desertrat77

Renoed, welcome back...I came back to scouting myself a few years ago. Was away for quite awhile. Some things have changed a bit, but the scouting spirit is still alive and well in many parts of our movement. I wish you and your grandson all the best.

If the scouts aren't in full uniform, they should wear whatever pants they wish. Key is the parents' wish for the scouts to wear pants during grubby activities that they don't mind throwing away if need be. I think we overthink these things, at times....

Concur with the earlier posters...real SEALs don't go around browbeating others with their status. They are calm in the midst of turmoil. Definitely recommend reporting this behavior to district/council and finding another troop.

Eamonn, I understand what you are saying. The best FOS I've seen is in my present council...they have a special council patch each year that is truly special. Many councils do this but these are superb. I've got this year's on my uniform. I'd rather buy the patch that eat a rubber chicken dinner. I was an ASM when popcorn first arrived as the BSA fundraiser. Though I had a very long hiatus from scouting due to military duties, I still don't see popcorn and the BSA as a true match. Who wants to pay that much money for popcorn? One silo of popcorn costs about the same as one of t

You said it best...the UC works for the troop. As a UC, I assure them I'll do whatever it takes to help them succeed. At my first meeting, when SM introduces me, I explain to the scouts that I'm there to help their troop leaders, which helps their troop. Every couple months I'll go camping with them. I make sure I wash dishes, make coffee, chop wood, go hiking and generally make myself useful. Shooting the breeze around the campfire beats the perfunctory once-a-month meeting deal. Went to summer camp for the last two nights of their session. If they have a question, I

Wow, great posts. Stosh, I like your post. Our scouts need to be challenged...as I tell my kids when they complain about coaches or teachers who take them to task, "Take it as a compliment, because they care about you. If they didn't care, they'd let you do what you want and you'll never get better." We aren't doing the scouts any favors by giving them unconditional affirmation. They need to learn feedback can be positive and negative...the negative, properly dispensed, is more valuable than the positive. If we sprinkle everything with sunshine, gosh, it's sure super wonderful pe

There are folks that can afford these items, or give them as gifts. I can't afford 300 dollars for a book, but it's the perfect item to present a CEO who has financially supported scouting for many years. As long as the "basic" items are reasonably price, I'm not too concerned. What boggles my mind about the supply catalog is the sheer number of items available, price aside.

Weak troop leadership, and the subsequent chaos, has been a problem for decades. The scouts and BSA's reputation pay the price. However, there are usually no consequences for lousy troops like the one outlined above. Folks from council on down know the troop is a mess, but no one steps in to lay down the law. So the scouts continue to act like donkeys in public, and their leaders shrug their shoulders "oh well." It speaks to a larger problem, namely, many parents aren't trying to raise young men...they are content to let their teenager act like he was still five ("Oh my little J

Mr. OGE, you stated your case in a very princely manner...I wish you all the best.

Codger, very interesting observations! However, I must present myself as an exception. I fit your scout leader criteria to a "t"...but I still attempt to stay in shape. Not with personal trainers and expensive membership at a fitness center. Rather, I run four miles on a public track three/four times a week and knock out my push ups and sit ups on a stretch of asphalt nearby. Refreshment is not a sports drink but cool water from a big red spigot near a ball park. Am I doing it for me? Well perhaps a little. I don't want to die from something I could have prevented. I don't want

My silva BSA compass from the '70s still works fine...you can pick them up on ebay pretty cheap. I agree with Gunny...much of our BSA compass work can be done with an inexpensive compass. And Gunny, I had to smile when you mentioned your mil surplus lensatic...I have one in the garage and it still glows just fine!

