dsteele

Skinny-dipping in Sweden? My wife and I were wondering what to do for our vacation this year. Hmmm . . . Sorry. Just had to inject a tiny bit of levity here. I am kidding. Actually, I applaud the debate in this thread (and others.) I beg your pardon, however, that I truly must remain on the sidelines. It seems that everyone here knows the current standards of membership in the Boy Scouts of America. Scout Executives (and by extention their staffs) are charged with maintaining them. Perhaps I should re-iterate what has been pointed out numerous times by the good people who run this website -- Scouter.com is not an "official" part of the Boy Scouts of America. I participate at their pleasure and, evidently, with their permission. My point is that you, as volunteer members of these forums are free to express all opinions allowed by the folks who host us. As a professional, there are some debates that I will watch with interest, but can not, in good conscience participate in. This is one. So kindly ignore the man on the sidelines, and continue your discussions. In return I promise to keep my scrawny little hide encased in at least a bathing suit and stay out of Sweden. DS

My father was in the Fox patrol. I kind of hoped that when I attended Wood Badge Course number Ec-468-P (p for professionals) I was placed in the Eagle patrol. And not because I was a 13 year old Eagle Scout . . . I'm proud to sing when the Eagles sing Back to Gilwell. I'm a graduate of National Executive Institute I #8903(which is now called Professional Development Level I.) It used to be called NLS (National Leadership school. Whatever national calls the entry-level training of the BSA, I want to tell you about my friend Johnny Day. He was in my class at NEI (National Executive Institute level I) in 1989. He was predicted to be the first Scout Executive of our class. Johnny is now the Scout Executive in LaCross, WI. If you're in that council, please congratulate him on his accomplishments and realize that you have a heck of a Scout Executive. And for a fee, I'll tell you what his nickname was during those formative 18 days! Email me offline. It's worth it. I'm glad I was predicted to be the second in our class to become a Scout Executive. Johnny's on the right path and I hope I am, too. Of course, the sad part is that there are only 3 out of 38 of us in the class who are still in the Scouting profession that I'm aware of. The "survivors" are two assistant scout executives and now Johnny as our first Scout Executive. Cheers, Johnny! Now it's up to Steele and Pink! As long as we get back to our coffins by daylight and/or no one throws water on us or shoots us with a silver bullet, I think we'll last until retirement . . . or one of the previous options. Pardon my euphoria . . . "I used to be an Eagle, a good old Eagle, too!" DS

I would respectfully suggest that the last paragraph in the above post be amended to, "if you can't get any information about Wood Badge, talk to your Scout Executive." And adding "if he can't get it for you, then have him fired." I agree that there are no secrets in Scouting, but don't have any trouble with a little mystery. If someone wanted to sit in my office and read the entire Wood Badge syllabus, I would let them. However, I'd do everything I could to try to convince them to live the experience rather than try to turn the two-dimensional black and white printed word into a moment-by-moment image of what they're going to get for their time and fee. your Scout Executive can't control the tongues of all the volunteers in the council. If there are folks who won't or can't (articulate) specifics about Wood Badge, don't shoot the Scout Executive. He probably gets a rash when he brushes against those folks as it is. It ain't his fault. I'm not fighting you, photoscout. I'm not even disagreeing with your post other than to say that it might not be the scout executive's fault. By talking to him, you may just find an ally. DS

