Gone

I did a search before posting (found nothing) on this topic so forgive me if it has already been discussed. This may be a simple questions, but is the Unit Leader Award of Merit just for SMs? Or can it be awarded to ASMs? Reason I ask is that I have seen ASMs in my District (and neighboring Districts) wearing the award, and I know they have never been a unit lead. The requirement reads pretty clear -- "Be a currently registered Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Coach, or Advisor who has served in that position at least 18 continuous months." -- but is this being interpreted differently across the nation? Or am I being too literal in my definition of "Scoutmaster" not thinking it applies to ASMs. I have an ASM I would love to put up for the award, but if it is only for unit leads obviously he would not qualify. Thoughts? Comments?

We try to use the old-school methods of trail cooking. Hard to find actual food to cook. Most food is dehydrated, so boil and eat. Some are reconstituted, cook and eat. It is hard to convince the boys to do the latter when the former is easier, faster and less clean up. The advent of JetBoil and instant food makes selling trail cooking tough. Philmont does not service to this with their potatoe and oatmeal menus. When we do trail cook we try to work in some fishing so the guys can do some actual messkit trail cooking. The downside is the recent mess kits are so cheap (read: Chinese excrement) that I would not want to eat off of them, let alone subject that metal to heat and my food. Lord knows what carcinagines we are ingesting.

Mmmmm, food baked in plastic.

Wow, really? Who has the back up pens if the boys lose them? Our troop requires the boys to carry one and the troop med to carry the other (or store at camp medic if at summer camp). When we are out in remote areas we always carry the CareFlight number and a personal locator becon just in case. Yeah, it sounds a bit like a recon patrol, but I don't want to be the one to explain to Timmy's mom that we were not fully prepared and her son died in some canyon. Yup. But the same could be said for any first aid that might be life or death. The one thing they hammered in to us during WRFA training was, it's your aid or nothing. I don't know that I would give an Epipen treatment if we were camping in a state park with cell service to 911 unless I was directed to do so OR unless things looked bad. That said, we've all been through the training to prepare us to take action if needed.

Figured I would respond to this thread with how Camp Orr was in Summer 2013 in case anyone searches for later info. Camp was nice. Very much like Daniel Boone. Good quality camp, staff and program. Facilities were good. Only down side is that it was wet. Damp most of the time. But that's summer camp for you. All my Scouts and Scouter would recommend it. One word of caution is the hill going in to camp. It is VERY steep so don't over pack your trailer or cars. A bus won't make it there unless it is carted in on a Huey.

Figured I would respond to this thread with how Camp Orr was in Summer 2013 in case anyone searches for later info. Camp was nice. Very much like Daniel Boone. Good quality camp, staff and program. Facilities were good. Only down side is that it was wet. Damp most of the time. But that's summer camp for you. All my Scouts and Scouter would recommend it. One word of caution is the hill going in to camp. It is VERY steep so don't over pack your trailer or cars. A bus won't make it there unless it is carted in on a Huey.

Been to Daniel Boone twice and going again this summer. IMHO, best camp I have been to. Great staff, excellent facilities, great location, top-notch first year program and the support and dedication of the Council to keep it all that way. Dining hall is like a ski lodge. SM lounge has wifi and there is adult training too. The only "down side" of the camp is the lake...it is small and cold, so I would advise Scouts taking water badges to bring something to keep them warm in the water.

I too did WB after many years as a Scouter. Cannot say I feel the same as you. Was a total waste of time. Did not learn anything that I had not already read or learned elsewhere. A bunch of common sense stuff in a binder that was duplicative of other stuff already received in Scouting. I found the Leader-Specific training more informative than WB. The new course is even worse I hear.

Summer camp booze break: Drink before camp, drink after camp, but never during camp. When I feel like drinking I have a peanut butter cookie and take a hike. It is only 5 days, I can wait for my Ben Nevis.

@SW, sounds like it is time for a talk with the committee. There should never be events that cannibalize each other. Sometimes this is not avoidable but with good planning I suspect most of the time it is.I think we all struggle with sports and school conflicting with Scouts, but it is insane for the troop to cannibalize it's own program. We had a similar instance two weeks back. There was a training program on the calendar for months. A Merit Badge college was the same weekend. Lastly, a church member who is also on the TC asked us to support something at the church. When this last item came up we discussed in the TC and I advised them that we may not get that many takers for the last event given the long-planned events that were already on the calendar. They went forward with staffing it knowing it would be a pathetic turn out. Lesson Learned: The TC needs to give their planning dates to the PLC in advance of the annual PLC planning meeting. As far as being at the TC meeting, I feel your pain. Many of my PLC have parents on the TC which always meets at the same time. I have changed the PLC meeting times (and dates) on several occassions only to have the TCC change the TC time to correspond. And yet, I get talked down to when I cannot make those meetings. Go figure. I eventually convinced the TC that I need to be at both in order for the unit to stay healthy and coordinated. I used the cannibalization of events as evidence. They eventually (grudgingly) agreed.

