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VigilNavyCPO

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Everything posted by VigilNavyCPO

  1. FOS - Fund our Salary One of the reasons I am stepping back from active membership is the constant need to fund our professions. My Council does not like to accecpt any donation unless it is in CASH. In the last 7 years I have personally donated over $8,000 worth of dishmachine parts and chemicals to my Councils two camps, why, because my sons were heavily involved in the OA and it was a way to help. This was all off-book donations that I did not ask fo recogniation or claim on my taxes. I have tried to donate the following over the last 7 years, a new float for waterfront, cook's cabin f
  2. Look, It's not that I do not think it's a good idea, but again, why not effective now? Answer, because we need to sell out the old books first, then we will required all to have a copy of the new book for the next level of advancement. Way more money to be made this way. There are currently too many profit centers in what is a "non-profit" and too many changes being made by Irving without input from us on the ground.
  3. Well, This is the straw that has broken the camel's back for me. It is time to be done. This is not the program I have been with for 43years, and now it is time for me to go as I am too bitter over this, and banned use of wheelbarrows and Radio Flyers, and $75 tins of popcorn. I thank all of the great Scouters I have known thuout the years, and wish sanity will return to the program I love. R/ ETC(SW) retired
  4. Will not have to have local event coordinator require the new forms, my council (Green Mountain) is already requiring for next year. All current unused forms are to be destroyed. from council website: Medical Form Update An updated Annual Health and Medical Record (AHMR) will be available to Scouts everywhere Sept. 3. The 2012 AHMR revision will have several noticeable changes. In an effort to support the BSAs All Markets Strategy, we have developed a bilingual format. As you know, accurate medical information is vital to keeping Scouts safe and healthy at all Scouting event
  5. Long Trail ROUNDTABLE meets Second Tuesday of each month (September - June) Queen of Peace Church , RR 2, Danville, VT 05828 Time: 7 p.m. - 8:30 P.m. What: Do we do? First we have FUN. Get Questions Answered... Ideas to take back and use in your UNIT. Training in some area of importance to help units leaders. Who: Experienced Scouters welcome any New people to pass on their knowledge and offer help http://www.scoutingvermont.org/LongTrail/Roundtable/
  6. Jut gotback from spring camporee,showed new tools rule list to several Troopleaders and District personnel. They all think I waspulling a late April Fool's joke on them. Several said, "Just another rule fom National to ignore" What are we teaching Scouts? Maybe it's time to start a BP Scouts troop in my area. ps, the lashing outlook platform at the camporee was 6.5 feet tall, but the saftey officer insisted it was "4 feet"
  7. "The key is that it's the end of his journey as a scout. Off yeh go. "Advancement and the Eagle Rank are a Method not a Goal". 100 times. Longhand, no usin' the computer! The end of a lad's journey as a scout should never be about Eagle. It should be about friendships and good times had, and lookin' back at how much he's learned and lookin' forward to where he's goin' to take those lessons." Problem is that only in America have we distorted the values by adding scolarships and the NEA that a Scout can only get by being a Eagle. Then we further distort (at least in my neck of t
  8. As a retired Navy CPO who spent the last three years as a recruiter, I can tell you getting into a military academy is not easy. I can see why the Scout whould not want to do both at the same time. This is a perfect example of why so many feel that Scouting has poor record on what Eagle mmeans from Troop to Troop. I bet if this young man was part of a manscout eaglemill troop he would of made Eagle by his 14th birthday, but because he is part of a troop with leaders who "put it on the boy" he will have to live with his choice of going for Eagle or serving his country. If all this young man nee
  9. My take on Woodbadge and Leadership skills. Great program overmarketed. I am not a Woodbadger, so I am considered a outsider at roundtable, as if my thoughts do not count, because of a lack of knots on my neck. I have been told many times that I "need" woodbadge, because it's for the boys. I am a retired CPO who spent 18 years at sea, having gone thru CPO training and taught CPO Leadership training (3 months intense hazing). I have been in Scouts for 40 years and have been successful at all levels of Scouts (Cub, Boy Scout, OA, ASM, SM, ACM, and again ASM), and yet at roundtable I am "not from
  10. 100% Eagle. One reason I have trouble with the LDS program is that a LDS Troop locally does have 100% Eagle by age 15. Do they earn it, no. This also has the effect of lowering the perception of the value of Eagle for non-LDS Scouts in local non-LDS Troops. (Why work hard when little Johnny gets it for showing up at a meeting every Wed?) I know Council knows of these issues, but number of Scouts (& money) LDS brings them causes them to look the other way.
  11. Recently at the OA Fall Fellowship I heard that our Council Camp is moving towards no tents at summer camp. Troops will have to bring their own tents for the week. As the Camp Director was at the weekend, I asked him about this policy. He claimed that the Scouts this past summer were surveyed and asked if camp money was spent on tents or program, that the Scouts all wanted "program". Also he stated that canvas tents are too expensive and that all summer camps are "trending" towards BYOT (Bring your owm tent). I wonder if this is a local trend and how other scouters feel about BYOT to summer ca
  12. Thanks all, All good points. Yes, the grass is not always greener on the other side, we just wish for a more boy oriented District. The Council seems disorganized and only concerned about raising more money. There are already a couple of Troops locally who do not "play" with any District events, we are going to reach out to them to organize some multi Troop events. (This message has been edited by vigilnavycpo)(This message has been edited by vigilnavycpo)
  13. Hi, Just a thought, recharter is coming up, and another ASM joked that he wished we could recharter with a different Council because of all the friction between us and all the aspects of District and Council. FYI, the SM and CC also would like to change if we could. We are a located near the state line "border" between Councils and the other Council appears to be alot more functional. I have taken the position that we cannot pick and choose Councils, but wish to hear other members takes on the subject.