Saltheart -- Wow! What a superb and heart-warming reply to my last post in this thread. I keep a file (it's rather thin, but getting thicker) that I label simply, personal. It's got things inside that make me feel really good. Comes in handy when I have just made and had to enforce a tough decision, or when I don't feel good about something that circumstances have led me to do or not do. I'm discriminate about what I put into the file lest I accidentally put something in there that causes both good and bad feelings. Your post regarding professionals in this thread (specifically me) has made a place in that file. It goes along with promotion notices, a few thank you cards (it's amazing how few professionals write them to their key volunteers and how even fewer such letters come from the other direction.) Mark, thank you as well for your support. And thanks to the others who have expressed it. Now, let me further agree with Saltheart and a lot of sentiment I've picked up from volunteers on this thread and others . . . Saltheart is dead on about the voices of volunteers. I agree with him that a common voice of loud support by volunteers in a public manner would be a force to be reckoned with. It would. I have seen it in action when a United Way explored even the possibility of de-funding the Boy Scouts (and they asked as discretely as they knew how) but the town has a density of 38% Scouts (and it isn't in Utah -- no offense to those in Utah.) The public threatened to shut down the United Way if it happened. I was a Senior District Executive at the time and remained even more silent than I have in this thread. (Which is saying a bit . . .) The volunteers in the area, however, exercised their right to make their wishes known. That's about as far as I'll go with that. I also agree that good professionals see their careers as more than 24/7. The best are self-driven to see the program succeed. They want themselves to succeed as well, but neither can be achieved by a professional who only works 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Just today, I asked two of the District Executives who report to me who are not getting the things done that need to be done what results they're going to accomplish between now and Monday morning. I honestly don't think it occurred to either one to tell me to stuff it because it's the weekend. If I thought that were the case, I would have terminated their employment with the Boy Scouts of America a while ago. So, thanks, Saltheart and company for pointing out what few point out. You ended your post to me with, "Peace." I don't feel that we ever were anything but at peace, but now, after seeing that post, I am an admirer of yours. My mind is wandering slightly, but I'm remembering the first thread I read in full on these forums. It was called "Perseptions of Scouting professionals" or something very close. Under Council Relations. Some of the posts made me want to head for the hills, but I didn't because there wasn't anything in there I haven't heard before. Sometimes the perception is that professional Scouters get to the office at 10:00 Am and leave at 3:00 PM. Sometimes it's true -- because he/she was out until 11:00 PM (working) at or after a Roundtable or other Scout meeting, spent the weekend at a camporee (working,) took 7 phone calls from volunteers between supper and his/her evening meeting, or waited up until 1:00 AM to get ahold of a 3rd shift worker/Scoutmaster to encourage him to get his charter in. I once manned a booth at an engine manufacturing plant (from 3:30 AM to 6:30 AM) in support of the United Way Campaign. I'm still mad at the United Way about that one. But that was back in the day when the council received nearly 30% of it's income from U.W. and I went with a smile on my face. I also didn't show up at the office until about 2:00 PM that day. Two more quick things . . . 1. Bob White is an extremely well educated and trained volunteer. He's not a professional, although I'm sure he'd be a very good one. I'm also pretty sure he's making more than the current DE starting salary of roughly 30k. Bob White is also correct that his commission is the same as mine. There are only two commissioned by the BSA kind of folks, Commissioners and professionals. It's a topic for the Scouting History forum, but commissioners pre-date professionals and there is a great deal of respect for each other. 2. Darn right I'm busting at the seams to express my opinion in this type of matter. I don't need to ponder the central issue (it's the tertiary ones that have me pondering.) As far as I'm concerned, the central issue on membership standards of the BSA is the right of the Boy Scouts of America as a private organization to determine it's own standards of membership. On that issue, the Supreme Court of the United States has given its final answer. The other issues, as have been pointed out, I am not in a position to debate. DS

I agree with TwoCubDad, however, I think it looks like he's saying that I said the line about "We've handled it internally," etc. I didn't say that and don't believe it. Twice in my career I have had to turn over cases of reported child abuse to local (and in one case, state) law enforcement authorities. In both cases, I told the family that I was required to do so and that I had done so. However, after that, I received no further information about what they found and what actions were taken and thus was unable to let the family know. "Wev'e handled it internally . . ." has gotten more than one organization in trouble. I have heard that answer from unit committees before on some serious matters and it isn't the right answer. I'm not sure where everyone lives, but you're not the only unit within driving distance. DS

Eamonn: If I had to recommend you to my council president as a district chairman candidate for any district I have ever served (all 12 of them,) I would do so without reservation or equivocation. Just leave the umbrella at home. I applaud what you're doing. In spite of the bad rhymes -- wait until you see mine, my friend! DS

Eamonn -- No fair! With your sense of humor (humour?) Don't you know how hard it is to pay back when you're laughing so hard. Whiping the tears of laughter out of my eye . . . it's payback time, Dude! I wasn't going to mention it when I mentioned returning the rain pants . . . because I know Scouting rounds a guy out (usually said when patting an overly large belly,) but here goes. The rain pants my mother-in-law got me originally had a 28" waist. I've eaten too many beans, 'tis true. Now I have a 30" waist and can actually shop in the adult department. It's tough enough to find pants my size now. It was sheer agony trying to find them before. I appreciated the rhyme. I did get a kick out of it. I'll come up with a rhyme of my own sometime when you slip . . . If you'd ever like to see the beauty we call Wisconsin, give me a call. We'd love to enterain you . . . or most anyone else on these forums. DS

