Oldscout448

During my years as a scout there was one year we went to a summer camp that didn't have a dining hall. We had to split the wood, build the fire, cook, and clean up ourselves. Did it take time? Yes. Did we earn one less merit badge? Probably. But it forced us to spend time together, figure things out together, and discover how to work together. Learn about each others skills and characters. We stormed, we normed. Looking back that was when we truly became a patrol, not just a bunch of guys who happened to wear the same patrol patch on their sleeve.

But if the universal emblem is not worn, does it not then become just another jacket and therefore not subject to the rules and regs of outrageous Insignia Guides?

As nearly as I can remember this is what Allowat Sakima said to me, and all the candidates, just before the Ordeal started. "That you my fellow campers have been chosen by your companions to become members of our band reflects great credit upon your and I congratulate you upon your election. You have impressed upon those who have lived closest to you, the sincerity of your purpose to live in accordance with the high ideals of the Scout Oath.. The judgment of your fellows can hardly have been mistaken. Yet, so solemn and so serious is the purpose of our Brotherhood, that it

and in my explorer post as well. ' 75-'78.

If you do become a den leader, I would recommend purchasing two POR patches and sewing them securely to the knee area of your pants, so when you are crawling around cleaning up after the circus meeting your pants will last much longer. Seriously, wear a little something on your shirt. Not to brag as you so rightly pointed out, but the cubs have a right to know that you have 'been there- done that'.

I'm getting alarmingly close to the 50 year mark and I agree with you that both were pretty rare in the '70s and '80's. My little troop of 35 had two Eagles and seven Arrowman over a six year period. Some years we didn't elect anyone. As to which honor was prized more highly? Obviously depends upon the individual, looking back I'd have to say I valued my Eagle just a little more than my Ordeal sash, but certainly less than my Vigil sash.

A few weeks ago at an out of council summer camp one of the scouters discovered the outline of a huge arrow at a fairly remote part of camp. The head, with a fire ring at its center, was an equilateral triangle with 60 ft sides. Everything was overgrown with weeds and tall grass. Clearly it had not been used for some time. The road to it was in very poor condition it would take a lot of work and truck loads of gravel to make it driveable again.. I guess the camp just doesn't have the money and emergency vehicles must have access to all active camp areas so they just abandoned it. My hea

Please don't take this as a challenge or an attack, can you define " socially unsafe" and " culturally unsafe"? I'm trying to think of actions that scouts could take that would be considered threatening to our culture or society and am not coming up with anything. Antifa or other groups that promote or utilize violence perhaps, but not scouts. Secondly, my little brain is confused by the phrase " possibly harmful to people of a specific heritage". Can I assume given the history of this thread that you refer to Native Americans or Indians as they generally call themselves? If s

Personally I think it's a shame we scrapped the face paint. We did a fair bit of research and study to insure that the patterns we used didn't resemble anything religious or tribe specific. But I do understand that every Lodge may not have been so conscientious. I hoped that perhaps national would come up with some pre-approved , non offending templates that we could all use, but no dice. I too have shot the flaming arrow.

Fox news6 reports 3 dead, one being the truck driver.

Or wrestling a black bear two out of three falls for Star. Oh wait, that was the OA ordeal. Sorry 'bout that.

Umm, that was taken out near 50 years ago, my friend. - . - - .- -. . .- . . . . .-. . .- --. .. -

Oh aye, that it has laddie. We bid ye a fair welcome to our little gathering. Dinna be shy about speaking your mind, we're all nice gentlefolk here . Well mostly.

Certainly normal for me.

As a cub the first thing I read in Boys Life was always the Scouts in Action strip. To get a gold medal would be the absolute height of coolness. So during my boyscouting years I took every first aid and lifesaving class I could find. But people simply would not cooperate and have some sort of emergency right in front of me so I could rescue them and get my medal. Then in my late 20s on a lonely country road, a convertible flipped over pinning the driver. I did all the right things and he survived, but I wasn't in Scouting anymore. There was another time when to save a friend I

I wrote a long post then deleted it for a number of reasons. But here's the conclusion. I would tell the scouts " A gun is a tool and like any other tool it can be used for good or for ill. It depends upon the skill and intent of the user. The one difference is that a gun makes killing fast and easy. So be very slow and very judicious in your decision to use one, for a life taken can never be called back."

At my last summer camp as a scout, I remember wanting to get the BSA lifeguard too. It was a relatively rare cool looking patch that would look really good between the 50 miler patches on my denim patch jacket. How hard could it be anyway? I already had the four prerequisite merit badges and was a ARC Lifeguard. Then I discovered I would need to spend 3 hours per day at the waterfront, and even worse the patch could only be worn on swimming trunks. I decided to spend my last hours as a scout at camp with my friends, Snipe hunting, winning the camp shooting contest, etc.

"and when everyone is special, no one will be."

Not unexpected but still sad to read. My family lived in Wyoming County for pretty near 200 years.

As a crew leader in ''76 I was given a small bicentennial flag. Although somewhat stained and faded it occupies an honored place in my 'scout box'.

Truly sorry to read that. If by any chance you end up in upper Maryland, give me a shout. We have a good sized law enforcement Explorer Post and some very pro OA advisors and SMs. You sound like the kind of guy who would fit right in. Please don't let this decision by a foolish SM sour the rest of your scouting journey. OA is just a part of it. Hope to see you on the trail sometime, somewhere, Oldscout

Welcome to our little campfire Andrew, pour yourself some virtual coffee, set a while, and try the peach cobbler

I too have seen Eagle scouts in my troop that I thought would be a shoo-in, fail to be selected year after year. But as someone who has been the OA adult in many an election in other troops, I can see some potential problems with this. I'll never forget the sight of a red faced SM shouting in the face of the OA youths who had conducted the election that he had to do it over again after the SM talked to the troop, because the SM's son, the "best scout in the troop" hadn't been elected. I had watched the votes being counted and his son was nowhere close to the 50% mark needed. Perhap

Agreed. Permit me to add that not everyone elected even attempts to complete the ordeal. Last weekend we had 36 candidates at the ordeal, out of 49 that were elected. Which is the usual percentage. Always wondered why roughly a quarter of those selected never come.

I'm trying to find the opening lines that Meteu spoke in the Brotherhood ceremony circa 1940. All I can remember now is the last line " Pray you now in reverent silence, each of you in your own fashion."