I too noticed the conflict between the photo and the article. Perhaps he will take the opportunity to drop a few lbs now that the obesity issue is front/center. Mr. Mazzuca has a couple of challenges. One, a person with his job has to attend a bunch of luncheons and banquets each week. We all know that few of these are "healthy heart" events. Two, traveling and sitting in meetings are absolute fitness killers. On a local level, truthfully, we have alot of obese scouters. Some can still backpack and get outdoors, but it isn't easy for them. Others are sedentary and fine with i

Basketry was the last MB I earned at camp, right before I turned 18. My fellow camp staffers thought it was funny. Whether the scout earns the MB or not, he should enjoy the freedom of choosing things that interest him. Even if he never goes near the topic again, at least he has a basic appreciation for what it entails. The Eagle required MBs are important...some are painful but one must press forward with pride...a good preview for adult life!

I'd bring back all the rural MBs...farm design, poultry, rabbit raising, all the crop related badges.... As I travel our great country, I'm struck at how many farms I see. For urban kids, it would be a good experience to work on a farm, even for a little while. The old trade MBs (printing, blacksmithing, taxidermy) are worthwhile too.

Post script to my Alaska story: as a summer camp staffer, I recall one week we hosted a troop from the Aleutian Islands. This was very rare as the logistics for this troop to go anywhere were quite involved. Because they could not come to one of pre- or post-summer camp ordeal weekends, we held an ordeal (including the ceremonies) for three of their scouts during their week of camp. There were enough Arrowmen on the small staff to make this happen. Looking back, the council, lodge and troop leadership had to show alot of flexibility. Interesting side note: during the ordeal, a c

It's viable if you are flexible.... I was vice chief of a small lodge in Alaska, many years ago. With people living vast distances apart in the Union's largest state, there was no way we could meet regularly, or do things like a "normal" lodge. If memory serves, we had no chapters. We made the most of the times we got together, like conclave and ordeal weekends. Some folks we only saw once a year, when they came to summer camp. That said, it was probably the most close-knit lodge I've been in (of four).

1 - Eagle patch 2 - Philmont Arrowhead patch 3 - First summer camp patch 4 - Lifeguard BSA...though I earned this in the late '70s, I was given a previous version of the patch from the '50s...our DE found a stack of the old patches and LBSA cards in the basement of the scout council office, and presented these at scout camp that summer

For emergency absolutely, the gadgets are great. But for one 2 hr meeting a week? They will survive okay without them.

I agree with evmori...no need for the scouts to have them. As far as policy, it's been my experience more options lead to more confusion, and more loopholes for scouts going against the policy.

Silo, welcome!

Eagle92, I won't ask about the shooting incident because you asked me not to, but I sure wish we were all sitting around the fire with a fresh pot of coffee on, sounds like a good one! NRP1488, thank you for the tip, much appreciated.

BadenP, thank you for sharing this with us and congratulations to the young lady. This is a great example of leadership in action, yours and hers. There are many other ladies like her that would excel in scouting. I wonder how many walk away, or stay away, because of old style attitudes about what women can/can't do.

Eagle92, good points. Yes, cost is a factor for the hat, I overlooked that. Perhaps there can be a deluxe model, and another that cost less and has more flexibility, or is made of a different material...perhaps "scoutproof" is the word I'm looking for.

While we have to stay on point during training, the syllabus isn't Soviet dogma..."This isn't Russia, is it Danny?" to borrow a line from a great movie. Two issues: content and presentation style. Three actually: trainer attitude. The people that are sitting in the chairs aren't dopes. Even if they are new to scouting, they are employees, employers, parents, and they know canned baloney when they hear it. Just because some old timers are are in love with staying strictly with the party line, it doesn't mean that the new people need to buy into it. The beauty is this: the

The campaign hat is still relevant. As a scout, I had a cheapo version to wear to/from our trek at Philmont (not on the trail though). It looked good but got wet, out of shape, etc, so it went in the trash eventually. Haven't felt the need to wear one since. No good reason, just personal taste as I liked keeping the hat clean and level, but couldn't wearing a backpack, etc. As an ASM in the '80s, I wore a boonie hat (uniform police, sorry, the statute of limitations has no doubt expired!) and the troop ball hat. Though not at the same time. Most glad to hear that others lik