the MBs; you can compare your date in the front of the pamphlet to the date in the back of the Requirements Book. Even if a MB's requirements are revised, there's no need to throw old pamphlets away. As FOG says, you can staple the new requirements in the front. And, regardless, much if not mo

From the first time a toddler picks up a stick and pretends it's a rifle, most boys are fascinated with things military. That doesn't diminish as they get older, it just morphs. Like it or not, many of the things we do in BSA are precursors to what they'd encounter in a military environment (uniform, leadership, self-reliance, altruism, fitness, patriotism, practical skills such as first aid/map reading/marksmansh

(Warning to the humor-impaired: these "quotes" are not meant to be attributed to any actual person, living or dead. They're tongue-in-cheek, satirical, parody) "I finally figured out that when my DC tells me "it's no problem", he means, for him". - a newly enlightened SM "If we wait until the last minute to do it, it will only take a minute". - Staff SPL when asked how long it will take him to get the campfire plan done. "Great! What we really need are some more commissioners around here". - Camp commissioner, when told a carful of unit commish's just pulled into the parking lot "I'm basically announcing to the world that I've completely given up". - an ASM after he traded in his pickup for a minivan "The hardest thing about having a third child is switching from a 1-on-1 to a zone defense". - unit leader and new dad mentoring a just-married ASM "None of us is as dumb as all of us". - Program director, after he and aquatics staff struggled to build a workable pool schedule "It's a lot of work unless you have to do it". - One UC to another, describing his personal philosophy toward his job "Let me tell you about the benefits of being the Roundtable Commissioner..." "This should be a short conversation" - One Scouter to another "After watching the staff check us in, I'll bet that Mickey Mouse wears a BSA watch". - SM on his way to his campsite "Nothing's too good for you guys...and that's exactly what you're going to get". - Camp director to SMs at first night cracker barrel KS

If for no other reason than the setting, on Oahu's North Shore, you have to include Aloha Council's Camp Pupukea. KS

My last Troop sang to get back lost stuff when I signed on with them, first as a committee member, then as SM. At first, I thought that unless you had an onion skin, it was no big deal. Then, I saw a trend developing in which anything left unattended, even momentarily, was snatched up and turned over to the SM for some evening entertainment. I saw this as a negative development, and not exactly what our founder intended when he penned the Oath/Law. When I was in a position to change it, my policy became this: If you find something that belongs to another Scout, and you know whose it is, return it to him as quickly as you can, and let me know. At our next assembly, the Scout who found/returned the property will be recognized by name for doing a good turn. Tries to focus on a positive rather than a negative, and spares me from having to be a custodian for a pile of junk until next assembly. I agree with other posters who claim that singing won't fix medical/motivational problems -- it only ensures that your lost/found bin will fill with things Scouts won't claim 'cuz they don't want to be embarrassed. KS

I understand a consortium of Virginia windshield replacement companies are joining to lobby the legislature for approval of the "KKK" license plate -- like the Commonwealth, they too see it as an additional revenue stream... KS

Ooooh, I love the "best Handbook" threads. I'll cast my vote (again), for the 9th Edition, which is the last one that had Norman Rockwell illustrations. I obtained both my 9th and 10th editions through a fluke; our librarian at an overseas air base called me because they were getting ready to throw out old handbooks and MB pamphlets in the juvenile books section, and asked if there were current versions. We provided current handbooks and some pamphlets, and they just gave us the old ones. What treasures! KS

Kenk; Most of this won't apply to you for a while since it's Boy Scout rather than Webelos-specific (at least I think it is), but here goes. We had an autistic lad in my current Troop, and when I got here, he hadn't advanced at all. His parents wanted him in Scouts for the exposure to other boys. He came to meetings with his State-appointed counselor. Now, the boy was mainstreamed in middle school, con

