RememberSchiff

Good thought and emotion provoking topic. This incident was discussed at my WFA recert which included some of his rescuers, as you can imagine the discussion opened on 'what is the BSA teaching scouts and he is an Eagle scout, supposedly the best of the best...' (another topic) and then moved to discuss the injuries his rescuers received due to the winter weather conditions which were correctly forecast - another thing this scout did not consider in his hike plan. What was he thinking anyway to suddenly go on a 17 mile "day hike" alone in the Whites in the winter? Negligent yes, but another problem is the impact on others. When I was an EMT responding to a car accidents, I was stunned to find the drunk driver was frequently the least harmed in the accident he/she caused - 'killed by a drunk driver' is usually short for 'Killed by a drunk driver who escaped major injury'. Life is unfair. I think about 30 years ago, two similar Einsteins though from MIT, ill-equipped went on hike/ice-climbing trip to the Whites near where this scout was fumbling around. They too became snowbound and suffered severe cold-related injuries - feet amputation resulted. One of their rescuers, an experienced young NH ranger, died. Why did a good man need to die? So scout be thankful you came out alive with relatively minor injuries perhaps due more to your youth and dumb luck than scout training. Also be thankful that your rescuers came despite the weather and the injuries they received. The bill of $25K is a fraction of the true rescue cost which may be reduced as you were a minor. I hope not. You might consider a repayment deal by joining the NH National Guard where you too might risk your life rescuing others. You may learn responsibility and gain maturity in the NH Guard that you missed on the path to Eagle. Another thought, I too like to hike alone. I know the map, I know the weather, I know my gear, I know my abilities, others know my itinerary. I don't know if I will be rescued, I don't go into the woods with that expectation. I am alone and I do think about how to get myself home safely as I hike. I think Charles Lindbergh had similar thoughts flying across the Atlantic. Many believe rescue is a given right due to their taxes or cellphone possession...I don't. I like the idea of a surcharge on fishing/hunting licenses to fund search and rescue, but there should be a fine for irresponsible behavior. I am puzzled that no NH helicopters were available during this time of year. State Police copter was down for maintenance and the NH Guard was out-of-state for training. This was NOT a BSA activity, but considering recent canoe trip rescues. Does the BSA insurance or Council cover rescue costs? Previously, I mentioned my belief that we are headed towards contracting licensed outfitters for high adventure (non car camping) outings and presumably their liability insurance would cover rescue...maybe. Good topic. My $0.02,(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

What a remarkable life this remarkable man had. Perhaps his interest in journalism began on a scout trip to the Republican convention in 1928. He would later earn Eagle. I was fortunate to meet him years ago. In high school, I bought this awesome record set - 'I Can Hear it Now - the Sixties' which he narrated. He had a great awareness of the world - past, present, and future. In his friendly presence, you just listened to every word whether he was talking about history, civil rights, politics, journalism, sailing, the space program ... and always with his characteristic grandfather-like, honest delivery. The few times when he was at a loss for words, it was only because words were not enough. He was a Boy Scout. And that's the way it is on July 17,2009.(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

I made the comment that the new God & Country religious emblems reminded me of the Simon electronic game. I offer these additional opinions to further entertain or annoy Good looking - Eagle...definitely - Electricity MB is the coolest looking mb ever - Oceanography - Astronomy - Geology - Small boat sailing - Soil & Water, Fish & Wildlife, Forestry, and Nature remain classics - Photography, well because I had an old Argus like that - Pulp and Paper, reminds us all to take toilet paper with us into the woods. - Leave No Trace Not so good looking - Webelos - Cooking mb, can we go back to the black pot? - Aviation mb, sort of a Rorschach test. Do you see einen Helicopter or eine island? What was wrong with the Saber jet? Please allow variant P-51, F-18, PA-18 Super Cub... - Archery needs an archer and/or target - Snow Sports, excuse me where is the SNOW! See Water Sports for a clue. - Wilderness Survival looks like 3 graves under a fallen tree. - Horsemanship looks like a flea can we go back to the horse head? - Golf & Cinematography, only mb's with a fleur de lis. Maybe there is an inside joke about that? - Archeology, was is that? How about Indiana Jones? - Music, where did this come from, the Greeks? Get a guitar on it. - Nuclear Science, get over the Radioactive Boy Scout and go back to the Atomic Energy (atom) artwork. - All the Venture ribbons look like salt water taffy wrappers. Maybe BSA should license custom embroiders to stitch approved variants of certain badges like Aviation. I would pay the premium. My $0.01,(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Rest in Peace Sean. May 16, 1991 - July 10, 2008 http://www.seanwhitleymemorialfund.org/pics.html

