SMT376Richmond KY

Thanks to everyone for the good advice. I have talked with the boy about this and informed him that I can't get his Eagle paperwork without the documentation to support it. He did have his handbook at Monday's meeting. However, both myself and one of the ASM's noticed some rather rapid scribing in the book during the summer camp discussion with parents. Everything, is filled out up to life and the Eagle MB's with initals but after witnessing his scribing I have my doubts as the the authenticity. Especially since the Old Troops troopmaster records match the council's. I don't want to question his honesty but I know how boys can be.

He did say he had a project planned in the old Troop but "one of the other guys stole it and used it for his Eagle project." That's one reason he quit. The project was never submitted for approval and Eagle project kit was never obtained. I've told him he can use the same project in our town should be easy to get this done as he had an idea same with MBs. Like many of you have said he's done the work just repeat it. That even at FC if he churns out a MB or two a month he can make Eagle my next May when he'll turn 18. I've given him a leadership project with the new scout patrol for his Star leadership requirement and our Troop elections are in May and September so he should be able to fufill these requirements for Life and Eagle.

I also told him that if he does the work, obtains the MB's but gets caught on time to complete his SP I'd support his applicaition for an extension for him but only if he does the work not to grant him more time.

Thanks for all the help.

OGE I was initially the same the he could possiably lost a few cards. I mean I had 38MB's and only had a few cards after my mom threw out my Scout stuff while I was in the Navy. I didn't think about the counselor angle though thanks. Em neighboring Council is highly unlikely as the nearest is about 60 miles East of us and at the time he was in from his home was about 100. However, I'll bring these up to the lad.

Ditto the others. But I'd like to have the problem my boys do not seem interested in inviting their friends on outings although they say gee I wish Jimmy was here. To which I say why do you think he is not. Usually get a shrug of the sholders. To witch I add in my Scoutmasters minutes voice Is is perhaps he doesn't know of the fun you have in Scouting?

I have a new lad in our Troop who has realized, perhaps too late, that leaving Scouts was a mistake a couple of years ago. He will turn 17 in May and he tells me his goal is to complete Eagle. He said he was Life and had accumulated 41 MB's. Told him it would be a busy year to get it done but with hard work on his part that I would help him as much as possiable.

I contacted his previous Troop in another town same council. The new Scoutmaster of this Troop happens to have been my woodbadge counselor so we know each other well. Seems the old Troop records only indicate First Class and 3 MB's but this Scout was in the Troop prior to the SM's tenure. Checked with council registrar council records agree with old Troops. Fast forward to last weeks meeting when we had uniform inspection and I asked this lad where his MB sash was "I can't find it guess we lost it in the move."

I took the opportunity to sit and disucss MB cards and how with our have so many young Scouts seeing an older boy that has accumulated so many MB's might inspire them. He still said he have 41 so I told him there was some paperwork problems as his old Troop and council only show him have earned 3 MB's and that he was FC. He said it didn't surprise him that the old Troop was having problems when he left. I told him he needed to bring in his blue cards as proof for council otherwise to make Eagle from First Class in a year would be a very daunting task.

Fast forward to last nights meeting no blue cards and both his mother and he were insistant that he had earned the MB's and ranks. I told them both that without the documentation we can not prove the case that Council will not accept his or my word for it given the documentation to date.

Told that he just learned a valuable lesson about staying the course and keeping important papers safe in his future endevors. He said but I want to be a scoutmaster some day. I told him of the great multitudes on this forum of Life for lifers and Stars the were giving back some of what they have learned from Souting.

Any other ideas if he keeps insisting he earned these MB's and Ranks?

I guess I shouldn't feel bad that I have no stars. Wait I was a Life Scout so therefore I would no longer have Stars having successfully passed that rank! Life for life you know.

Hmm I'm registered in both. At GS camp training I was the only man. When they found out I was a Scoutmaster and Life Scout guess who gathered all the firewood and started all the fires. I had to bunk in a cabin a 1/4 mile down the road we were all adults. This doesn't happen in BSA. I have provided first aid training during GS encampments for several years as an ER nurse and have herd several comments from other female leaders similar to "what's he doing here."

Also, I have found that the general conseus from many in the PC world for GS and BS is the following "Why would a man want to spend his time in the woods with boys/girls." Must be a gay pediphile for BS or sexual preditor for GS. Not a person that wishes to help young people learn and grow into productive citizens. Ok off soap box.

Well it's official our newest DE (1 of 3 in the past 4 years, this one lasted 6 month) has notified us he has resigned effective Sunday, 2/15/04. It's getting to be recruitment time for Troops with School visits to be arranged etc. I did the work last year for the new Troop night and was hoping this new DE with experience would help this year but alas alone again. What can I expect from Council as far as help goes with recruiting since we no longer have a DE? Would it be better for the Troop leaders to conduct a school recruiting event or just let it go until the Council finds someone willing to step into a large(8 county poor)district in the foothills of Applachia.

My uniform inspection sheets say only 1 star can be worn at a time. However, you can add years of service as this is the intent of the stars. Thus a new webelos (if in through tigers) would be eligable for 4 or 5 year pin (depending on when he crossed over). The backing however would be the Boy Scout backing if I understood the reading of the sheet.

Eagle our popcorn was awful. We have our own building too and it's nice about 50 years old though. We just discovered it needs a roof too. Perhaps the easter bunny will hop over and do that for us.

Santa was really good to the Troop I serve. A new 10 X 20 canopy, wood for a new Klondike sled and two 4ft. folding tables were in the quartermaster locker after christmas. As well as a new paint job in the room the Troop meets in and a furnace for the Troop building.

And might I add obviously not an English major at EKU. Nor a typist for that matter.

