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Early Arrow of Light Award


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Hello all wise and knowing scouters,

We have a situation where a Webelo II has his dad being deployed in January. Is it OK to conduct an early Arrow of Light ceremony for the son in December, so his dad can be there. He will have all requirements done by then.

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If he's finished all of the requirements (including age and the 6-month time frame), go ahead. And remember, if he plans to cross over to Boy Scouts, he does not have to cross over right then and there. He can stay with the pack (if he so desires), continue to work on activity pins, kick back and be top dog for a while, and cross over with the rest of his buddies later on. If he wants to cross over and the troop is ready, he can do that too. If he does wait, make sure there's someone with a good video camera to record the crossover ceremony so Dad can see it.

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Also remember something nice for dad. Sailors (and Marines) deploy all the time, but if Dad is Army or Air Force or a reservist deploying, do something nice for him too.

 

Then upon his return, you might present him with contrived awards like Desert Survival Merit Badge, etc.

 

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Yeah I'd be real careful about the contrived award business though. Not knowing what he might experience in reality, a "survival" badge or anything else that makes light of his experience might be in poor taste.

 

 

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OK Lisa, I agree, but I have an unusual sense of humor, my guys know that. How about a nice going a away present that is nice and small, so it can be packed easily, then plaque upon his return. Depending on the town a hero's welcome, parade, the whole 9 yards, but it depends on the town. A hero's welcome for one guy might not work in chicago or Atlanta, but in Nowhere Wyoming, it would be right.

 

 

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Also, remember a care pakage for him while he's gone. Some socks, t-shirts, drawers, cookies, magazines, a hometown newspaper, etc. Check with the wife for sizes. Only military issue t-shirts and drawers, the exposed part of the t-shirt must be the correct one.

 

 

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It's not early if you give the AOL when the boy earns it.

 

I'm always frustrated when a den leader says they want all their boys to get their rank (most frequently AOL, but sometimes other ranks) at the same time - the boy deserves to receive recognition when HE achieves the rank, regardless of what the other boys do. Likewise, holding off giving the AOL until the crossover ceremony - if you give the boy the rank when he earns it, he actually gets to wear it on his cub scout uniform.

 

My oldest was the only Web II - got his AOL at crossover, the month he earned it. My second got his AOL at the Nov pack meeting - I think there may have been 1 or 2 other boys in his den who get it then as well (4 of the 8 in that den earned their Eagle) - and then crossed over at the B&G in Feb. My youngest got his AOL at the Aug pack mtg by himself, then crossed over to the troop at the Sep pack mtg - as the youngest of 3 scouts in the family, if we had made him wait to get the badge or cross over, he would have rebelled at scouting all together.

 

Maybe you can make a bigger deal of the AOL if it is the focus of the crossover ceremony, but you can still have traditions and ceremonies for it at a regular Pack meeting - my 2nd son still, at 18, has the arrow he was given (with a light stick wrapped around it) on his wall.

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