Clearly if you DON'T align yourself with the Tea Party, civil liberty organizations or selected church groups all is good. Richard Nixon is rolling is his grave at the lack of indignation coming out of the press on this, Bengazhi and the AP wire tapping scandals.

Hope you bought him an ice cream and had a father son moment. Those don't come along that often.

This has been helpful to me too. Thanks. Unfortunately I am in the same boat as Krampus in that I get no support from my Troop Committee. If I were to hold someone back without obvious behavioral or attendance issues I would be in for it with the parents and committee. I wish that were not the case. At times I feel like finding a new troop that thinks more like I do but my area also has this culture of entitlement. I'd swear half my parents (and kids) have law degrees the way they argue.

Wow that is different. My council you need a new app for every position. SM=app. MB Counselor=another app. It is a standing joke in our area exactly how many apps you submit in your Scout life. My personal record is 5 so far. I know someone who has submitted 8. So much for the 21st Century technology.

I think what he meant was outside of flag ceremonies. At least that's how I read what he wrote. Doing flag ceremonies has always been allowed.

Wow. Sounds like you need a Bylaws amendment channelling all financial matters through you Troop Committee.

@EmberMike...the BSA policy has always been well known. Don't kid yourself. The reason that it is more "open" now is because of activism, social media and the recent swing in this country of the political pendulum. But the policy has always been well known.

There is nothing on the news here. Nothing on the national news that I have seen, though given how the national media picks and chooses what should be an issues I am not surprised. If there are Scouts or Scouters making political statements of ANY kind they should be sanctioned. Current rules preclude that.

Too funny.

Just in the last week alone there were three robberies stopped by folks carrying. Another car jacking (near a school) stopped the same way. I suspect there are many crimes that are stopped or diminished in severity with folks stepping in with a CC.

Well, it's the internet...who knows who the person really was. http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/idog.jpg[\img]

FScouter is right...the intent of Scouting is not lost *if* your troop (your boys) decides to embrace it. A few examples from my own troop: - FOS: It is done parent to parent. Kids don't see it. I don't like it but...according to folks I know at national...much of that money goes toward getting kids from inner cities out to local/regional camps. So while the big, bad adults are sticking their nose into Scouting it is a program to benefit youth. I have no issue with its [FOS] mission. My complaint is how they hound you. - Boy and a Bag vs. Trailer and a Truck: We do the boy+pack thing, but we also do a trailer. Why? It is a tool for the boys to implement the patrol method, just like cars are tools used to convey your troop to/from camp. The boys take care of their gear, the boys buy their gear, the boys repleace their gear, the boys pack their gear. Just like personal gear, this is group gear used for a communal purpose. - Tents vs. Plastic: This boggles my mind. Why even use plastic? B-P might simply have said sleep under the stars. So you sleep under plastic. Does that make you a more pure B-P Scout than those of use who have tents? For all you know B-P would have said go without and sleep sans ANY covering. We choose tents for a number of reasons. We camp in areas where there are tons of mosquitoes and West Nile. Should we camp under plastic and put our boys are risk? Are we allowed to use DEET or would B-P frown on that too? BD, I think all too often you confuse your issues. While we agree that all things in Scouting should be boy-led, you seem to think anything that requires any adult input -- or anything where money is an issue -- is all bad and un-scotuing in some way. The chip on your shoulder is huge. Unless you actually know anyone on this board personally I highly doubt you know the extent to which they run their units boy-led. I am sure your boys don't file all your paperwork, track everyone's training, manage your website, balace your books, etc. There *are* tasks that adults are supposed to do. Some troops simply have more resources to implement their program, but you act like that is a bad thing even if their troop is just as boy-led as yours. You can't go to Yorktown, so you poo-poo the idea as not scouting related or some such non-sense. And yet, the CC in N MB requires you to visit certain national monuments if you can. I've been to Yorktown...great place. Our boys hiked it and learned a great deal. Three inner city kids in our troop loved it. Guess what? We PAID for them to go because our troop is fortunate enough to have a scholarship fund which THE BOYS donate money they EARN into just so kids who cannot afford to go places can. It sounds like you have some bad troops near you that are not friendly. But you seem to treat everyone like they are out to harm you or something. Take a chill, remove the chip and have a conversation. Ironically, you treat many here the way you portray the guys in your district treat you.

Nike, I hate to mention this because they can be either very helpful or simply ignore you, but have you tried a call to national? The Transatlantic Council is based in Italy and should be able to help. Their HQ is actually located in Dallas and they have a new head. Could try there to get some questions answered.