Hey Eagle

EKU class of 88 myself. Wishe we has some of those benefactors for sure. We have been implementing boy led since starting the troop up this March. It's been slow going with all 11 year olds. They have needed lots of guideance. They just elected their first SPL (there decision to wait to get to know each other) but have had patrol leaders since they started. Two patrols (Eagles and Cobras). What council and district are you in?

I'm interested in what National has to say concerning LIL's admission that she lied and wasn't trustworthy. Her statement during the show last night clearly led me to the impression (and a message to her Scouts)that it's ok to live the Scout oath and law but only when in a Scouting environment.

My Boy Scout Handbook list for the Scout rank "Understand and agree to live by the Scout Oath or Promise, Law, motto and slogan and the Outdoor Code."

Several of the higher ranks list as requirements to "Demostrate Scout spirit by living the Scoat Oath (promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life."

It would be interesting to know how she will handle these in upcoming SM conferences with the Boys in her Troop. Now that they know the standard she has set.

1. Help the charter boys of the new Troop make first class by spring (currently about to make 2nd).

2. Recruit more boys for the Troop.

3. Become indepently wealthy so I can spend by time as a full time SM and not have to worry where the money is coming from for my family and the Troop.

4. Get more equipmetn for the Troop. Would love to have a dining canopy, and a trailer or bus Santa!

OOPS I missed a letter or two in my last post.

I meant to say why wouldn't you count cabin camping.

I don't see why a Troop would count cabin camping. We have not done this yet but the PLC last week voted to look into one of the cabins at our Scout reservation. It's all about the outdoor program anyway. They boys still have a duty roster, cook,sleep in sleeping bags, carry a pack, collect firewood and chop it, we'll probably go on a hike and work on an outdoor skill or two. Everything we do when we tent camp only thing difference is the shelter.

I have herd this at roundtable also. That cabin camping isn't camping cause it isn't in a tent. Then to use this logic neither is sleeping in a cave. I had some very good trip caving as a scout the ones that had overnighters were by far the best.

How do most of you count up the days? Our Troops new and have had 7 weekend Friday-Sunday outings since forming in March this year. We have been leaving Friday at5PM and return Sunday after noon at 2PM.

All these lyrics are great! Can you guys let us in on the tunes. Out boys hate to sing at campfires but once one gets started they jump in and actually have fun.

I wear mine squarely on the top of my head parallel to the ground. I purchased mine on Ebay. It's an official BSA 1944 model with the string chin strap and silk band around the top with the Scout fleur all around. It works great just needs a new hat band.

Thanks DS

Navy vet here 3yrs 6mo VA-82 on USS Nimitz and Vinson(left some of the internal parts of my left knee on the flight deck on the Vinson during war game trials though). Needless to say I was patched up and sent home hobbling. The boys help me on those big mountain hikes though.

Scouts: Life with all merit badges for Eagle turned 18 before I could get a service project together. Offices: Quartermaster, SPL, PL.

Adult: Tiger cub leader 1 yr, Den leader 1 yr, Cubmaster 2yrs, Scoutmaster 1yr thus far. Like Boy Scouts much better than Cubs less parent involvement (boys actually get to participate as their parents do not have to come).

Woodbadge: Bears rock!

Man O Steele

"As to the cost of the camporee -- I've had those discussions and had volunteers say, "Gee, the only expenses we had were the crackerbarrel and the patch. Everything else was done by volunteers."

I usually ask them when the last time they rented a porta-john was. Or paid to have the dumpster emptied, or if they knew there's a fee for using the land. Those kinds of expenses aren't often thought about, but they are paid from event registration fees."

The Scoutmasters handled everything you mentioned for our upcoming camporee. In fact, our new DE wasn't around during the planning he was with the Cubs working with school night issues and recharters the last two roundtables. The Scoutmasters even figured in the patches and the crackerbarrel as well as found a private camp with facilities and figured in the fee for the camp. We have received donations for about everything even the scoutmasters are teaching the orienteering courses and each troop is making the awards so there is really no reason for the extra $5.00 charge. In fact, I had discussed with the roundtable chair at the last meeting that my company would be able donate making the flyers and copyiing them and that we could had them out to the Scoutmasters at the next roundtable so postage would be minimal. Then we get a mailer from council. Gee the waste of money there? The roundtable chair said he had no idea the council was sending out a mailer he was waiting for me to bring them to roundtable. The collection of funds will be at crackerbarrel so no council staff will be doing that either. Each Scoutmaster signed up for a part in the running of the camporee. The DE did charge us to invite Webelos to this event and we have 4 coming and after our discussion at roundtable on cost the PLC decided the Troop would pay for the Webelos camp fee and food. Now with a %50 increase in the entry we will have to come up with alot more $$$ to cover the Webelos or go back on our word and make them cough up the money. Somehow I don't think this would be very trustworthy or courteous.

The roundtable chair told me we will discuss it next week at roundtable. I told him if the cost does go up 50% the the PLC will be informed so they can make a decision on what ativity they want to drop the fall camporee or a later activity. The troop committee already approved a budget at $5.00 entry per person.

Yarrow I'm a MB couselor for Dis Awareness and a disabled veteran. I think you are foucusing in the wrong area for requirement 3B and perhaps missing the point of the merit badge as there are many different types of diabilities besides physical. Besides no one can "force" a boy to join. The requirement is to seek out the disabled to join. This would inlcude invite someone to a troop meeting or outing etc to offer them the opportunity to join. The requirement is not to join. This requirement is more ment to have the scout become more aware of the disabled boys that they can get something from scouting too.

On our last day at wood badge we were informed we were no longer in Troop 1 (sigh). Then when I recieved my beads and pink (yes it's pink!)neckerchief wihtout the Troop number on it I felt sad. Being in Troop 1 is unique and easy to remember. Also you can say "we're No. 1" and be correct, both actually and politically.