Oddly enough, my problem isn't getting older Scouts to go, it's getting my younger ones. The middle school that most of my lads attend is on a year-round schedule, and they start back on July 7th. Our on-island council camp runs four weeks, all in July, so their parents have to make a tough choice: miss a few days of school, or miss summer camp. Most, appropriately I think, opt for school. Out of 23 I have going to camp this year, only three are first-year campers. Our council is offering a HA Trek for the first time this year. Participants check in with us, then peel off the next day and we don't see them until the afternoon before we go home. Again, this is the first year they've done it, so there'll probably be growing pains, but it does offer an option. I have two who wanted to do that. Plus, two of my older Scouts are on camp staff...I didn't count them. The dilemma I have with separate old-guy tracks at camp is that it's almost always the Green Bars who want to do it, and I need their experience/leadership in camp, too. Can't have it both ways I guess. One of our ADCs was telling me recently that council is considering a big late spring event focusing on new Scout advancement, a traditional summer camp, and an autumn HA opportunity for older Scouts. I like the sound of that; eliminates school conflicts, and older Scouts don't have to choose between two programs. KS

I saw the Jambo web instructions on how to rig the stoves (trying to co-opt ideas for our camp setups), and they mention the "T" connector, but not the tree. We use trees, and like them especially because you can screw a lantern into the top, along with the two hoses out the sides. Anyway, by that omission, are the trees not permitted at Jambo? I have one of those "T"s also, and it could be a stretch to reach two stoves with just the hoses. KS

In my last council, your FOS check got you a 20% discount card for the Scout Store for a year. I'm all for that, and for activity discounts, and breaks on training, too, for those units/families that support the District/Council according to some reasonable, achieveable criteria. From a bookkeeping standpoint, instead of getting the unit/family support from a lump-sum council cut on product sales or FOS contributions, you're getting it a little at a time every time Mom/Dad goes to the Scout shop or the Scout attends a District/Council activity. That's fine by me. KS

Thanks again for everybody's input -- just for clarification, though... - I'm not taking over as District Roundtable Commissioner; we already have one of those. I'm only taking the Boy Scout portion, and other volunteers have the Cub Scout and Venturing portions. I think that makes me part of the Roundtable staff, right? - I knew about the taboo on unit leaders being commissioners, but I thought that meant that you shouldn't be a commissioner for your own unit, not that a unit leader couldn't be dual-registered on the District staff too. - I have other secondary motives for doing this, including another way to "raise the flame" under the posteriors of some of my fellow volunteers (across the District). A bit Machiavellian, I admit, but I'm hoping that by my personal involvement in the District, they will model my behavior, be more inclined to attend the Roundtables, etc. It worked for me once before, and I'm hoping history can repeat itself. Bob; thanks for the link to the Commish page; I've already added it to my favorites. I'll tell you, navigating that BSA National web site is like walking through the Pentagon. I never knew it was there, and it was probably right under my nose the whole time. FuzzyBear; I appreciate where you're coming from, and I do decline or "redirect" a lot of requests that come my way. I like to think I have my priorities straight, and with a Girl Scout daughter, a long-suffering wife who rightfully demands attention, companionship, and affection (although in the case of the latter, not as often as I'd prefer, but that's off-topic), and Maxwell the Wonder Dog constantly underfoot, I have to be careful what additional things I take on. We're probably in violent agreement, in principle anyway. You know, I could avoid doing many of the things I do, using the book as justification, pointing out that it's somebody else's responsibility. I'd be technically correct, the scoundrels would be appropriately chastised, and my postage-stamp size corner of the world would again be precisely and correctly ordered, like the trees, streets, and buildings in a model railroad diorama. But, that doesn't necessarily get anything accomplished. I'm not trying to be a martyr here, I'm merely asserting that I'm in a better position to foster District support as a dual-registered volunteer than as a unit-level only guy. It may work, it may not, I don't know. But, I'll never know if I don't give it a try. Plus, I'm already learning something about how to plan and conduct Boy Scout Roundtables I didn't know before, when I was just sitting in the room, converting O2 into CO2. That ain't a bad thing. KS

