Eagle94-A1

I would say go ahead and put him in, but after filling out one of those forms recently, you need their approval to complete the form. My understanding is that UNLESS they are professionals, i.e lifeguards, EMTs, etc, ANY lifesaving action, no matter how big or small can qualify. I know the form for the Honor Medal and Medal of Merit is the same, so don't let that scare you. There is an approval process, don't know how long that will take, but hopefully less than 2 years. I would really like to attend the ceremony if the guy who pulled me out of the ocean back in August is approved. And he will be in this area only for 2 more years.

I know there are a lot of complaints about some of the stuff being built at camps. Heck I was ticked off at the pool that was built at my old camp, when we have a gorgeous man-made lake with built to Safe Swim Defense specs waterfront. I thought it was a waste of money. BUT, I found out that there are a lot of laws, both federal and state, that are being pushed on camps. That was why my old camp had to build a pool. That's why all BSA camps have to deal with the National Camp Accreditation Program, which replaced the various National Standards. A lot of the improvements are being mandated.

Definitely true. I've need to relearn some things about younger Scouts. I've spent too much time on the district level working with the OA or adults and on the Cub level, that I need to relearn working with new Boy Scouts. sat down and realized it's been essentially 11 years sicne I worked with a troop as an ASM.

I was responding to this comment. "Just get everone working on the new requirements ASAP." I admit I may be overly concerned about the rank changes because of a situation that happened in my district. We had a Scout get denied a Life BOR, which affected him getting Eagle before 18. Long story short, the troop he was originally in allowed him to use the pre-2009 BSHB requirements that were in effect when he joined, and did not tell him about changes to the various rank requirements. It was only after that troop went to Trail's Life, and he joined another troop that he found out that there was still more to do Life. It was discovered at the SM Conference. This delay caused him to miss the "6 months as a Life..." Eagle requirement as his Life BOR was at the 17 years 7 months mark. Thankfully he received a waiver, earned his Eagle, and is active as an ASM with the troop, and one of the chapter vice-chiefs.

I disagree with having everyone starting on the new requirements. You do have Scouts out there working on T-2-1 under one set of requirements. It would not be fair for those Scouts to have them work and then all of a sudden have the requirements change on them. A transition period is needed.

I admit, I lament how the OA has changed over the years. I know that when I was more active with the OA, I tried to bring back a sense of ''best of the best'' in regards to the OA. I also worked with the youth to get a good program going. Yes we worked hard, but I also wanted us to play hard. Some of the downfall I blame national. I still do not llike the current election process. There is an expectation by many that everyone gets in. Heck had 1 SM ticked off at me and the election team because we ''scared off half my Scouts.''' Sad thing is, this was a former lodge chief and section officer who wasmad at us. But I also need to blame some of the idiots before me, who went overboard. Yes there were legitmate cases of hazing that occured. Yes someone did get their shoulder dislocated at a TAPOUT CEREMONY, which led to a lawsuit, and lawyers reviewinghow things were done andbeingdelared possible child abuse and hazing. But what really hit home with me was talking to my son. Unlike when I was his age and First Class, he could care less about getting into the OA as it isn't a big deal for him. Considering he's been a PL, SPL, and nominated for a second SPL term (he declined and wentfor TG) I think he will get elected the first time. That is the only thing he likes, the possibility of getting in on the first ballot compared to me and getting in on the 3rd ballot..

I LIKE IT! Just beware of the Nazgul.

SMs DO have that ability already. They have the right to deny someone eligibility if they don't have Scout Spirit. But in my experience the SM rarely does this. In all my years in the OA, only 1 SM regretted allowing a Scout on the ballot.

Your lodge and chapter may vary. One of the advantages for adults in the OA is fellowship. Great to bounce ideas to problems at folks. And for me, I was very active in American Indian Affairs as a youth, so I can really get involved with that. In regards to Desertrat

That may be part of the problem. When my son joined the troop, they doubled, creating a true NSP for the first time. First TG was 14. So age maybe a factor. But another factor may be the SM. SM is old school, and was talked into doing NSP by the ASM who was suppose to take over. SM is used to mixed aged patrols. And to be honest, I'm not too thrilled with NSPs to date. But I also realize that we haven't had an effective TG to do the job properly. SO this is a learning expereince for all.

TG is brand new to the position, so he is getting a feel for it. Plus we never really had a functioning TG before IMHO, so he has no role model to follow. My son's TG didn't do a thing, and the previous TG ended up getting elected PL of the NSP. And that was a "challenge." Considering it was his first night really working with them, my observations are he's OK. Needs some time, and adults out of his hair. This is going to be the challenge, especially since I honestly think one of the CS leaders is reliving his Scout Days with the troop. One of the two adults who interfered I can talk to and get to see the light. The other reminds me of when I was a brand new ASM, and couldn't get out of "Boy Scout" mode and into "Scouter mode." As the song goes, 'It's gonna take time....patience and time to do it right."

I'm actually working on that. Any ideas to keep the adults away will help! I'm actually thinking snacks in another room for the adults to socialize. IF we can find another room. TG suggested one adult so that if the SPL has a question, he won't have to track someone down in another room. And he doesn't want the SM because he gets involved too easily. It's trying to figure out which adult since ALL of us, myself included, have butted in on occasion.

