Boy Scouts Getting Into Pershing Week and Selling War Stamps

From the September 12, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"When you pass the booth of the Boy Scouts at the Leslie's building, stop and ask the boys what they are doing.

"They will inform you that it is Pershing week and they are so enthused that they will induce you to show your patriotism.  They reported sales of the stamps as 'pretty good' this afternoon."

Supporting the War Effort.  --DaCoot

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 4: Eagle Scout Project

Eagle Scout candidate Logan Tillman said he chose the project because of its historical significance and because he wanted to do something different for his Eagle Scout project.

He held a barbecue chicken fundraiser to get the money for the monument and led the project from start to finish.  he is the son of a very proud Tony and Susan Tillman.

--Cooter

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 2: Fulfilled Their Captain's Wish 117 Years Later

"One-hundred and seventeen years ago, T.H. Bain, the captain of the Goldsboro Rifles, made a public plea for a monument to be raised in the memory of the four members of his unit who died during the Spanish-American War.

"On Saturday, that wish was finally fulfilled."

I sure would have been there had I known about it and not has a 90th birthday party for my Aunt Louise to attend.

A monument bearing their names was dedicated in the Bain family plot in Goldsboro's Willowdale Cemetery.  The project was guided by Eagle Scout candidate Logan Tillman of Troop 581.

One more reason to like the Boy Scouts.

All four members of the Goldsboro Rifles died of disease.

--Cooter

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, N.C.-- Part 1

From the May 8, 2016, Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus "Memorial to four men that died during the Spanish-American War dedicated" by Dennis Hall.

**  Eagle Scout candidate Logan Tillman leads project to honor Goldsboro Rifles.

**  Photograph:  Georgia Bain Reese and her brother J.D. Bain stand next to a monument erected in the memory of members of the Goldsboro Rifles who died during the Spanish-American War.

--DaCoot

A Band of Brothers and Sisters-- Part 7: Scouts and Legion Baseball

The two organizations also serve their country in other ways.

Since 1919, American Legion posts have sponsored more than 2,500 Scouting units across the country and have a $10,000 yearly scholarship to the Eagle Scout of the year.

Legion baseball was established in 1925 and today has grown to 5,400 teams.  The Legion also offers Boys State and Girls State leadership programs.

--GreGen

Eagle Scouts-- Part 2: Just the Facts

Some Eagle Scout Facts:

** The first was New Yorker Arthur Alfred, who attained the level in 1911.

** Well-known Eagles include astronauts Neil Armstrong, James Lowell and Charles Duke. President Gerald Ford, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield and entrepreneurs Sam Walton and H. Ross Perot.

** Higher than average percentages of young men at West Point and the Air Force Academy are Eagles.

** My nephew Andy made Eagle Scout. I'm so proud of him said the lifetime Tenderfoot, the lowest level in Boy Scouts.

** Eagle Scouts get a step up in rank, E-2 instead of E-1, upon joining the US Army. That makes monthly pay $177.30 higher.

** Eagles can earn scholarships from the National Eagle Scout Association which awarded $400,000 in 2011 to 151 Eagles. In 2012, there will be a new $50,000 scholarship in science.

The Best of a Great Organization. --Cooter

Eagle Scouts-- Part 1

From the July 6th Chicago Tribune "Through scouting, Eagles learn to fly" by Leslie Mann.

The article started with a funny quote from Tom Lehrer, a spoof on their "Be Prepared" pledge: "Be prepared to hold your liquor well. Don't write naughty words on walls if you can't spell."

Of course, Scouting today is battling the technology battle that keeps so many young boys out of the program. In addition, Scouting is often viewed as uncool.

However, in 2005, 49,895 young men earned Eagle status, scouting's highest rank by completing 21 merit badges and a service project. In 2010, the number was 59,176, an 8% increase.

Some community service projects ranged from sprucing up parks and cemeteries, directing summer camps and, in one case, enabling a load of original Lincoln Highway bricks to be delivered from Ohio to Nebraska.

What makes an Eagle Scout? According to Ray Piagentini, president of the Illinois School Councelor Association and counselor at Barrington High School: "They tend to be the compassionate, reflective, respectful kids who know how to look beyond themselves. Some are high achievers academically, some aren't. Some are into sports, some aren't. But like the Navy Seals, they tend to be the rarest of the rare kids."

And I Never Made It Past Tenderfoot. I'm So Embarrassed. Those Rotten Knots. --Cooter

Boy Scouts Time Line

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts.


1910 Boy Scouts of America incorporate din Washington, DC.

1911 Boys' Life debuts.

1918 Scout troops fight Spanish influenza epidemic.

1930 BSA lunches the Cub Scouts.

1941-1945 BSA aids war effort by distributing war bonds, recycling rubber and assisting fire brigades.

1960 BSA membership soars as more baby boom boys become scout age.

1967 BSA changes Cub Scout 'den mother" position to "den leader" to make room for men.

1980 Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta creates a new Boy Scout uniform.

2010 BSA celebrates 100th anniversary.

I was both a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout from around 1963 to 1966. I never got beyond Tenderfoot though, as I couldn't tie my knots. I still can't, except for one knot I use to tie up the boat.

From August 1st Chicago Tribune.

A Really Fine Organization. --Cooter

Boy Scouts in the 21st Century-- Part 1-- Challenges for the Second Century

From the August 1st Chicago Tribune "Scouts work to blend tradition, technology" by Scott K. Parks. Comments in parentheses are mine.

The Boy Scouts of the 20th century were defined by Norman Rockwell's paintings. Times were different back then when the Scouts were formed in 1910. "Most of the country lived in rural settings. People were familiar with hunting, fishing and outdoor labor. By mid century, boys still practically lived outdoors, traveling the neighborhood on bicycles and playing sandlot baseball until sunset."

But, now in it's second century, Scout membership has been declining for five years. Smart phones, iPods and laptops present stiff competition.

(Plus, too many of today's youth regard Boy Scouts as nerds and will not be associated with them.)

Chief Executive of the Boy Scouts, Bob Mazzuca, has three targets for change.

1. Integration of technology into Scouting such as new uniform pocket for smart phones and a teaming with MIT for a new invention badge.

2. More Hispanic boys, including a Spanish language Boy Scout Handbook.

3. Becoming advocates for children's health since the new generation may become the first to be less healthy than the ones before.

(I went through Cub Scouts and two years of Boy Scouts, but never advanced beyond Tenderfoot. I just couldn't learn those knots and I was mostly in it for the camp outs. Now THOSE were a lot of fun.)

What Was That Scout Law Again, Something About "Friendly, Courteous and Kind?" --DaCoot

Boy Scouts of America Turn 100 Today

As more and more families were moving from the farms to the cities in the late 1800s/early 1900s. a fear grew that young boys might lose the morals and abilities they had out on the farms. This Progressive Movement led to the establishment of the YMCA.

In the US, Boy Scouts eventually grew out of such organizations as the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 and the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905.

In 1907, British general Robert Baden-Powell started the British Boy Scouts. Chicago publisher W. D. Boyce, while visiting England encountered the scouts there and was so impressed, that when he came back he incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.

Old fashioned fun is part of being a Scout, along with doing one's duty to God and country. No other youth organization has served so many boys, an estimated 112 million over the last one hundred years.

the numbers of Scouts has dropped over the last several decades, but they are still a pervasive presence.

During World War I, the Scouts contributed to the US home front by selling war bonds and planting war gardens. During World War II, they collected aluminum, rubber and distributed civil defense posters.

From Wikipedia and December 24, 2009 Chicago Tribune.

Congratulations Boy Scouts. --DaCoot