Part of Adult Association is learning who to avoid. Our SM will give recommendations up front, but fellow scouts who previously went to counselors for this merit badge know which counselors are "awesome", "easy", "hard", and "terrible", and "ok" usually carry the most weight for a scout seeking merit badge (go figure). This becomes another lesson in making good decisions for the scout not the SM. Hopefully by the 21st lesson, the scout will be quite good at making those decisions. This is explained to the scout when he asks for his blue card from our SM. 'Advancement (Education) is your responsibility, you get out what you put in so invest your time and energies wisely'. Our SM asks the scout why he believes the counselor selected is a good choice and what the scout can do if the counselor is not. We have troop alumni return to meetings and tell our SM how important this later was in selecting colleges, college courses, and job hunting. Occasionally, we have scouts come back after the first couple of counselor meetings or non-meetings if the counselor is a no-show and ask for a different counselor. The SM then has a conference with the scout to sort things out, sometimes a new counselor is selected and note sent to District Advancement Chair. The gate swings both ways.

Eagle 732, yes I agree. Scouts choice. My $0.02, (This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Good point about the odor of synthetics, you don't want to wear your old disco shirt. You want the anti-microbial polyester. It has different product-names. As I understand, it uses a silver nanotech treatment to the yarn (similar to some of our water hydration packs and purification filters). This technology has been commonly available for three or more years now. Most of the inexpensive Champion C9 shirts at Target have this as do many Russell Athletic, Adidas, Augusta, ...polyester wicking shirts. Also, I recall silk screening is tricky with polyester. You don't want to clog the ventillating weave or alter the polyester by over-heating, but maybe those problems have been fixed now. I think most pro team shirts uses a dye sublimation process, not silk-screening to transfer artwork to their jerseys. My troop choose a small embroidered text instead for our shirts; it still looks great. "Hot seal" is another method like the "C9" on a Champion t-shirt but it disappears after a summer's worth of washing. My $0.02

"I'd rather have 5 kids out of a 100 that want to wear the correct and complete uniform than 90..." Reminds me of the priest who was asked would he rather have a pew full of saints or a church full sinners on Sunday. He said 'Sinners, the saints don't need me'. We are serving fewer youth at a greater cost each year. Another $0.02

Could be, I thought he had stepped up to take a job that neither he nor anyone else wanted for the past ten years. Reminds me of our "acting" district FOS chairman ...

http://tinyurl.com/oyj5ol Eagle Scouts career as doctor aids camp Swine flu cases handled promptly with Sexsons help. By Sharise M. Darby The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Saturday, July 04, 2009 Two parts of William R. Sexsons life collided two weeks ago when the physician was confronted with cases of swine flu at a Boy Scout camp. When three Scouts came down with the H1N1 virus last month during a visit to a Georgia camp, Sexson contributed to their care. Sexson, Emory Universitys associate dean of clinical affairs at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he also works as a neonatologist, has maintained a connection with Scouting since his days as a Cub Scout in 1954. As part of that connection, he is an on-call physician for local Boy Scout camps throughout the year. Sexson, who rose to Eagle Scout, answered the call when one of the campers exhibited flulike symptoms on his troops bus ride from Florida. That Scout was immediately taken to a hospital. Meanwhile, his troop was isolated at the campsite, where two more Scouts who had immediate contact with the boy had contracted the H1N1 virus. Sexson spent more than 20 hours with the infected campers as a part of his duties as a volunteer with the Atlanta Area Council of Boy Scouts. We were able to contain everything and have the situation come out just fine, said Jenna Knight, a public relations professional with the Atlanta council. That is all due to the guidance of volunteers like Dr. Sexson. For Sexson, committing his time to the Atlanta council, one of the largest Boy Scout chapters in the country, comes naturally. His roles are many. He currently serves on the committee for Troop 18 in Atlanta, and for 10 years he has also been the acting health and safety chairman for the council. At any given day we have 1,500 Scouts at our camps, he said. My job is to make sure that their time at summer camp is as safe and healthy as it can be. Sexson said the time he gives to the Boy Scouts makes him happy. He believes nothing will ever diminish or replace his dedication to the Scouts. Doing things like this for your community and for the next generation of kids that are going to be the leaders of our country in another 10 years is something that we just need to do, Sexson said. This is a lifelong commitment.

