A Scoutmaster's Blog

During lunch today I read an article that was linked in an email to the Boy-Scout-Talk Yahoo group. It was a link to an article written by Rebecca Hagelin titled simply “Boy Scouts”. Here is a small portion of the article:

“Turn on the television for 30 minutes and show me how boys and men are portrayed – you can watch just about any station at any hour and the image will be the same. When sit-coms and commercials contain family groups or interactions between the genders, the man is usually stupid, lazy, and doltish.

If our media culture showed positive male images and if we actually put effort back into teaching boys that real men are also gentlemen, we would get more of the behavior our society needs to survive.

What the nation really needs are more Boy Scouts. And I mean that literally.

As a mother of two Eagle Scouts (now ages 20 and 21), I can personally testify about the tremendous positive impact that Scouting continues to have on their lives.”

I thought the article was very well done and hit some good points.

He was a small tenth grader. Many of the eighth graders were as big or bigger then he was. When he received his drivers license at 16 years old he was 5′-2″ and weighed only 88 pounds. He was the weak skinny kid who would get pinned during wrestling in phy ed in less then 15 seconds. He was shy and quiet and would blend into a crowd, trying not to bring attention to himself. He was not physical enough to join a high school sports team so he became the team’s student manager for basketball and baseball.

He was also a Boy Scout. He enjoyed Scouting: the camping, the hiking, and the other activities. Even though he was two or three years older than most of the members of the troop he had found a group in which he could participate and have fun. He served as the senior patrol leader for much of his three and a half years in the troop.

This little twerp finally hit a growth spurt during his high school years was became a skinny 5′-8″ teenager when he graduated from high school. He continued his education at a two year vocational college. He often thought that it would be fun to get involved with a Scout troop once he found a job and settled down. And he did. Within a month of graduating college he had found a troop and became a nineteen year old assistant scoutmaster.

He worked well with the troop. He got along great with the boys. He earned the respect of the parents and committee. Shortly after he turned 21 years old, after spending only one and a half years as the assistant scoutmaster, the committee appointed him as the scoutmaster of the troop. He was very nervous during his first court of honor as an adult leader. His hands were shaking. His voice cracked. But he got through it. Over the years he became more comfortable talking in front of the troop.

During his first decade as a troop leader he took part in nearly every training course offered by the district and council. He was invited to become a staff member for several of the training courses. He even joined the district roundtable staff and began a junior leader roundtable which lasted for a couple of years.

This young man continued with the troop as the decades began to pass him by. He took the Boy Scouts to the High Noll Trail in Virginia and the Charles Sommers Canoe Base in Minnesota. He went backpacking with five crews at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. The only years he missed the annual week-long trip to summer camp were the years he was attending a high adventure base.

This small tenth grade Boy Scout who grew up to become the scoutmaster of his hometown troop can celebrate 29 years of being a Scout leader this month. He is a little bigger then he used to be, unfortunately only growing in the direction you don’t want to be growing as you approach your late 40’s.

By the way, if you have not guessed it by now, that twerp of a tenth grader was me.

I recently went on vacation to the four Disney them parks in Florida. The family and I had a lot of fun and rode a lot of the rides. Now that I am getting back into the Scouting mode, I began thinking about how some leadership styles within packs and troops is similar to some of those rides. Here are a few examples of what I mean.

Some adult leaders are like the Dumbo ride at the Magic Kingdom. I am not saying they are dumb, but that they like to take things slow and easy. They don’t like too much excitement but they do like to have a little fun. They do not like to rock the boat. They like to keep things running along smoothly.

Some leaders are like the Hollywood Studios’ Tower of Terror ride. They start out with a lot of enthusiasm, rise to great heights, but then fall quickly, only to rise again, and fall again. They are somewhat unpredictable. You are never sure how they will do at their assigned tasks.

Some leaders are like the Mount Everest ride at the Animal Kingdom. They start out slow, gaining momentum, and do great work. But then they stop and change direction, go backwards for awhile, before changing direction a second time and really charging forward in a position in which they thrive and enjoy.

Some leaders are like the Aerosmith Rock ‘N Roll Rollercoaster at Hollywood Studios. They hesitate a moment before excepting a leadership role, but when they do they charge into it fast and furious. They enjoy the thrills of leadership and pour their heart and soul into it until it is time to move on to something else. Chances are that they will get right back into the program in a new position with the same enthusiasm. They enjoy the Scouting ride and want to continue it for as long as they are able.

