Thread: are you a scout?

Yes I was but don't remember my sash and merit badges. I did go to Boy Scout Camp in the Sierras in California for 2 weeks, 2 years in a row! Don't remember which or how many badges I had but had a few.


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Was a Boy Scout for a few years in the mid-60s, then we moved...military brat and all that. Served as Cub Scout Leader for 3 years. Great time with the kids when they were young. Loved the Derby!!! Great time making cars with the kids. Had a great time setting up treasure hunts during camp.

FS

I participated in the Cub and Boy Scouts in the 1960's as well and also was a military brat who moved around quite a bit. Didn't attain my Eagle Scout rank but both my sons did. They learned quite a lot while pursuing their Eagles.

Attained the rank of Life Scout (one step away from Eagle). Had all the merit badges just had to complete my eagle project prior to 18th birthday. My dad got transferred (AF brat) and I lost out.

Youth: Eagle with Bronze Palm, OA, Brotherhood, JASM, Philmont Scout Ranch
Adult: Scoutmaster 12 years

I was in for about a year but because of time constraints, i had to choose between playing football or continue with the boy scouts, i chose football

thanks for all the responses, keep them coming. the reason i asked was because i learned a lot of things as a scout, one of the most important was 'when it rains, you get wet.' although that was by chance and not part of any formal lesson.

we had hiked all day to the bottom of the grand canyon to the havsupi rez, a trip of a lifetime. and when we got there it started raining. some of the other scouts and one of the leaders turned all negative the rain was 'ruining our vacation'. a few of us just squatted down under an arch in the sandstone cliff and saw the most awesome display of dry cliffs and blue sky turn to raging waterfalls and gray mist then back to dry again in the space a few hours, desert flash flood. it was awesome.

i live in a very small town with few social activities other than school sports, but we will be moving to a larger place soon and they have scouting there and i am putting my son in boy scouts. he laughed his head off when i talked to him about it, he said 'dad that is ***'. i about slapped the crap out of him. now i have to dig out my patches and badges next time i am at my dad's house. and whether he likes it a first or not, he is going to be a scout. we will see how it goes. it was an important part of my growing up, i am excited for him.

something else i learned as a scout was about forgiveness and redemption.

at one point i got off on the wrong track and painted grafitti all over the town for many months in a town that had never seen anything like it before, like footloose on steroids. then eventually i had to stand in front of a judge and say 'yes sir, i painted that', and scrape and sandblast and wirebrush and repaint all of it. that was a lot of community service, lindsay lohan got nuthin on me.

for my eagle project, i used my savings and donations i could round up and guess what i did? i painted the whole town, every school and public building and church that wanted it. this time i painted the red and yellow spots along the curbs that tell you where you can park, i painted handicap spots, i painted safety stripes, all of it. then i stood there in front of my eagle scout review board and was able to say 'yes sir, i painted that'.

so those are a couple things i learned from scouting, humility and service. although i have to confess that i soon strayed from the path again in different ways. a number of times over the years. mostly there was hormones or boobs or beer involved, sometimes all three. mostly i think i got it figured out now, 'yes sir, i did that'. valuable lessons.

Girl Scouts did a lot for me, upper grade school through senior year of high school. canoeing big water, then later on whitewater canoeing West Virginia river, backpacking the Appalachian Trail, First Aid training every single year, Jr. and Sr. Lifesaving at summer camp as well as finally learning how to swim (before I started canoeing or lifesaving), in a tidal tributary to the Potomac-tide swell 2+ feet 2x/day in our swimming area. Became Girl Scout First Class-parallel to Eagle Scout with the boys. The family finally stayed put by the time I hit late gradeschool, which is when I got into scouting and stuck with it through high school so I could become a camp counselor in training in the summers-gave me a couple of my first jobs out of high school, during college summers, working in some of the camps I'd been a camper in. I put into practice a lot of mothering skills I'd never had a chance to practice earlier-by becoming a camp counselor, especially the parts about homesickness and fear of bugs, as well as doing bed checks twice a night every night during an insane summer of random kidnappings around the country in girl scout camps through a long long summer.

And I also learned how to loosen up and not be so self-conscious, and simply have silly fun, by having to lead lunchtime silly songs with lots of body English, for a hundred girls all by myself after they finished eating lunch, not every single day, but some days.

And Senior year trips to Philadelphia, 1975, Liberty Bell and all. And a weeklong trip to New York giant city. Statue of Liberty, Radio City Music Hall, the Rockettes performance, and Herbie the Lovebug first run at the RC Music Hall, oh and the Empire State Building, my oh my, what a trip that was. Oh and tour the countryside around the Roosevelt and Vanderbilt mansions as well.

Grownup trips-out of state, without my parents or siblings. pretty cool.

Life (rank) Scout here.
Things I learned:
1. Patriotism from meeting Vietnam era soldiers.
2. Survival techniques
3. Math - Engineer, Astronomy, Chemistry merit badges
4. How to keep cigarettes dry and away from my troop mates. I found out people wanted my cigarettes during camp outs.
5. Uniform prep and wear.
6. Shampoo bottles make great disguises for storing vodka or gin.
7. Subversion. Identify the grey in the rules and exploit any weakness - then learn how to apologize and make amends after.
8. Respect, I always tested boundaries, tested, tested, again and again....but try and remain respectful while I did it.

I learned that great friendships last through scouts.....I also learned I could live of $.25/day on how to budget for camp outs! Beans, beans, the magical fruit.

Peace!

Frixxxx

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.