At a recent COH, our UC got up to talk ad nauseum about the Quality Unit patch. Ten minutes later ...'Now the old patch must be EeeeMeadIDIOTleee removed and this new Centennial Quality put on.' The adults just groaned. Shortly after I got ambushed -"Ya know the BeeSSSuvEh has the most labor intensive, over expensive, over fussed about uniform of any youth group in the UUUSSSuvEh...oh another thing the quality stinks." Lucky for me the cake and coffee made a timely entrance. My scouts 1. Strongly dislike the new shirt. Only one wears it and that is because his mother makes him. No complaints about the new pants. 2. Strongly dislike the adults fussing and bickering about uniforms. - Arguments about shoulder tabs ('Green, red, who cares, why bother with them anyway') - Uniform police at spring camporee. After our SPL got an earful from adults outside our unit, he went back to PLC - no camporee attendance next year as he/they believed the uniform police would only get worse during the 100th. They have their own fun outings planned. - Three of our scouts dropped out of Jambo as an after-deposit proclamation was made that Only New Centennial Uniforms were allowed. That leaves just one of our scouts signed up for Jambo. 3. Have developed their own Class B - baseball cap, troop wicking t-shirt and that's it. No concern about rank or office patches as they all know who is who. PLC voted their Class B as the troop uniform for summer, though Class A for COH. Uniform method. So for the summer, they are wearing their own simple, stylish, inexpensive Class B uniform that they all like. If anything, their commitment to scouting as evident from our membership retention and summer camp sign-up is stronger. They look like scouts because they act like scouts so there is no identity issue. Now what is starting to sell me is they wear their class B outside of scouting as regular clothes. Scouting is no longer invisible in my community. Two new scouts joined in June, I can't remember when that last happened. I am wondering if they will wear their Class B's back to school, now that would be great! I like their Scout Spirit, a Spirit of Independence. Happy July 4th to all. P.S. There was no Uniform Method back in my day as a scout. This 8th method was added with the 7th edition of Scoutmaster Handbook in '81. My $0.02,

As DL, I have worn troop neckerchiefs, macaroni necklaces, and Hawaiian leis.

Eamonn, as you know BP was over 50 when he took a group of young men to Brownsea Island. Old-timer? I am confused about "the Poster" which is probably generation specific. Are we talking about Norman Rockwell "The Scoutmaster" poster or the one BP drew (age 58, I believe you are one with his back turned) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%27Are_you_in_this%27_poster.jpg or some other scout poster? I think today's youth are more pragmatic in choosing their heroes - only those they know who are there for them make the final cut. So we parents and scout leaders may stand a better chance than ever before. Like the old days http://www.rare-posters.com/2056.html Remember in the old days, when scouts were the "e-mail" to distribute government posters. You an old-timer? I'll borrow from Coca-Cola - "Classic". Peace.

Agree with le Voyageur. I would add the position cover ocean beaches where applicable. There have been other river rescues this spring: - June 14 Brandywine River in Chadds Ford, PA, 15 scouts rescued by firefighters - May 17 James River,VA which was discussed previously here http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=240048&p=1 Some outdoor groups require incident reports where there was injury/death/rescue involved. The outdoor leader is required to list experience and training. An outdoor leader may find he/she is no longer an outdoor leader (in the two rescues above I wonder if the adult scout leaders faced consequences by either CO or Council). The problem is making this information readily available to trip planners. AMC publishes recent incidents in Appalachia magazine. This forum is one of many planning resources for me. But realistically, I think we will soon be required to hire professional guides and outfitters for all high adventure activities for these reasons: 1. Safety 2. National would love to off-load liability. 3. National will soon restrict who can participate with the new health form. 4. BSA outdoor trek training is inadequate (I really sugar-coated that). 5. Some scout leaders lack expertise and experience. Maybe a recognized problem from the "attracting qualified leaders" reference in strategic plans. Hard to tout "leadership training" for recruiting when incidents like these create a negative public impression of BSA leadership. This would likely not apply to BSA high adventure camps like Philmont where that expertise exists. If this happens then the Council Register River Guide becomes the Register Guide who qualifies area guides as acceptable for tour permit sign-off. My $0.02 (This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

I think this is it http://www.ldsbsa.org/pdf/2009%20Philmont/Medical_Level_B.pdf

A leader sees a need and steps up. A leader worries about getting the job done not getting "laughed at". Being a leader is not about winning popularity polls. Leadership is now, not a resume of the past. Step up, lead your troop by example, train our replacement, help your troop. Other paths will soon appear. Your choice.

