During one of the Boer Wars, the British occupational forces weren't doing so hot. Things got so bad at the siege of Mafeking; that British Army General Lord Baden Powell was forced to rely on young boys to carry out essential military functions. Messaging, dispatch riding, and indeed foward scouting were all done by boys as young as 12.
And then Mr. Boyce, whom was an American business got lost in the fog in London. And rescued by an English Boy Scout.
He came back Stateside, and through a bunch of legal stuff involving the YMCA, the Army, Congress, and a bunch of really good men, the Boy Scouts of America was formed. James E West serving as first Chief Scout Executive.
And the Boy Scouts of America have served the nation well ever since.
Medal of Honor winners, Astronauts, Presidents, Test Pilots, Doctors, Pioneers of Industry have all raised three fingers and swore an Oath to do their best for God and Country.
I was proud to wear the khaki uniform as a kid. I was proud of the green venture shirt I wore as a teenage summer camp staffer.
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| Not soon after, I was in Iraq |
And when I came home, I went to college. And still worked summers, ten weeks to semi detox and not spend money chasing sorority girls was good for the liver and the wallet. And one summer, after being gone for a spell in the A-Stan, the Council Exec asked if I could hang around for a while. Which worked out pretty well. I traded in uniform shirts for faded Columbia shirts and work dungarees.
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| I'd say working for the BSA worked out OK |
One of my summer camp kids got a lifesaving medal after showing up to a car wreck. Really proud of that.
Several of them are currently serving in the Sandbox. Proud of that too.
The Boy Scouts now lets young women sign on. And I'm A-OK with that. The Girl Scouts of America being a bastion of liberal femi-nazi brainwashing.
My Scout Troop recently celebrated 100 years of service. It's a pretty big deal. Troop 25 has mustered for floods, tornado relief, and Scouting for Food every year since 1920.
I still wear the old green ball cap with a yellow fleur de li on it.
Hey Mack;
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, You did good fixing the water line to one of the campsites(Last Pic shown). We both wore the Khaki uniform, and my son still wears it, until he gets his Eagle in a couple months. He has several "Mr Mack" stories. You were very popular with the kids and they respected you, I don't know of any kids that had an ugly thing to say about you so take it as a compliment.
I was assigned a mission and I carried it out to the very best of my ability. I was happy to do it.
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