100 Years of Scouting

I have posted here in the past about my time in the Boy Scouts of America. Although I never made Eagle Scout, I was in Scouts for a very long time. I joined the Cub Scouts and worked my way up the chain of badges, Wolf, Bear and then Lion, all with the appropriate number of arrowheads. I also participated in other workshops held for young boys that are used to prepare you for the Boy Scouts such as a Weblows.

Once graduating from the Cub Scouts I moved on to Boy Scouts and worked my way from the raw Tenderfoot to Life Scout. I was also selected by the Leaders of my Troop to be the very first Scout from my Troop to be a member of the secret Order of the Arrow, a sect of Super Scouts within the Scouting organization. I was proud and wore that pocket flap badge with pride. I also tended several Baden Powell conferences which taught leadership skills to the young men who attended. My troop crossed the Grand Canyon (Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim) and we hiked the Santa Fe Trail, earning the 50 Miler award (Afoot - Afloat). That same troop did community service projects in every venue.

I had 21 merit badges which was the minimum required for Eagle however my Troop disbanded when the Scout Master who was in the Air Force was transferred to an Air Base in Alaska. It never stood up and I moved on.

The impact of scouting on me personally is easily seen. Many people comment and assume that I was a Boy Scout in the past and I have even been asked if I was an Eagle. I always tell the folks that inquire that I was in fact in Scouting but never made that final mark. It haunts me to this day.

Scouting and my Parents made me the Man I was when I joined the Navy. I am fiercely independent and resourceful: to this day I carry a multi-tool on my belt, I can my own veggies grown in a garden I plant and tend through the year. When I lost my job last year, I took it upon myself to go out and find a new job, I did not wait on our Government to provide for me and my Family, it was my responsibility.

I am a Scout, I may not wear the uniform any more but I hold all the values taught me those many years that I spent in both the blue and green uniforms. I, to this day remember and can recite the Scout Oath and the Scout Laws.

Though I wish to comment on the fact that our President has chosen to go to New York and raise money for Democrats and tape an episode of the TV talk show The View instead of attending the 100 year anniversary celebration of Scouting at Fort AP Hill, I will not; the simple fact that he chose between the two tells you all you need to know about what kind of Man he is.

BT: Jimmy T sends.

Boy’s Life #1 - The Go Patrol

While growing up I enjoyed being a member of the Cub Scouts and then later, after graduating from the Cub program, I was in Boy Scouts. I shared this experience with many of my close friends although we were in different packs of the same Troop. We would eventually all move up into the parent Boy Scout Troop.

We were scattered in the four patrols of the Troop and merrily participated in the many events the Troop sponsored. It was a very active troop hosting overnight camping trips several times a month. These short trips were practice for the big trips toDistrict Camporee’ and the bigger Council Jamboree’s.

We always looked forward to those events as our Troop would compete against other Troops for various awards; the most prestigious of these: the “Best Camp”award or ribbon.

After maybe a year or so of fine service my close circle of friends and I had become more senior and were now either First or Second Class scouts. I was an Assistant Patrol Leader in one patrol as was another of my close friends. The one thing common between us was that we were all crack-ups. You know the type, always throwing out the funny comment or joke. Although not exactly disruptive we were none the less a distraction.

Well, one night, it was a Thursday 10 days before a District Camporee we were all at a Troop meeting making final plans for the coming big event. All us crack-ups were throwing stuff out there all night. Finally one comment pushed the Scout Master over the precipice. He called us all out, there were 6 of us. He was furious and declared us the Troop goof-offs. He then decreed that we would now be a Patrol and that we would go to this Camporee as a Patrol.

And our name would be Goof Off’s.

Now to the lesser talented, the less creative this would have been a set back and in fact most other boys would have settled down and acceded to the Scout Masters wish for peace and quiet. Not us.

You have heard of the phrase “Embrace the Suck”. Well that was us. Turns out we were most likely the six most creative in the Troop and this “challenge” was just the kind of thing to spark that creativity.

We embraced the “Goof Off” moniker with gusto. Yes, you read that right. We decided that we would be known as the GO patrol. We all sewed GO onto blank patrol patches, we carved out a GO into the top of the staff for our flag and on the flag we sewed a great big G with a tiny oof, followed by a great big O with a tiny ff. So from far away you saw a GO but close up you could see that it was really Goof Off. The other thing we decided on was that if not in formation with the whole Troop we would run everywhere we had to go and if we were in formation with the Troop we wanted to be in the front. The lead Patrol.

My very own hand sewn GO Patrol Patch:

Off to the Camporee we went. We had a fine weekend. The GO patrol competed in every event available. From Pioneering, to Semaphore, building Monkey Bridges to Tote-n-chip competitions, we even requested grading of our menu and accepted a random evaluation of one of our meals. We ran everywhere and we seemed to have someone everywhere anything was happening. We won many of the competitions outright, the Semaphore and the Paul Bunyan awards stand out. But the big one, yeah that one too.

We won Best Camp for the Rio Grande District Camporee of 1968 (Kit Carson Council, Troop 78). I still have that award and break it out every now and then when I re-tell the tale of the GO Patrol.

We stayed as the GO patrol for several more years. Everyone forgot about the OOF and FF in the name; GO becoming synonymous with high energy and excellence in Camping, Cooking and all around Scouting. I would remain its Patrol Leader until promoted to the Troop's Senior Patrol Leader a year or so later. I would always dine and sleep with the GO patrol after that in fact, the Scout Master would always invite himself to meals as well. Many times he would bring a VIP along as the GO patrol had the best meals in camp.

Great times, great camaraderie, a wonderful experience.

BT: JimmyT sends.