Of course, there are more styles of leadership then Disney has rides. Which ride are you?

The Boy Scouts of America celebrated its 99th anniversary on Sunday, February 8. That is a lot of advancement being earned, service projects being done, and boys learning about being physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. I still believe that Scouting is one of the best organizations that a boy and young man can belong to, and I dislike it when a political group decides to step on the principles of Scouting to further its own cause.

That is why when I discover an article about the positive aspects of the Scouting program I like to pass it along for you to read. One of the people I follow in Twitter, DavidTCopeland, recently posted a link to an article found in the Desert Valley Times. The article is written by David Bye, who was a Scout himself as a youth. He writes his article about the good in Scouting, and how things could be in society if more people had been a Scout as a youth. He writes:

“When Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts movements in the early 1900s, it was his aim “is to develop among boys a power of sympathizing with others, and a spirit of self-sacrifice and patriotism.”

Baden-Powell envisioned a standard of exemplary conduct that included respect for all, without regard to class distinction. “Everything on two legs that calls itself a boy has God in him,” he wrote, “although he may — through the artificial environment of modern civilization — be the most errant little thief, liar, and filth-monger unhung. Our job is to give him a chance.”

He was a little ahead of his time. The Fourth Scout Law was a powerful challenge to the racism and British snobbery of the time: “A Scout is a friend to all, and a brother to every other Scout, no matter to what country, class or creed, the other may belong.” That such a clear standard of equality and tolerance has sometimes been followed imperfectly does not negate the ideal.”

I invite you to read the whole article at http://www.dvtnv.com/ (under dvt opinion) and leave a comment. I think that we who appreciate what the Scouting program has to offer need to do want we can to support articles like this one.

Update: Another Twitterer, LatterDay_Scout, has posted an about an article of a cross country tour celebrating 100 years of the BSA. This looks like something that would be worthwhile checking out. Check out the article at
http://www.freep.com/article/20090203/FEATURES01/902030306/Michiganders+to+celebrate+100+years+of+Boy+Scouting

Twenty years ago, when I worked in a lumber yard in Melrose, a salesman came in to speak to one of the owners. I explained that she was busy at the moment but should be available in a minute or two. We started small talk and he began telling me about his kids and family. He asked me how many kids I had. Without hesitation I told him that I had twenty boys, and then walked away because the owner had arrived. After seeing the shocked look on his face she had to explain to him that I was single, had no children of my own, and that I was talking about the boys in my Boy Scout troop. It was a great moment.

Twenty years later, I am still single without any kids. Just like Lem Siddens in the movie Follow Me Boys I consider the Boy Scouts to be my boys. I like to joke with people that I have a great arrangement. “When I want some kids in the house I make a few phone calls. When I am tired of them I send them home.”

Once in a while, I find myself talking to someone new. When they find out I am a scoutmaster they will usually ask me, “How old are your boys?” When I tell them I do not have any, they give me a look that seems to say, “Are you crazy? Why are you a scoutmaster if you do not have any boys in the program?”

Sometimes I ask myself that very question. The simple answer is that I believe in the program. I always have. After nearly three decades of being a Scout leader I can honestly say that I have seen the good that come from Scouting. I wish more boys would try Scouting. I think they would find that they would enjoy the program and actually have fun learning new skills.

I also think that more parents should consider Scouting as a program for their sons and family. Many parents do not understand the benefits of the program, which really is a shame. I think it is encouraging that the National Office plans to increase the promotion of the Scouting programs.

There have been nearly 250 boys in my extended family over the decades. There have been a lot of movies watched, pizzas eaten, and Dungeons and Dragons games played. I have been to dozens of graduation parties, and even several weddings. I have seen the boys grow up, begin lives of their own, get married, and start their own families.

Yep, the Boy Scouts are my boys. And in most cases, they are also great friends.

Last night I had fun with several Scout Leaders from around the country, and from the other side of the world. Cubmaster Chris and I were joined by three Scouters for a trivia game which was recorded for next week’s episode of The Leader’s Campfire podcast.

