WilVick

Just a curiosity type question...let's say Tommy comes out at 15. He stays in and earns his Eagle Scout with palms. He's a respected leader in his troop and has been through NYLT. He's served on camp staff and is a member of the Order of the Arrow. He also maintains a membership in the camp staff venturing crew. He hits the magic 18 in Boy Scouts and is out, but maintains his membership in Venturing. Now he's 21 and has to kiss the whole thing good-bye. Just a question, BSA...you will not accept this man as a leader; will you solicit and accept his contributions through Friends of Scout

Prayers and positive thoughts on John's behalf and to the entire family. I always looked forward to reading his well thought out responses. He was truly a great guide to all of us who came to know him here. May the Great Master of all Scouts be with us until we meet again. Happy trails, Old Grey Eagle.

I don't want to think back the roughly thirty years that have passed since something similar happened at a summer camp where I served as program director. It was one of those south central Ohio scorchers where temps hit 103 in the shade, and our first year camper program were doing knife safety in the relatively wide open spaces of our council ring. One of our first year campers was being exceptionally squirrely and not acknowledging the staff member's repeated request that he stop and be careful. The staff member grabbed that first year camper, putting his arm across his chest and pulling

I have the privilege of working in one of our Scout Shops. When a new member comes in, the first question I ask is his grade in school or which program he has joined; that guides everything else. New Cub Scouts who are in fourth grade are led toward the tan uniform in a size that will carry him through his two years and into Boy Scouts. To quote myself, "He'll have a great time, and the tan is the uniform he'll wear for the rest of his career as a Boy Scout. I ask those parents of veterans if they plan to transfer patches - most want a memory shirt and start fresh. Most of the packs

I don't do a lot of posting here, but this one caught my attention. I have sat on both sides of the table for the pre-camp meeting. Guy may remember when our Tecumseh Council Camp held a Thursday evening through Saturday morning SPL orientation the week before the troop checked in. I was the program director and the SPL's met all area directors, Commissary Director, DH Head Steward, and many more. We scheduled troop aquatic activities for the week, troop shoots on our ranges, and many more things important to the week. The Patrol Method worked for us. At this point in our camp's story, w

I don't do a lot of posting here, but this one caught my attention. I have sat on both sides of the table for the pre-camp meeting. Guy may remember when our Tecumseh Council Camp held a Thursday evening through Saturday morning SPL orientation the week before the troop checked in. I was the program director and the SPL's met all area directors, Commissary Director, DH Head Steward, and many more. We scheduled troop aquatic activities for the week, troop shoots on our ranges, and many more things important to the week. The Patrol Method worked for us. At this point in our camp's story, w

When I was a Cub Scout back in 1966-1969, we had an annual uniform inspection set up by the pack and done as a part of our pack meeting. That inspection was conducted by a couple members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. I remember feeling a little pride at these guys in their uniforms complimenting us on ours. But the years have passed, and times have changed. I have served as a Unit Commissioner and a District Commissioner and was never asked to perform a uniform inspection. I would have advised my district commissioner staff against it, most vehemently. Somewhere, though, I rememb

What was said earlier is true, once official always official. If I could still fit into the uniform that I wore in 1977 as a first year Camp Chaplain, it would still be okay...it is a uniform of the BSA. The fact that Scout Shops no longer carry the item does not deny the official nature of the uniform. I understand the angst over four different CS caps. A pack in Simon Kenton Council has created their own pack cap. It's navy blue with the pack number and Cub Scouts embroidered in CS gold. It looks good and brings the boys through all phases of the program in that pack. Not at all a

I love that you and your son are so considerate of the DAC (congatulations, you're getting the ScoutSpeak down so well! hehe), but I think a call the next morning is late and giving the committee opportunity to make the same call that evening. This individual is accustomed to being at district meetings, trainings, and other events that will keep him up late. The committee will think nothing of a 10:00 call if need be. If this meeting runs beyond an hour and a half, it's gone too long. I'm going to make a suggestion that I fear others will disagree with, but here goes...if your council has

Wow, Mdsummer, I have just spent an hour reading this forum and your post on the other that was linked in an earlier posting. May I first say, "Congratulations and thank you for being a mom who is concerned but is willing to let her son work this through." I am extremely impressed. As an educator, let me tell you how much you have allowed your son to learn about people, about himself, and about a desire to see things through. Bravo! As I have read your responses on both forums, one thing has struck me over and over. Your son has shown a tremendous amount of leadership skill in this w

Wow, Momof7Scouts, you have your hands full with this one. With due respect, Dad, as SM should probably stand back as he will probably only be seen as pushy parent in a neckerchief. You should do the same for much the same reason. Don't leave Number 2 Son out to dry, but depend on other leaders in the unit. If the Eagle Adviser is a troop position, it is probably a committee appointment. The CC can deal with it; if he can't, go to the COR. His/her role as liaison to the Council Board and District Committee allows him/her the ability to act on behalf of the Executive Officer of the

OK....so, I'm ready now for someone to jump me big on this one. BSA has, for years, gotten by with ousting Scouts and Scouters who are willing to be honest and upfront about being gay in this organization. The ongoing reason for this is that homosexuality violates the basic moral principles of the organization. The Courts have stood behind this argument pretty consistently. How are the actions of this Professional Scouter, a man trained in the goal and ideals of Scouting, regarding this any different? Leviticus may condemn one man for laying with another, but the Ten Commandments cond

There are two questions I never asked as a unit serving leader or as a district/council serving volunteer..."What is your religion?" and "Are you gay or straight?" Neither of these is actually any of my business. I have neither the right nor the responsibility to verify this information for BSA because I will not be their membership police. When we are looking at CS or BS youth applications, we are looking at young people who are basically following a faith system based upon their parents and their expectations. As those same youth reach their teen years, they are starting to experience

I had the privilege to serve the campers of Camp Avery Hand as Camp Director during the 1997-2000 seasons. In the last two, I served as Council Camp Director managing one staff to serve both camps. In 1998, our Council Program Director and Scout Executive took me for a walk into our COPE Woods on the afternoon following National Visitation. On that walk, we discussed a switch to make Camp Avery Hand (CAH) a Cub Scout World and Firelands Scout Reservation (FSR) the council Boy Scout camp. On paper, a very good idea. Each camp is sized perfectly for the proposed purposes. I recommend

These are tremendous thoughts, and I truly appreciate them. I, too, am a practicing Catholic and consider myself to be very pro-life. I do not favor abortion, nor do I agree with the act of Capital Punishment. Respect life to its natural end. In addition to my Catholicism, I am a registered, proud Democrat. While I can not say that I vote the party line in all instances, I do find myself agreeing more with the overall picture. I can not vote one issue because every candidate brings more than one issue to the table. I am a teacher, and I want to see my students prepared to go into