Now, I've been asked for my interpretation and I'll give it to you unvarnished and with no apology. All I ask is that you read it to completion. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I do like to cut to the chase as it were. Now I'm talking about my preferences as I interpret them within the BSA guidelines. Your local council may do things differently. Buffalo2 asked for my view and I can and will give it. As I see the key three positions in the district, I see the division of duties in this manner . . . The district chairman is responsible for "new business." New money, new people, new ideas, and implementation of the above. The district commissioner is responsible for "keeping what we've got." Rechartering units, roundtables, unit problem-solving, etc. The district executive is on the payroll to provide the tools needed for the two volunteers mentioned above to get the job done. Others are on the payroll to support the district executive. As far as I'm concerned, the commissioner staff, through the district commissioner, has it's most important duty in #5 above, which is: 5. Oversee the unit recharter renewal plan so that each unit reregisterd on time and with optimum membership. Everything else related to commissioner service (which I'm quite passionate about although I'm also unconventional) is the "how" we do things. How do you make sure a unit recharters on time? Regular unit visits, promoting roundtable attendance, promoting training, making sure they have the latest information, building confidence, monitoring unit health, and supporting council operations. In any case, and this is for the engineers in the mix and the sociologist (I'm in the second category) I relate the district key three to a "rounded triangle." My term, not the BSA's. I mean that the key three: the district chairman, commissioner, and executive form three points of a circle inside a wheel. The "spokes" if you will. If one is missing, you have a flat tire. If all three are in place and in harmony, you have a much smoother ride. The rest of the wheel is the unit leaders (youth and adult) and the district support mechanism. In order for all things to go smoothly, you need those three points to build around. If you don't have them, you'll need AAA. DS

I'm shaking my head a little bit here. This thread has been "read 73 times" and only buffalo2 and I have posted and most of the words have been mine? Oh well, never have so few suffered for so many and ya-da-ya-da-ya-da I'll continue the boring lecture with the tasks as outlined in "Highlights for the District Commissioner." This time I'll try to get the quotation marks in the right places. "WHAT DOES A DISTRICT COMMISSIONER DO?" A district commissioner leads the commissioner staff and does the following: 1. Identify and recruit enough of the right people as commissioners so that all Scouting units in the district receive regular, helpful service. 2. Train members of the commissioner staff. 3. Supervise and motivate unit commissioners to visit each unit regularly, identify unit needs, and make plans to meet unit needs. 4. Administer the annual commissioner service plan, which gives specific purposes for commissioner contact with units at designated times of the year. 5. Oversee the unit charter reneewal plan so that each unit registers on tiem and with optimum membership. 6. Guide roundtable commissioners to ensure that montly roundtables are well-attended, and provide practical and exciting unit program ideas. 7. Plan and preside at monthly meetings of the district commissioner staff. 9. Work with the district chairman and district executive to stimulate and coordinate the work of the district. 9. Help meet district goals. 10. Represent the district as a member of the council commissioner cabinet. 11. Support local and national Scouting policy, procedures and practices. 12. Attend district committee meetings to report on conditions of units and to secure specialized help from units." That hits the highlights. My thoughts will follow below. Dang! This message was edited because I forgot the end quote mark when I finished copying from the Highlights book!(This message has been edited by dsteele)

Seriouis stuff here. This is a different category than a discussion of what should or shouldn't occur during a board of review. This response, unlike most of my responses, is not open for debate. This is a tough one. I think you have some very real concerns. I also think there may be behavior issues on your son's part that are causing you (naturally) as a parent, to get your hackles up. Before proceeding, I ask you to make sure your nerves are in order and that you have calmed down as much as possible. I think the best advice you have received so far is to call your Scout Executive -- ask for him directly and speak to no one else. Whoops! I just remembered that the National Meeting is going on and chances are 90% that your Scout Executive will be out of the office until at least Monday. You can call tomorrow and ask for an appointment about a youth protection matter. It will get pushed to the top of his pile, but, in fairness to him, you should indicate that the matter is two years old so he knows it can wait until Monday. Quite often scout executives will head to the office even on a Saturday when they've been away because they want to be as caught up as they can when they walk in the door on Monday. Give him a chance to catch his breath, but I think you need to have a face-to-face over this issue. Go in and explain the facts as best you can. If there have been discipline issues with your son, face them squarely and fairly. However, if a leader did strike your son across the mouth enough to draw blood, it's across the line. A little tap with a big grin on both faces is a different matter (against youth protection guidelines, but fun is fun if both parties are having it. My wife is a teacher and gives "biffs" which are a slight push on the forehead and are very gentle and funny to both parties.) I've been on Jamboree staffs and there are a lot of people kicking around -- important information doesn't always flow correctly. You can do your best to make sure it flows correctly now. I want to stress, however, that you should not expect the scout executive to promise action or updates on what he is doing. Confidentiality issues come into play immediately. He will do what he's required to do -- turn it over to children and family services or the police, but then it's out of his hands. You'll hear from the appropriate government authorities if they feel further investigation is warranted. If the scout executive decides that revoking the leader's BSA membership is warrented, he can't notify you of that either. They'll just go away. The stand of the Boy Scouts of America is that it will make a mistake in favor of the protection of youth. Contrary to what I've seen on some posts, the BSA profesisonals are not trained to investigate child abuse accusations. They are trained to turn them over to the proper authorities who are trained to investigate such matters. If it's any consolation, the authorities don't inform us of the actions they have taken. I hope this helps. It's the best advice I can give. DS