I am from Minnesota. Chris lives in Texas. Jerry is a scoutmaster in Oregon. Shawn is a unit commissioner in Wisconsin. The four of us are familiar with recording a podcast since we each have our own, or have guested on someone’s show.

The last member of last night’s group was Michael. Michael is a 21 year old Scout leader in New Zealand. My troop and I met him at Many Point Scout Camp this summer. (Michael will be a guest of another episode of The Leader’s Campfire later this month when we discuss international Scouting.)

The five of us were in a goofy mood as Chris began the recording the podcast. This show was quite different then the usual serious show that Chris and I record. This episode involved a trivia contest, and we all sort of reverted to being a teenager once again as we played the game.

Since I owned the trivia book, I was the game show host. The other four guys were the contestants. The questions came from the Scouting Mania trivia book which is based on information found in the 1986 edition of the Boy Scout handbook.

We all had a blast. In addition to playing the game we were constantly teasing and giving each other a rough time. From Chris’ Texan accent to Shawn’s position as a “mythical” unit commissioner, everything was fair game. We had so much fun that Chris thinks we will need to do a show like this a few times a year.

Of course, you, our listeners will be the true judge of the show when it is posted next week, probably on Tuesday, December 9. Will you have as much fun listening to the podcast as we did recording it? Be sure to leave your comments on The Leader’s Campfire forum at PTC Media ( http://www.ptcmedia.net )

A friend of mine sent me a story about a Japanese soldier and an American soldier meeting on the battlefield during World War II. The story takes quite a turn when they discover each had been a Boy Scout as a youth. Here is the story as it was sent to me:

Kyoto, Japan, is a city of many temples, among those temples stands a statue somewhat different than its surroundings. It is a statue of two young men, an American Scout, and a Japanese Scout, clasping hands. How it came to be there is a story worth telling.

Some of the worst fighting of World War II was in Okinawa. It was protracted, and bloody, and fought with fierce determination by both sides. In the midst of one of the battles, near the beach, a young American soldier fell wounded. As he lay there, bleeding and in pain, his vision out of focus, and about to lose consciousness, he saw a Japanese soldier standing over him, bayonet at the ready, poised to strike. He said afterwards he did not even know himself why he did what he then did. He was weak from blood loss and blacking out. But he raised his right hand in a familiar sign – the universally recognized Scout sign. Then he lost consciousness, expecting never to awake.

He did wake, though.

When he came to, he was in an American field hospital. His wounds had been dressed. And in his pocket was a note, written in Japanese. He was able to find someone to translate the note eventually, and this is what it said: “I could not bring myself to kill a fellow Scout.” The note also bore the name and address of the Japanese soldier who, instead of taking his life, had spared it, and tended to his wounds before moving on.

When the war had ended, the young soldier was assigned to the occupation force. He went to find his savior at the first opportunity. He discovered that the Japanese soldier who had both spared and saved his life had died later in the fighting on Okinawa. But his family had survived, and the American became their friend and helped them in every way he could during his time in Japan When asked why, he explained what had occurred, and showed the note, which he still kept. The people were so touched by this story, that they erected a monument which stands in Kyoto today.

It is a monument to our shared humanity – that in the midst of war and violence, of hatred and bloodshed, two young men found that they were in fact brothers. It is a monument to the ideals of Scouting – that even when thus deeply divided, Scouting is a link that joins us and encourages compassion, mercy, understanding, and peace. The statue stands among the temples of Kyoto, a monument to the spiritual values of the worldwide movement known as Scouting. It is also a monument to hope – the hope that if we can only recognize our common bonds, the world would be a better place.

I really like this story. After reading it I went online and tried to find a picture of the statue. To my surprise, I could not find one. Even Google did not help me. So I have a quest for you, the readers of this blog. I would like to see a picture of this statue. Do you have one? Do you know were I could find one? If you do, would you contact me at this address?

Thanks for your help.

My friend Jerry, who writes a blog called The Scoutmaster Minute, recent wrote about an experience he had while waiting to checkout in a store. Jerry was wearing his Scout uniform. A lady next to him started a conversation with him and began expressing her negative opinions about the Scouting program. She began complaining about the new uniform, then shifted gears to God, gays, and guns. It appears that she was looking to provoke an argument with Jerry. But Jerry kept his cool and answered her questions in a well mannered and professional manner.

To read about Jerry’s experience check out his blog at The Scoutmaster Minute.