This goes beyond the mercenary. Many, perhaps most families in units haven't the faintest idea how BSA is organized above the unit level (sadly, many leaders don't either), or what sorts of things Districts and Councils do to support the units and their leaders in training, program planning, and delivery. It's as if all those things happen by themselves, invisibly. Hence, they don't see anything that needs their support. Moreover, I've witnessed unit leaders who bash District and Council staffs, within earshot of Scouts and their parents, don't support BSA activities above the unit level (OA, training, popcorn, awards, banquets, camporees, Roundtables, etc.), and then complain the next minute that District & Council "isn't doing anything for us". What kind of lesson are we teaching and reinforcing when we do this? One of our aims is character development, which should include a willingness as adults to give something back to our schools, communities, charitable organizations, and those less fortunate. How better to plant that seed in youngsters than to make sure they know that part of what they're doing helps the District and Council support the units, maintain campgrounds, put on special events, and so on. Plus, I've always found that being a "team player" as a unit comes back in spades when you need something extra from the District or Council. As my mom used to tell me, "One hand washes the other, and both hands wash the face". Her advice has never failed me. KS

Bob; Thanks for the "drill-down" -- I've attended Roundtables at which all the things you describe were taking place. That's exactly the kind of information and background I hope to get from our service center...BTW, my DE has already put some things together and will be dropping it off at the house this afternoon. Eammon; I hear you loud and clear on being an SM and holding a District job simultaneously. Believe me, I wasn't lobbying for this. Our District broke out from a larger one just a few years ago, and it seems that the foundation of dedicated volunteers at the District level just aren't materializing. I don't really understand it, since we didn't start from scratch, but were peeled off with a number of standing units already chartered. Our turnout for Roundtables has been very poor, even after our District changed the location to make them more centrally located. I've been leaning on my CC and ASMs to go to Roundtables, but it's been spotty. Part of this may be an "island" thing, I don't know. But, the bottom line is that if I hadn't done it, the job would have gone vacant. I can't urge my assistants to go if there's nothing for them to go to. I remember how well done the Roundtables were in Colonial Virginia when I was there, how much I got from them, and how much I looked forward to them, and want the same thing for our District here. Call me corny and old-fashioned, but one of the things I took away from Wood Badge and my OA Ordeal, including my witnessing the effort the staffs put into making them happen, is that you have to step up when something needs to be done. On the hanger in the closet, those beads weigh a few grams. Around your neck, they can be heavier than a Buick. It's funny, you swear you don't have time for something, until you have to do it, then you find the time. I'm wide open to any other tips or advice, including online resources... thanks, KS

Thanks for the inputs, but I'm a little confused. As the Boy Scout RT Commissioner, I thought I was part of the staff, along with the Cub Scout and Venturing RT Commissioners. Am I supposed to assemble my own staff too? I planned to ask other Scouters to make presentations at RTs for their particular area of expertise; I hadn't considered these people as "staff". Appreciate the tips on the references; I'll start shaking the trees at Council... KS

I can't comment on the LDS angle, because I know very little about it. I can look at my experience as a Scout in an urban area in the late '60s - early 70's and try to size up what I saw. I think the extent to which units were segregated then was not based on any policy, except the policy that units are chartered to community organizations. My Troop was chartered to our Catholic church in a 100% Polish neighborhood. Guess what? All white. A mile away, where my cousins lived, their Troop was chartered to the public elementary school. That one was about half white, most of the remainder black, and a few hispanic -- just like the neighborhood. Another half mile past there was a Troop chartered to an AME church -- 100% black members, just like the neighborhood. Were there segregated units? Sure. Was it a result of some sinister plot? Of course not. We went to Scouts at the closest Troop, within walking distance to the house. My guess is that in general, unit demographic makeup matches pretty closely the demographic makeup of the area it's located in -- nobody I knew commuted across town to go to Scouts. It's probably as true now as it was when I was a youth. As neighborhoods get more integrated, so do our units. It's certainly true everywhere I've been as an adult. KS

I've just "volunteered" to take over as our District's Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner (you know how your dog will stare at you until it gets what it wants? I realized at the last Roundtable they were all staring at me when the incumbent announced he was relocating). Anybody got any tips or advice on how I can get spun up quickly, available references, do's/don'ts? Thanks in advance... KS