Scoutleader once sentenced me to a movie for working these boards on a vacation day. It was good advice and I took it by watching my DVD copy of Tin Cup -- one of my favorite movies. He brings up an excellent point here -- 2% of what. The wording I have seen in relation to the 2% is "of every 100 boys who join Scouting, only 2% will receive the rank of Eagle." Interesting wording. What does join Scouting mean? Does it mean only 2% of Boy Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle? I don't think so, but if you read it fast enough, many people will think so. If you read it slowly, it sounds like of every 100 kids who join Scouting (insert at any level) only 2 will reach the rank of Eagle. Retention, as has been pointed out, is a key point. Advancement is one of the methods of Scouting, as is adult association, and several others. Fun is an important by-product. Actually, by-product is probably not the right wording. Fun is an important ingredient -- I think that's better. I do think that analyzing only troop number of members vs. number of Eagles from the troop doesn't meet the intent of the statistic. I can tell you two things: 1 -- there is a department at national (I don't know how large or small it is) that tracks all kinds of statistics from local data. 2 -- as one of my college professors used to say, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, darned lies, and statistics." He probably stole the quote from someone famous, but I don't know who. More deep thoughts brought to you by DSteele. DS

Saltheart -- I appreciate your posts and I appreciate the respect you give to professionals. I would encourage you not to sell short the volunteers. Council Presidents have a great deal of say in what goes and doesn't go in a council, even more so than a District Chairman has to say as to what goes in the district. The council president is part of the council key three along with the council commissioner and Scout Executive. The council president in this thread, is, in my opinion, keeping with the policies of the Boy Scouts of America and in a strong manner. I'm glad to see you mention that professionals must be stalwart in supporting the Boy Scouts of America. That's exactly correct. As for the debate over the BSA's standards of membership -- I refuse to participate. I accept a paycheck on the 15th and last day of the month from the Boy Scouts (specifically my council, but if I didn't have a commission fron national, I wouldn't be able to be a professional.) In spite of the fact that I will not join the debate, nothing can prevent me from watching and learning from all points of view. I'm not being sarcastic when I say that I typed a bunch more stuff here, but whiped it out several times. It was going too close to a line I'm not willing to cross. think me a coward if you like, but I learned a long time ago that if you really want to learn something from both sides of a debate, then shut up and listen. That's what I'll do. DS

Just to point out something that hasn't been pointed out (that I've seen.) Let me preface by saying that I earned my Eagle shortly before my 14th birthday, making me a 13 year old Eagle Scout. That's almost an aside, because it's irrelevant (almost) to the example I'm about to use. I've seen and heard of Scouts who transferred to another troop just before they went for Eagle. In a few cases, it was because one of the parents got a new job and they had to relocate, and in some cases it was because the family realized that the current troop's leadership was not going to approve their son's eagle application. Either way, another requirement in addition to Scout Spirit comes into play. It's the one that reads in part, (I don't have a handbook in front of me, so pardon me if I mis-quote slightly) "Serve actively for at least 6 months in a leadership position in your troop." It may have been revised to say "show leadership" or some other variation, but I bet it's still open to interpretation. I think it's worth taking a look at . . . but not based on age or a mathematical equation. There are 13 year olds who haven't shown leadership (or negative leadership) and there are 18 year olds who haven't shown leadership. Heck, there are 50 year olds who haven't shown leadership. Take it case by case. That's my advice. Of course, free advice is worth every penny you pay for it. DS

