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Troop 940 recently presented the new Spirit of the Eagle Award to one of our Scouts. Richard Winland, who passed away shortly before Christmas last year following a long battle with kidney failure and cancer, was the first recipient of the award in the Indian Nations Council.
When Richard was admitted to the hospital early in December, he had completed all requirements for Eagle Scout except his Eagle project--delivering gifts to all the children in the hospital. He passed away on Dec. 15 before he could complete the project, and the troop determined to finish it for him. Shortly after Christmas the Scouts delivered some $400 worth of gifts in Richard's name to the children at the Oklahoma City Children's Medical Center.
The state of Oklahoma and the city of Broken Arrow declared June 7 as Richard Winland Day in recognition of his accomplishments. On that date the Spirit of the Eagle Award was presented to Richard's mother, Carol, and father, Alan, in ceremonies at the First Christian Church in Broken Arrow.
Troop 940 would like to thank Scouting magazine for the item in the May-June issue making us aware of the Spirit of the Eagle Award.
Chris Thoma
Scoutmaster, Troop 940
Tulsa, Okla.
The untimely death of a promising, exemplary young person like Richard Winland represents a truly tragic, sorrowful occurrence for any family and community. For that reason the BSA created the Spirit of the Eagle Award, an honorary, posthumous recognition for a registered BSA youth member who has lost his or her life in an accident or through illness. Bestowed by the National Court of Honor as part of the celebration of the young person's life, the award recognizes the joy, happiness, and life-fulfilling experience Scouting made in that life, while also helping to heal and comfort the youth member's family, loved ones, and friends with the loss.
Applications (BSA No. 92-108) are available through local council service centers and must be submitted by the unit committee and approved by the local council within six months of the time of death.
Just before our troop took a camping trip last spring to Masonboro Island, off the coast of North Carolina, the May-June issue of Scouting magazine arrived, with the cover story on beach camping.
In planning for the trip, we had been concerned about how to secure the dining flys--important for shelter from sun as well as rain--in the soft sand. The article suggested using pie tins buried in the sand to secure tent stakes.
We tried this technique and it worked perfectly. The flys held up well, even during a severe thunderstorm that came through on Saturday night.
Thanks for the good information.
Ren Williamson
Scoutmaster, Troop 13
Wilmington, N.C.
Being a Scoutmaster can be very challenging, but it is the "wow moments" that make it all worthwhile.
Recently our troop of 26 Scouts and 10 Scouters attended a camporall of 4,000 people. On Saturday evening we attended the religious services. It was perfect--72 degrees, no bugs, clear sky--as we sat in a lush green field surrounded by woods, listening to God's word.
But the absolute best was during Mass as I watched our Scouts hold hands, which is a tradition in our church, and pray the Lord's Prayer together. I can't begin to describe how moving that sight was.
Our troop truly believes that Reverent is the 12th point of the Scout Law not because it is the least important, but because it is the foundation for all the others.
Karen L. Theisen
Scoutmaster, Troop 524
Blaine, Minn.
| The Boy Scouts of America | |
http://www.scouting.org |