WWWWWEEEEELLLLLL... ...my troop is telling the new Crossovers next week to wait until January to get the new handbooks and use the new requirements. We only have a Christmas Party between when they join on the 18th, and the first real meeting for them on Jan. 4th.

I can sympathize. I've done FOS presentations and I try to keep them short, sweet, and to the point. I admit I do take up about 10 minutes total. I give a brief talk on where FOS goes and I have Scouts handing out the brochures to the parents. Scouts are usually still handing out brochures ort picking up completed one after I'm finished talking. Thats about 7-9 minutes. Just before everything is over, I ask for another minute or 2 to say how much was raised, and more importantly THANK EVERYONE. IF the FOS patches are available, I'll stayy afterwards and hand those out to those who qualify. We give out special FOS CSPs for those who give a specified amount. Basically what it costs the council per scout to operate.

1) When is Cross Over? If it's later this month, I'd wait. If it's next year, I'd start attending troop meetings now. The troop I am with has had the pack's 5th grade Webelos attending our troop meetings for about a month now. Some of it was to finish up requirements, i.e. attend a Boy Scout troop meeting, but for the most part they are done and were waiting for the 6 months since finishing 4th grade. 2) What set of requirements will you be using the 2015 ones or 2016 ones?

"Train 'em. Trust 'em. LET THEM LEAD!" William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt Last night's meeting was a very good one. OK, the meeting was more patrol oriented than formal skills instruction then patrol meetings, but considering some of the challenges the troop has faced, I'm very happy. As most of you know, the troop was restarted and has had little adult mentoring of the youth. Long story short, only 1 consistant leader in poor health until a few months ago. Since switching to an ASM role in June, I've been trying to work with the SPL and PLC and get them more involved in planning, operations, etc. Frustrating and challenging with previous SPL. BUT some of the youth noticed what was trying to be done and are taking heart. We had our annual planning conference last week. I know, usually it's done in Aug/Sept, but this troop does it based on the charter year. SPL took the bull by the horns and ran it. Yes we has some adults interfere, and I was one of them, but for the most part, our intereference was " you do realize that you have 2 campouts 2 weeks apart" and ideas on where to camp since we do not have a Where to Go Camping book. Overall we got ourselves a good year ahead. May not be camping 12 months, we got the traditional lock in for next month, and we may have another next November aboard a ship. But we are doing something every month. BUT what has made me happy was the meeting last night. I've been working with the SPL to give him ideas on what to do and how things should be done. I gave him a sample meeting plan to follow, and he came up with on on his own HOWEVER, found out at the last minute the meeting plan was not feasible du to an adult not being able to get the equipment tothe meeting. SO the SPL adapted and overcame. As mentioned above, the troop meeting turned into a more patrol oriented one rather than a skills one. And it turned out to be a good thing as the patrols worked on some much needed items. Next two meeting are pretty much set in stone and require little planning. We have a Crossover to attend next week, and Christmas party the follwoing week. BUT HE HAS ALREADY STARTED WORKING ON THE JANUARY 4TH MEETING. May not seem like a big deal to some, but for this troop it's a first. He's also gotten buy in from the older Scouts to do skills instruction. In fact, once they finished everything they needed to do, they were practicing their pioneering skills so they can teach the rest of the troop in January. I am hoping this continues with the Scouts. Next step is to get the adults out of the way. Yes we had two adults get a little to involved in the new scout patrol. Ok 3 adults, as I stepped in twice to remind them they need to listen to their troop guide, and a second time to tell them they need to focus on s specific item. But the other two adults, both former Cub Scout leaders, got a little too involved into their meeting. I'm thinking the Troop Guide's idea of kicking out all the adults except one is a good one. Problem is, he doesn't know which adult to keep since we are all troublemakers to a degree.

Oh the Scout had a MAJOR role to play. Not the best image, but the Sea Scout Cenntennial Patch show 2 Sea Scouts in the Gulf of Mexico searching for German u-boats. Yep Scouts played a role in civil defense. Scouts helped salvage scrapmetal to use in industry. Scouts encouraged gardening to assist with rationing. https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0LEVvCdx2ZWyCgAsRknnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=2012+Sea+Scout+Aniversary+Patch&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3D2012%2BSea%2BScout%2BAniversary%2BPatch%26hsimp%3Dyhs-003%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26ei%3DUTF-8&no=1&fr=%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-003&h=98&w=163&imgurl=www.sgtradingpost.com%2Fimages%2F2012-02-08_16-56-11_sea-scout-100th-anniversary.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sgtradingpost.com%2Fproduct.php%3Fproduct_id%3D570%26subcat_id%3D&size=14KB&name=product+categories+sea+scout+100th+patch+sea+scout+100th+patch&tt=product+categories+sea+scout+100th+patch+sea+scout+100th+patch&sigr=122cpvu1h&sigi=12ghf1gn0&sigb=13bfvumno&sign=11u451lmn&sigt=11u451lmn&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-003 Over in Europe, they played an even larger role. They were part of the various resitance operations. Jan van Hoof is probably the best known https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Hoof