The charter is granted to a local council by the national council of the BSA. Removal is an option. I'm glad my shoulder loops are silver (district or council) and am thankful that wiser heads than mine wear the gold on their shoulders. DS

Nld -- She thought I was nuts the first time! I'm not about to ask her to take pictures of it. Besides, after the "shower test" the rain suit got plenty of wear in real conditions to convince me that it's one of the best investments in gear ever made on my behalf. That reminds me that I need to send the pants back. One of the reasons I like L.L. Bean is you can return anything for any reason. I outgrew the rainpants by a size and know (from past experience) that they'll replace them at no charge to me. DS

Gags reminded me of a story. I have lots of stories and hope you'll feel free to steal them and pass them along. This one I heard at the conclusion of People Management level III, the end of a 3 part series for BSA supervisors. It goes like this . . . (condensed) One day, a farmer's son decided to teach his turkeys to fly. He lined them up and had them hop on a tree stump. He convinced them to jump with their wings out, and they drifted to the ground gently. He let them play with that and eventually coaxed them into jumping from the top of a small fence and taught them to flap their wings once. They went farther and drifted to the ground. (add as many different heights as you like as I make a long story short) Eventually, he opened the hay loft door in the barn and let them jump. Some flapped their wings vigorously and flew for a small distance. Others followed suit and they got pretty good at it. Then the farmer's son took them to the peak of the barn's roof. The turkeys jumped off and flapped like mad. Soon they were all flying in circles all around the barn yard. They were ecstatic at learning their new skills. They were sooo excited, it was all they could talk about as they WALKED home . . . The moral (for those that need clarification:) It's pretty easy to get pumped up at a training and leave with all kinds of good ideas only to go back to old ways once you return home. I like the ticket idea as follow up. If those turkeys flew for 18 months after learning, they wouldn't have to walk home. DS

The emphasis to get a Scout to achieve first class in his first year has been around since before I joined the BSA in 1973. As far as I know, it's still 2% from go to Eagle, but I really haven't been paying attention to the statistic. DS

I'm not a fence sitter, but am not free to enter into this sort of debate. I reply simply to point out that Mr. Norman is not a Scouting exec. He's the Council President and is a volunteer. I believe in the Boy Scouts of America. I can and will say this much -- Cool letter, Mr. Norman! DS

Whoops! I forgot to put the end quote at the end of #10 in my last post. I agree with the list of tasks from the highlight books. If you have a chairman that does most of those things, consider yourself lucky. Notice that it is gender un-specific. One of the finest district chairmen I had the honor of serving with was a woman. She did a great job and hit all 10 points above beautifully. Here is my list of things that are, in my opinion, NOT the duty of a district chairman. Feel free to disagree, but you'll notice that nothing on my list below is specifically mentioned in my quote "book" post above. A district chairman's task do NOT include (although they could be bonuses . . . as far as I'm concerned, they aren't part of the job.) 1. Owning or wearing a field uniform. Nice bonus if you can get it, but that isn't part of their job. 2. Attending district events and roundtables. Nice if they do it occasionally, even nicer if they're known by the unit people, but not an absolute. The district chairman needs no Scouting experience. They need influence in the general community. It's great if they have Scouting experience, but they don't really need it to recruit, inspire, or get financial resources pointed to the BSA. Their district executive brings the Scouting technical expertise to the table. Those are the "not requireds" in my mind. One thing I've seen a lot of district chairmen resist or play down, are the need for the district to meet it's financial goals. I'll admit it's more fun and for most folks easier, to attend a camporee than to go give a family FOS presentation, or recruit a Vice Chairman of Finance, popcorn chair, etc. That's human nature. When a district chairman does visit the camporee, he/she is (or should be) treated as a dignitary and feel very good about the program. Most folks go for that. When doing the financial stuff, some people are afraid they're going to be rejected and that isn't fun. But it has to be done. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, when you secure a nice big financial gift that will go a long way to keep the "behind the scenes" stuff running, it feels pretty terrific! Even if it's raining or snowing or blowing. DS We'll move to the District Commissioner in a while. I'm going to see what else is going on around here for a bit. Sorry it took me so long to answer, buffalo. I had to think about this one for a while. DS

