Letters
Correction: It was Troop 275
I would like to point out an error in the October 2003 issue in the article "After Tornadoes Hit, Scouts Were Ready to Serve," in News Briefs, page 12, about troops providing emergency relief following last May's destructive twisters in the Midwest.
As one of the Last Frontier Council troop leaders who "used chain saws to clear downed trees," I want to note that I and my fellow unit leaders [who served during the crisis] are proud members of Troop 275 of Choctaw, Okla. (not 276 as printed).
Thank you for an otherwise excellent magazine.
Mark D. Doiron
Committee Member
Choctaw, Okla.
A day to remember
The Hawkeye Area Council held its first Military Families Appreciation Day at the Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation last August. More than 150 adults and children from families who have a member deployed overseas attended.
Activities included aquatics, shooting sports, Native American dancing, crafts and games, fishing, and climbing the camp's 50-foot climbing tower.
"I was always afraid to try climbing, but it [turned out to be] the most fun thing I've done in a long time," a 12-year-old boy said. "We are going to send the picture my mom took of me to my dad. And I want to come back and climb again!"
At the shooting sports area, many children had never shot a BB gun or an arrow. Afterward, they carried their targets like trophies, reluctant to allow their parents to touch them.
The guests were impressed by the quality of our camp and even more so by the quality of our people. They were pleased at the number of youth working the events and how well they worked with children.
One boy, about 11, made a special request to personally thank the camp cooks for serving such a great meal. "We haven't had grilled hamburgers or hot dogs since my dad left," he explained, "and it made me remember how great it is when he's with us."
This showed that you never know what to expect from an event like this, and that what we did meant a lot to the people attending.
James C. Wood
Vice President of Program
Hawkeye Area Council Executive Board
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Welcome back, Scouter
After years of absence from Scouting, I re-registered as a district volunteer. I was happy to receive my first issue of Scouting magazine and realized how much I had been missing. Without a doubt, Scouting is the No. 1 positive influence on the youth of America.
I was deeply impressed with the story "WW II Medal of Honor Winner Finally Gets 1936 Eagle Scout Badge" in the News Briefs column, October 2003 issue, about Col. Mitchell Paige [World War II hero who belatedly received his Eagle Scout Award decades after having earned it].
Unlike Colonel Paige, I didn't make it to Eagle, [but] I thank God that my son, Robbie, made it—and along the way received the Cub Scout Arrow of Light, a religious emblem, and an award for heroism...
...My heroes today are the men and women who volunteer their time and a large part of their lives to America's greatest asset—the Boy Scouts.
Larry Kane Wilson
Fort Smith, Ark.
Remembering a special Scout
Trips to Philmont Scout Ranch are special in a way that words cannot describe. Unfortunately, on Troop 82's Philmont trek last summer, one person was missing.
Joe Schuler, our senior patrol leader, passed away unexpectedly just a year before the trip. He died the day after discussing final plans for starting his Eagle Scout project with the minister of a church in Lockport, N.Y.
The project involved building a handicap access way to the front doors of the church. It had been approved and materials purchased, and construction was about to begin.
Joe's family, friends, and the Scouts of Troop 82 completed the project for him, and it is a thing of beauty.
At Philmont, on top of Baldy Mountain with his brother, father, cousin, and others from the troop, we celebrated Joe's birthday.
Kevin Robison
Scoutmaster, Troop 82
Lockport, N.Y.
More 'labors of love'
I read Robert Peterson's article "Labors of Love" in the October 2003 issue grinning all the way.
A few years ago several former staff members from Greater Western Reserve Council's Camp Stigwandish, in Madison, Ohio, realized the camp was in danger of losing its grip on traditions, pride, and upkeep. The efforts of former staffer Terry Antosh and longtime camp director Earl Hensel led to the creation of the Camp Stigwandish Staff Association (CSSA).
The CSSA has managed to re-establish a tangible link to the camp's cherished past and has instilled our own brand of Semper Fi to each new class of staffers.
We provide many service projects to Camp Stigwandish, both to ready camp in spring and to winterize it in early autumn.
During summer camp we present each new staff member with a special stave at a campfire ceremony, and deceased staffers who have had a great impact on the camp are honored with the planting of a red cedar and engraved marker by the lakes. There are plans to create a staff memorial pavilion and museum on the campgrounds.
Probably the greatest contribution we provide is camaraderie. As our years pass on, many of us are unwilling to let go of our private little piece of camp history, so they live on through their retelling.
We never get tired of hearing some of the more famous stories over and over, and you'd be amazed at how many other ones are being uncovered each time we meet.
Kimbal Fatica
Wickliffe, Ohio
A Good Turn is appreciated
Our troop sends cards and letters to servicemen and servicewomen overseas. We let them know what activities we have been doing, ask if there's anything they need, and let them know they are in our thoughts and prayers.