Maybe I can help. I've been in the OA a while in 5 different councils, and I can tell you that every OA lodge (council level) is different, and every chapter(district level) is different. Heck the same lodge can change over time based upon the leadership of the OA Lodge Adviser. First and formost the OA is suppose to recognize those honor campers who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in action. Second the OA is suppose to be a service organization to help take care of the camps and units in their area of operations. Now I've been in chapters that did absolutely nothing. No communication, no work. nothing. But I've also been in chapters that did a lot. I've seen chapter's do there own workdays at camp, take on specific building projects, and raise money for maintence and equipment at camp. This is a big deal with my current chapter as historically, the camp in our district has really been neglected. The council has focused on the main camps, and neglected the 3 smaller camps. The OA chapters have been keeping things up to specifications up until the last SE. He actually did something for the minor camps. Another thing I've seen lodges and chapter do is raise camperships for summer camp. That's also a big deal in my neck of the woods. Each of the 9 chapters is required to raise two 50% camperships minimum, plus the lodge does some fun fundraising stuff to add to the 18 camperships. OA is also suppose to be fun. In addition to lodge fellowships, section conclaves, and biannual NOACs, I've seen chapters do pool parties, take tours of military bases, and, when it was allowed, Lazer Tag Lockin.

But not Bill Hillcourt Sad thing is IMHO, Bill did more than all the other combined. Yes all had part to play. If it wasn't for Boyce, BSA would not be around. Seaton and Beard provided a lot of knowledge, skills, and information into the early editions of the BSHB, and well as influencing BP. West provided the organization, and Phillips provided Philmont. BUT, William "GREEN BAR BILL" Hillcourt took their beginnings and "kicked it up a notch" or four. He was the face of Scouting, providing inspiration and guidance to generations of Scouts and leaders. And when the disasterous "Improved Scouting Program" came about ( and IMHO coming about again ), It was Bill Hillcourt who came out of retirement to write a BSHB that went back to basics and saved the BSA. Any scout who wishes to write about Bill, I'm OK with.

Every situation is different. I admit I'm frustrated at my son's troop at the moment. SPL after my son did NO planning and prep, and was very hard to communicate with. Trying to talk and mentor him was a challenge as he didn't seem to comprehend that he was in charge, he needed to plan stuff, he needed to organize meetings, etc. And when the SPL FINALLY started planning stuff, it was the same thing over and over for 3 weeks. So the SM SM ended up doing a lot, which was frustrating for me, and "boring" for the Scouts. Hopefully new SPL will do a better job. Seems to have his act together so far and is taking the bull by the horns. A little behind schedule planning wise, but I blame that on the old SPL. We did the annual planning conference this week, and he had his act together, some input from the adults, usually recommending what places they know about that meet what they wanted to do.. I admit I'm doing more than I should. I gave the SPL a copy of the TROOP PROGRAM FEATURES and gave him a written model meeting with assignments and everything as an example. I also wrote out a week-by-week schedule based upon what they planned. For example 1-4-16 Pioneering week 2 meeting, 1-11-16 Pioneering Week 3 meeting, etc.Something that he and the PLC can use to plan and prep. And hopefully share with the next PLC so they can keep doing it so folks know well in advance what's going on.

Don't know. I definitely would steer clear of unit 1. I don't like "High Speed, Low Drag" and "One and Done" units. Troops 2 and 3 sound good. I would let the Scout decide.

Every council and district is different, so contact your district/council folks to find out what to do. Some ways I've seen records verified in order of importance: 1) Advancement Records in the Boy Scout Hand Book. Because dates need to be entered into it for advancement, and the BOR needs to sign off on it, MBs used for Star, & Life have already been verified. Its the MBs used for Eagle that may be a challenge since a BOR have not verified them. 1a) Also some units will allow the MBC to sign off that section of the advancement records in the BSHB. That has worked in instances I've been involved in or knew about. 1b) Some units have their leaders sign off on the MBs in the advancement records as soon as the MB is earned. That also has worked. 2) Unit Copy of the Advancement Report. Units have to submit copies of an Advancement Report for purchasing advancement. It is a one page form with 2 carbon copies underneath. The top and middle copies are turned it to buy the advancement, The troop keeps the third for their records. 3) Copy of the SM portion or MBC portion of the Blue Card. However some MBCs only keep them for a specified time. And some do not keep them. 4) Copy of unit's records. GOOD LUCK!

Not to be a pain, but my understanding was that shelters a scout build DID count, i.e. survival shelters?

Actually I don't beleive it would have been a fundraising item. The ones I saw, and ate , were from a national scout shop. I was helping move them to the new location, and the manager gave me a bunch of them as thanks. THEY WERE AWESOME! I asked why they didn't sell them, and they said the GSUSA threatened a lawsuit.

COME UP WITH A SCENARIO!!!!!! Takes prep time, but well worth it. My troop didn't have a scenario as the folks in charge didn't prepare for it properly. At the "Thorns and Roses" session, comment about scenarios and advance prep to make it more realistic and interested garnered a lot of positive feed back for next year.