First I'll give the "book" answer I found regarding the requirements of a District Chairman. I'll give my opinions in a separate post after that, then I'll give the "book" answer on District Commissioner and then another post with opinion. I'm not clear on what you mean by "requirements." If you're referring to a position description, as the title of the thread suggests, I'll refer to The Task of a District Chairman, taken from the "Highlights for District Chairman" publication on page 4. If you're referring to qualifications, I'll refer to the same document, different page. "THE TASK OF THE DISTRICT CHAIRMAN A district chairman leads the district and does the following: 1. Identify and recruit enough of the right people as operating committee chairmen. 2. Initiate plans and help committee chairmen recruit an adequate number of members to carry out the functions of the district. 3. Plan, (with the district executive) and preside at district committee meetings. 4. Work with the district commissioner and district executive to stimulate and to coordinate the work of the district, to ensure the success of the Scouting units. 5. In cooperation with the district executive, ensure the completion of district goals. 6. Represent the district on the council executive board, once elected. 7. Recognize individuals, committees, and chartered organizations for their Scouting accomplishments. 8. Support local and national Scouting policy, procedures, and practices. 9. Help to secure support for Scouting from top community leaders throughout the district. 10. Annually appoint a district nominating committeee to select nominees for district officers and district members at large. That's only one resource and it's designed to be an intro to the job and used as a recruiting tool. I like the Highlights series. DS

Hops -- I hope you don't mind me calling you that. If so, please let me know what you'd like to be called and you've got it. I'm glad you'll remember the Scout Oath and Law. I don't doubt it. As far as I'm concerned, they contain some of the most powerful words in the English Language. Good luck to you in the future. DS

Ed: I wish words could express my sympathies for the pain I think we all feel. Words, however, can not. I pray that the young man has found solace. I hope his family will not suffer and that they will overcome the death of their child. I pray for the leaders, yourself included, who had a stake in his life. I pray that no one else, ever, takes his own life. I think we all feel pain when that happens. Suicide hurts us all. I think it's because we're intertwined. I hope all can move forward and that peace will come to all involved. Is there someplace we can send tributes? Please advise. DS

I don't particularly have feelings for or against umbrellas while in uniform. I think they work for Europeans, but not Americans -- but don't feel strongly on the matter. I'll echo KoreaScouter's sentiments that they look ridiculous. I also echo his feelings that Gortex is far superior. Which reminds me of a story Of course. About a year before I left the arena of working for a living as a District Director to the arena of supervision as a Field Director, my mother-in-law bought me a Gortex rainsuit from L.L.Bean. It was an excellent investment. However, the brochure that came with it suggested I give it the "shower test." So I put on the rain-suit and the L.L. Bean duck boots I had recently purchased (I really hate to get wet in the rain as I had for many a camporee) and got in the shower for 45 minutes. My wife wasn't due home for an hour, so I thought it was safe. I tromped around and around in the shower, fully clothed and wearing my boots. The boots are cruddy to walk in, but they kept me dry. The rain suit worked beautifully. But boy was my wife surprised to see me walk out of the bathroom dressed like that! At least I wasn't carrying an umbrella -- then I truly would have deserved the "you really ARE nuts!" look she gave me. (She gives me this look a lot of the time, so it's no big deal.) But I haven't been wet since I got the thing. It's always in the trunk of my car unless I'm wearing it. The stuff really does work. DS

I usually spend more time convincing parents that they need to join Scouting with their sons than I do convincing parents to allow their sons to join. I like the responses to this thread so far. There are a lot of good ideas. Here's my two cents worth -- I have been known to point out to parents that their 11- 18 year old boys are going to associate with other boys of their same age. It's a given. Most allow me that it's a given. Boys can get into mischief if unsupervised. Some boys will be leaders, some will be followers. Wouldn't any parent want this to happen under the supervision of qualified, trained adults rather than a street gang? I don't mean to imply that every boy who doesn't join the Boy Scouts will end up in a street gang nor that every boy who joins the Boy Scouts will not. However, why take the chance? One of the reasons Baden-Powell formed the Scouts was a realization that boys will form gangs, whether for good or ill. Why not steer them toward the good? Just a thought . . . DS

Thanks, Hops. It's always good to know when your services are appreciated. While I'm at it, thanks for thanking the veterans. They seemed to appreciate it as well. I know you're interested in military service. If it doesn't work out, however, feel free to give me a call about the professional service of the Boy Scouts of America. I'll try to steer you in the direction you need to go. However, I think the military service of the United States of America is a fine way to go for a young man. Just do us all a favor and never forget the Scout Oath and Law. DS