NealOnWheels

We were noticing Scouts were not eating the food on their menus and were recieving complaints from parents that their son's were complaining that they had nothing good to eat on campounts. Then one cabin trip where there was an upstairs loft it was litterly raing candy wrappers throught the slots in the wooden floor above.... "No candy on campouts" Seems that simpathetic moms would send them off with all sorts of candy. Beginning next campout they ate very well.(This message has been edited by NealOnWheels)

Sorry you are having a bad experience here. Something I have learned long ago is you need thick skin to post on internet forums. It seems to me that you do not have any idea why your son's Life was overturned. Your son is entitled to know why and what should be done to rectify the situation. You should be able to get that without making a big fuss. Until you have that information then no one here can give you any advice on what to do next. Don't let some peoples judgements bother you. And do come back and let us know how it goes.

Mike Watson's article claims something like 9 to 11 individuals have had their Eagle revoked. He does not have first hand knowledge though. He is only repeating what he has heard. He does not give specific instances and there is no way to follow up on his claims.

A couple posts in a couple threads recently claimed that the Eagle rank can be taken away. Is this urban legend or fact? I was a member of a Eagle Board of Review once where a fellow member said exactly that to the candidate making the point that an Eagle Scout is obligated to live up to the honor. One post says "There was one at Camp Shands over the summer that got his Eagle revoked." Another says "Rank can be "taken back" - ask a few "former" Eagles who've had their rank removed." I don't know anyone who has so I can't ask. Has anyone really recieved their Eagle Certificate and then later recieved a letter from national saying their Eagle has been revoked?

The correct name is "First Class Emphasis". My Woodbadge cource director was a member of the national advancement committee that developed "First Class Emphasis". It seems to be one of the least understood programs of the BSA. Yes its purpose is retention. Scouts who learn basic scout skills quickly and then move on to more adventurous activities do stay in scouting longer. At one time there were statistics to back this up but in recent years I cannot find these. The idea is not to make every scout get first class in their fist year. The idea is to plan activities for the New Scout Patrol that they have the opportunity to earn First Class in one year. Maybe they will earn it. Maybe they won't. Think about from the perspective a new scout. You join because you are promised a lot of adventure. Instead you end up going to meeting after meeting for 2 or 3 years doing nothing but basic scouting skills and very little adventure you are not very inclined to continue. Instead if you quickly get the scouting skills you need for more adventurous activities and then get the adventures you were promised then you just might stay.

Yeah the committee did not follow proper procedures and what they did was very wrong. But making a big stink about it will likely be counter productive. They should give a reason to why they reveresed their decision and what can be done to correct it. Pushing the issue would likely cause a lot a friction and could cause issues when his time for Eagle comes.

As a Scoutmaster I have on a couple occasions had a Scoutmaster's Conference with parents when it was clear that their boy no longer wanted to be in Boy Scouts. Maybe that is what is needed here. If he is disruptive to the troop I would be inclined to drop him from the charter.

I would suggest your outgoing chairman to form a selection committee as suggested in the link bachuss provided. This committee can consider the three volunteers or select someone entirely different. Then make the recomendation to the COR for approval. It is important to select the best candidate and that person may or may not be one of the three. Your input would be valuable to this committee as the person selected will need to have a good working relationship with you.

From the Scoutmaster Handbook: "Along with another Scout, a relative, or a friend, the Scout sets up and attends his first appointment with the merit badge counselor. (No one-on-one contact is permitted. A Scout must have a buddy with him at each meeting with a merit badge counselor.)"

Basementdweller said: "There are actual requirements to receive it, you just don't receive it by joining." Very true but... The requirements ARE the joining requirements. When a boy completes the requirements he can become a Boy Scout and receive the patch.

I am confused. Where is the abuse? When I read the story at the very best I see a committee with poor responsiveness and poor communications. But the scout also took 2 months to make the suggested corrections. It seems he was not in much of a hury either. At the worst maybe it is group of Scouter's on a power trip who intentionally put up road blocks to scouts. If you have knowledge of any child abuse and you are a registered scouter then you are obligated to report it with the Scout Executive. He can handle from there. If it is simply a performance issue then you need to discuss this with the District Chairman.

I was supprised by number of reader comments that said the troop should be paying the buyer of the stolen trailer his $600 back. They seemed to think the troop is morally obiglated to do that. There seemed to be no outrage over the theft to begin with. The theives are the ones morally obligated to pay the $600 back. After all it is they who sold the stolen property.

No I never have been to China. But I have coworkers who have visitted several plants. None that our company purchases from use child labor. So I ask again how do you know uniforms are made with child labor? So any one of us who buy anything made in China is selling out the Scout Oath and Law? So we are merely paying lip service when we recite the Scout Oath and Law?

How is Mazzuca selling out the principles of the Scout Oath and Law by buying uniforms from China? How do you know uniforms are made with child labor?

Yah today it does seem to be rather tame but as a teenager it really got the hormones racing!

Gutterbird, When did he have his Life Board of Review? What timeframe did he serve as Senior Patrol Leader?

No not a Scouting poster. "The" poster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Farrah_Fawcett_iconic_pinup_1976.jpg Brings back memories of my teenage years.

According to "Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures" in reference to Council appeals... "All parties must be interviewed or written statements obtained." They obviously did not handle it correctly but at this point it does not matter. As others suggest it is time to contact the National office and find out how to procede.

You could try this. http://trax.boy-scouts.net/trainingtrax.htm I have not used it so I don't know how good it is.

Rick, I appreciate your viewpoint. Please keep in mind this is the exception and not the rule. There are a lot of good Scouters out there and a few bad Scouters. Since we don't know the full story here I will refrain from making a judgement on this situation. People often come to this forum to solve problems so you see a lot of the negativity here. Unless there are gross violations of Scouting policy the Scoutmaster is accountable only to the Troop's Chartered Organization. They are the ones who should "have a little talk with the SM". I would strongly encourage your son to join Cub Scouting. Look around for a Pack that you like. More than likely you will have several choices. And while your at it enthusiastically volunteer to be a leader. You will probably see an expression on a face that will be priceless. You can then be one of those good Scouters that "builds these kids up, not one that tears them down". It can be a lot of work at times but the "pay" is worth it.

"If you go to a paintball place and get hurt, who cares if the scouts will insure you or not. You are insured by the place already." Actually they are insured not you.

cjvallejos, If you are currently registered wear the council patch and unit number of your current registration. If you are not currently registered wear your suit. And whichever you wear make sure you wear the Eagle medal.

Typically in cases like these the Scout will have severed all ties with the troop anyway. The family could either not have a Court of Honor. Or they could arrange their own. They could invite their friends and family. They can choose anyone they want to make the presentation. I would not expect a Scout to invite people who felt he did not earn it. I would think it very reasonable that someone who felt he did not earn it to politely refuse to participate in a Court of Honor.

Let HWMBO pick a hoitsey toitsey name. Then call him Dribbles anyway. Dribbles is far more endearing.

There is a common misperception that lifegaurds must be "certified". For unit activities two "capbable swimmers" may be designated lifegaurds. Look at the details in the link John provided.