Okay shovel is down. I am surprised the Boy Scout MB Counselor form says nothing about this. Not to be dense, but if one is a First Aid MB counselor is one also accepted as a Venture First Aid consultant or does one submit another MB counselor form marked Venture First Aid consultant? Thanks for your responses.

Thanks for the info. Have not seen any online forms for "consultants" but I will dig some more.

Releasing a patch like that seems the first step in a fundraising campaign to purchase a new camp.

Who instructs/signs off in Venturing? Is it other crew members or are there adults like the Boy Scout merit badge counselors or someone else?

From the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan, here are the five objectives with their respective metrics. I added the outline format to aid discussion. 1. Every eligible youth has an opportunity to be involved in a quality Scouting experience. a. Increase market share and/or growth. b. Increase the number of new members. c. Improve member retention. d. Increase the number of units 2. The number of engaged, accountable volunteers is dramatically increased at all levels of Scouting. a. Add 1 million new volunteers. b. Increase the number of Quality Councils, Districts, and Units 3. Every local council is fiscally sound. a. Reduce the number of councils with annual operating deficits. b. Increase local councils unrestricted assets. c. Increase local councils endowment fund assets 4. Local, regional, and national chartered organizations and strategic alliances are identified and engaged. a. Increase the number of chartered organizations. b. Identify national and/or regional funding sources to fund phases of the Strategic Plan. 5. Enough of the right professionals are identified, developed, and retained in the right positions at all levels, with a focus on diversity a. Increase the number of youth-serving executives. b. Increase the number of minority/female professionals. c. Improve employee retention. Has National released a progress report to date?

The 2006-2010 Strategic Plan http://scouting.org/filestore/pdf/45-016.pdf emphasized 5 objectives each with measurable goals. Today, I was curious about our progress towards that plan and surprise there's a new Strategic Plan - the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan Update http://scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/Media/StrategicPlan.aspx which unfortunately is not a pdf but a 10 min video slide presentation that dies about 2 minutes in when the slide "Our Structure for The Strategic Plan" The Strategic Plan" appears (I tried both Firefox and IE multiple times). I'll post this and go back to reviewing the 2006-2010 plan.

At this time of year, I really appreciate Painting merit badge. I like the idea of using the "harmonizing" color wheel, so the scout who paints the west side of my house uses the same color as the scout who painted the south side and the trim is all white. Now, if any merit badge needed an exemption from the "No more no less" policy, it is Home Repairs. Or maybe they could release new requirements each year inline with the repairs needed around MY house. Further, I would like to propose that Painting AND Home Repairs become Eagle required so they receive the emphasis consistent with Mrs. ASM's sense of urgency with her honeydew list. Saved $0.02 on this one.

Saw this - Camp Daniel Boone, N.C. sends home 19 scouts, 10 tested positive. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31372626/ns/health-swine_flu/

No, Advancement was not always #1. It used to be Outdoors was #1 with Patrol Method and Leadership close behind. It wonder which group earns more merit badges and has more Eagles: FIVE+ million Boy Scout membership in 1960 OR less than ONE million Boy Scout membership in 2010 Why did this happen? CUB SCOUTS sets the wrong expectation with awards: Everyone should advance in rank each year. Penny candy awards for anything and everything that scouts are suppose to do as a given. Do a good turn. Get a patch. Pick up the litter you just dropped get a bead...Webelos (Cub Scouts Part 2) is the worse offender. Instead of weaning boys and parents off this and getting them ready for Boy Scouts, there are a new list of 20 Activity badges (let's get them all, then we get another patch...) ARRRRGGGGHHH. And when you get to Boy Scouts, you can still be in charge and be a MB counselor for as many mb's as you like! Boy Scouts in some units more resembles a Cub Scouts Part 3 program. Working on T-2C-FC requirements out of sequence, lack of tenure in rank, and misnamed or ill-considered programs like FCFY make Advancement into a foot race and thus raise Advancement to a higher priority. Gawd, as a scout, I could not work on merit badges until I was FC and I better show up in uniform with my FC badge sewn on! Merit badge camps, Merit badge universities, Merit badge camporees,... "We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo My $0.02,