We've been over this before. There are a number of reasons why a parent may want their son to carry a cell phone. There may be a sick relative he needs to stay in contact with, they may just want to be able to check in with him, the cell phone may be an alarm clock, whatever. That's between the parent and the son, and not a unit leader's business. I think there's a difference between a Game Boy and a cell phone in that regard. As far as I'm concerned, if the lad has a cell phone, his parents know it, probably pay for the service, and ostensibly do so because they expect him to carry it and be "contactable". Any item can be misused, or used at an inappropriate time -- a flashlight, a magnesium fire starter, a trekking pole, or a cell phone. Let's focus on the behavior instead of the object in the Scout's hand at the time. Frankly, I'm surprised there hasn't been a "press to test" on this in those councils and camps that prohibit phones, or lump them in with games. Since Columbine, schools are backing away from "no cell phone" rules. My son's school permits them, but they can't be on or visible during class periods. Reasonable. There's a place for cell phone etiquette in any setting, that etiquette is evolving, and we should be evolving with it. My position is that on an outing, you can't have too many means of communication. KS

If cost is no object (or even if it is), you absolutely have to get to this National Park on Hawaii's Big Island. We just got back from a 4-day family visit, and are taking the Venture Patrol for a week in January. The 11-mile drive around Crater Rim Road is worth the trip by itself. But, going down Chain of Craters Road on Wednesday evening, walking over lava tubes with molten lava flowing beneath our feet, watching surface flow come down from the vent, and seeing new earth being created as molten lava flowed into the P

Whoever said coolness is a passing fad was right on the money. In my line of work, big knives became very popular in the mid-80s, especially when the Rambo movies were big. The funny thing was, the troops who paid out of their own pockets for these mini-machetes never wanted to take them out of the sheath for fear of nicking or breaking them. Comical. I used to enjoy showing them how stupid it was to shell out nearly a week's pay for a knife by taking my issue USAF survival knife, sticking it in a round hole in the front bumper on an M-35 truck, and bending th

Whoever said coolness is a passing fad was right on the money. In my line of work, big knives became very popular in the mid-80s, especially when the Rambo movies were big. The funny thing was, the troops who paid out of their own pockets for these mini-machetes never wanted to take them out of the sheath for fear of nicking or breaking them. Comical. I used to enjoy showing them how stupid it was to shell out nearly a week's pay for a knife by taking my issue USAF survival knife, sticking it in a round hole in the front bumper on an M-35 truck, and bending th

Check military surplus stores near your home. That's where I got mine, brand new, for just $32.00. Now, to make it look official, you'll have to get a BSA leather hatband, a chin strap, and the appropriate pin. Youth can use the metal First Class Scout pin, adults use the universal hat emblem. Those three things will add about $20 to the cost. What's more, if you want it to keep its shape, you'll have to buy or make a hat press. I think BSA charges $12 for theirs out of the catalog (I made mine with thick particle board and heavy duty m

SPL in our Troop serves a 6-month term. SPL candidates have to be at least a 1st Class Scout and get the most votes in the election. KS

Our ceremony/Good Turn was yesterday, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (The "Punchbowl")in Honolulu. We had 25 Scouts in full regalia, who joined at least a thousand others from the Island. After an opening ceremony, each unit went to a specific section. There were tubs filled with American Flags in bundles, and each boy took a bundle, and placed a flag in front of each headstone in his row. The Cub Scouts placed donated flower leis around each flag. Amazingly, the entire process took less than 30 minutes, for over 33,000 graves. Before the opening ceremony, I brought the Scouts in close to me, and told them that the United States is one of just a few countries in the world established on an idea(individual liberty and personal freedoms), not a physical place; and that thousands have given their lives to defend that idea. It's never been easy, and you're surrounded by 33,000 examples as proof. I told them that as they place the flags, take a second to look at the name on the headstone, and they'd see that the Americans buried there came from everywhere...not a place, an idea. As they placed the flags, they brushed cut grass off the headstones, and took special care to ensure their flags were centered and straight. They seemed most affected by the many "unknowns", particularly in the Korean War section. They can sure be knuckleheads at times, but days like this make the frustrations worth it. KS