We also send "care packages," with items like patches, pictures, personal items, Christmas cards that they can send home to family and friends, or a yellow flag with a ribbon on it filled with signatures of people thinking of them. On a bulletin board in our troop room we have posted cards and letters received from soldiers thanking us for writing.
Recently, two Air National Guard members who had been stationed in Iraq stopped by to thank us personally for sending a care package, cards, and letters. They gave the Scouts a certificate of appreciation and a U.S. flag that had flown in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of the guardsmen telephoned a few weeks later to say he was going back to Iraq and was taking the yellow ribbon flag we had sent him when he was stationed there earlier. "It gave me good luck the last time I was there," he said, "and I'm hoping it will continue to do so."
Remember, a few kind words to someone far away from home can really make a difference in their day—and yours.
Billy G. Newkirk Jr.
Scoutmaster, Troop 262
Louisville, Ky.
Visit the Valley Forge museum
The article in the November-December 2003 issue about the annual Scout Pilgrimage at Valley Forge National Historical Park was interesting and—even for someone who has attended several of these pilgrimages—very informative.
This activity is a great venue for making history come alive for our youth and their leaders. The various stations that participants pass through help portray the brutal conditions our forefathers endured on their way to freeing our young nation from tyranny.
What wasn't mentioned, however, was the additional opportunity that Scouts have to learn about their own Scouting heritage at the World of Scouting Museum. Located on the campus of the Washington Memorial Chapel within the national historical park, the museum has one of the finest Scouting collections in the nation.
Ken Kittelberger
Committee Member, Troop 361
Columbia, Md.
Although not mentioned in the pilgrimage article, information about the World of Scouting Museum at Valley Forge was included in the November-December 2003 issue in the "Sampling of Scouting Museums" on page 40. The list accompanied the article "Scouting History on Display," about the variety of Scouting museums across the country. (The November-December 2003 issue, as well as the contents of every issue of Scouting magazine from September 1998, is available in the archive section of the magazine's Web site, www.scoutingmagazine.org.)
Being kind to others in Iraq
I am a den leader in Pack 223 in Amana, Iowa, who is currently serving as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have been gone from my home, family, and Scouting since March 2003, and still keep up, as my wife, Julie, sends me information and Scouting magazine.
In the November-December issue, I was moved by the BSA President's and Chief Scout Executive's message, "Our Thanks to You." I strongly recommend that everyone read it and talk to your Scouts/parents/den leaders about it.
As the article says, "A Scout is kind" and "This is...the kind of thing that should happen every day." Even being in Iraq I follow those principles. Although some Iraqis still dislike us, I am kind to everyone I meet... Most are glad that we have removed Saddam Hussein from power and that we are helping them rebuild their country.
I urge every Scout to take a daily look at his surroundings and see what he can do to be kind to others when he sees the opportunity. Even though many times you will not get anything in return for being nice to others, you will feel better inside knowing that you were...
Sgt. Craig A. Siebels
B Co., 501st Sig/C Co. 234th Sig BN
Unit 96182
A wow! museum visit
Your November-December 2003 article about Scouting museums was very interesting. I live about an hour from the Clifton Steamboat Museum in Beaumont, Tex., but had no idea that the place even existed, so two other Scouters and I went to check it out.
Wow! Talk about getting more than our money's worth. The museum was packed full of displays and I would recommend it to anyone. Also, Scouts can earn a patch by answering questions throughout the museum.
Thanks for putting the word out. Keep up the great job.
Steven Scalia
Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 88
Westlake, La.
President Ford salutes Scouting
I would like to add some details to the Numbers item in the November-December 2003 issue that stated that Scouts were among the more than 15,000 persons attending July's 90th birthday party for former president and Eagle Scout Gerald R. Ford in Grand Rapids, Mich.
More than 1,000 Scouts attended, and many participated as the flag honor guard. Mr. Ford's first words after he thanked local officials for staging the event were: "As I sat there waiting to make some comments, I wondered what I was doing 78 years ago. I'll tell you what I was doing. I was a young Boy Scout in Grand Rapids, and I congratulate the Boy Scouts. I belonged to Troop 15 and attended Camp Shawondossee, the Boy Scout summer camp. What an experience and what a character-building group the Boy Scouts are!"
We have been blessed several times with President Ford's presence at Scouting events in West Michigan, and we are all proud that he has allowed us to put his name on his hometown council. Scouting, he has stated many times, was a guide to him as a congressman, vice president, and president.
Jon Graska
Vice President, Gerald R. Ford Council
Grand Haven, Mich.
March - April 2004 Table of Contents
Copyright © 2004 by the Boy Scouts of America. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in Scouting magazine or on its Web site may not be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission. Because of freedom given authors, opinions may not reflect official concurrence.