  14. Funny story about my youth. When I was a 17 year old waterfront instrutor at Camp, me & another instructor wanted to do the mile swim. We asked the Waterfront Director if we could and how do we do it, and he told us that a bouy out in the lake was the mile swim bouy, and if we had a row boat with two lifeguards follw us, we could do it sat after the Troops had left camp for the week on our own. (It was the 1st year for this waterfront director) We decided to team up and do it together for moral support. That sat we got in the water and swam & swam, we both wanted to quit half way, but
  15. captainron14, It depends on your Lodge rules, but in the lodges I have been a member of, the Trader patches are not sold to be worn but anyone. The NOAC members wear the "restricted" NOAC patch that they "cannot treade" and the Lodge sells the traders to collectors to make money. In my Lodge your son would be expected to wear the ugly Lodge patch he was given at his Ordeal. You could have him check with his Chapter Chief and see what his Lodge expects him to wear.
  16. Hi Does anyone know if National has a policy for min Tent size for camping. Our Troop is looking at buying new tents, and a fellow ASM mentioned at the Committee meeting that National had a 70 square feet of floor space per scout requirement. I do not believe this is true, and have been unable to find any guidance at all. And of course now our committee will not allow us to buy new tents because of this unresolved issue. Thanks YIS Vigilnavycpo
  17. 9. Bicycle Accessories Every bike needs a horn or bell and reflectors (front, back, and sides). Items should be carried only in baskets, in saddlebags, or on a rear carrier rack. If you must ride in traffic, a bike- or helmet-mounted mirror is recommended. For long trips, a bike-mounted container for drinking water is recommended. My Troop is getting into Mountain biking. I realize it is a guideline, but horn or bell on all bikes? Am I crazy, or are you going to honk to get the moose to move? Any comments?
  18. http://scoutingvermont.org/News/NorrisEPAPatch I guess this is "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" Current plans are to reopen Camp Norris in the fall, but there is growing concern that the Council should just bite the bullet and purchase a new camp more centrally located to the whole state.
  19. from first post by Beavah - "Da biggest error is that they all tend to want to do what they did as unit scouters - set up systems and be in charge." fgoodwin wrote -"As BSRT Commissioner, a former district training chair and former UC, I've never considered district jobs of a "higher order" or somehow superior to unit level positions." This is the rubbing point of the post. If you have good decent Scouters at District, the system can work. I wish I worked with you locally fgoodwin, THANK YOU for all you do for Scouting. If you are stuck with Scouters on "power trips" or belie
  20. Dratted double post, second one is edited better.(This message has been edited by vigilnavycpo)
  21. The Pack I belonged to in Hampton Roads had a mandatory policy. One parent in the family was expected to sigh up for a Pack duty. At the Fall Family Campout held in Sept, a large poster with all "duties" was placed out for sign up. Several notebooks had one page descriptions of what the duties were, ie set up tables for Blue & Gold, Popcorn Chair, etc... It worked well. It helped that the duty sheets were very well written on exactly what was expected of you. This large pack (80 Cubs), also had a mandatory fundraiser per Cub scout goal. You either sold $200 worth of popcorn for the
  22. Remember, this was almost 20 years ago, in a small (popualtion) district in a very rural council,but it colors my reactions to this day. It's one reason I only like to work at the unit level. We did not even have a paid DE, but "shared" one with another much larger (ie richer) District. The Roundtable Commissioner was a "One man Band". Besides, who has'nt seen a leader who thinks they have been elected for life? A OA Lodge Advisor that's working on his 20 year pin, etc . ...
  23. Being in New England there are several Council's Scout summer camps within a three hour drive. My current Troop has a policy of attending our local Council's Camp every other year, to provide the Scouts a sense of "homebase" and let the Scouts choose "within reasonable distance" where to go alternate years for a sense of adventure and change. The downside of this policy, is the local camp has recently had a string of bad camping seasons (ie program) and our Scouts currently do not want to return. Some local Troops near ours refuse to attend locally due to poor program, which I realize will not
  24. Oh, one more thought, my old SM believed in spreading the work load of the Troop around onto all the adults. Once, when I asked him why he had assigned a job to a ASM, becasuse this ASM did not do a good job. I wanted the job assigned to a ASM I KNEW had made done it well. My SM told me he needed more then one ASM who could do the job correctly. He then told me this story. There was a town in which lived a "One man Band". Every Sat people would come from far and wide to see and hear this man play. The town was delighted & benefited greatly. One week the man died. No more did
  25. Eagle92 wrote "One problem I've seen recently is that you have experienced district folks discounting the ideas of newer members. I've seen folks on the district level for 10+ years state "we can't do that" and We've doen it before and it didn't work" etc, etc. One meeting that I missed almost had a fight break out between two of the members over how to run a camporee!" I have a thought, maybe some Districts have problems because of current adult volunteers running them think they have been elected POPE for life. For example, when I was a young adult ASM, the SM asked me to attend
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