Boy Scouts and an emergency situation....

[Echo2]

Last night...the family and myself went to watch my eldest son get "Tapped Out" for the Order of the Arrow.

During the campfire proceeding the ceremony....the alarm sounded for "incoming bad weather" This time it was a tornado watch and severe thunder storms.

It was dark....and the storm moved quickly....dust mostly and branches falling from trees.

It still amazes me.....these Scouts and their families....moved quickly and calmly....1/4 mile from the assembly to the dining hall.

This was roughly 900 people....:eek:

The lights went out on the way....came back on intermittently....but it was of no matter....everyone there had a flashlight.

Some of the younger Scouts were scared....and the older Scouts were there trying to calm them down.

All this movement....over varied trails....by folks of all ages....in the dark....and the only injuries...was some dust in the eyes.

Gotta love the Scouts.

That is all.

[DarkLight]

^^^ This is why my 10 yr old son is in Cub Scouts, I am his Den Leader, my 14 yr old daughter wants to join a Venturing Crew this fall and my wife wants to be involved with the leadership of it. Now if only there were an official "me too" program for my 7 yr old daughter we would be set!

[bacpacker]

Sounds about right for a good scouting group. Congrats to your son for the OOA.

[Echo2]

Thanks....he's been working hard and been an all but three camp outs.

[austinrob]

Now if only there were an official "me too" program for my 7 yr old daughter we would be set!

not official, but family members can camp with parents. She could go with either you or your wife if she could handle the outing.

[ak474u]

My wife always calls me a boy scout because I always have tools... That's where I learned it, and my son is going to as soon as he's old enough.

[izzyscout21]

Ah..... Order of the Arrow....Scouting's secret honor society. Congrats to your son. OA is the only place in the scouting program wherein a candidate is voted in not by the existing members of the order, but by those who are not yet part of the order. It is a very high honor and he should be proud. As a fellow member, I welcome him to the Order of the Arrow.

I spent the majority of my youth in the Scouting program. I eventually was fortunate enough to earn my Eagle. I've been an assistant scoutmaster ever since, both stateside and abroad. By and large this is a very typical response from a good scout troop. Kudos to the group.

The actions taken by the young scouts show the very reason I believe every young man should be involved in Scouting.

[DarkLight]

not official, but family members can camp with parents. She could go with either you or your wife if she could handle the outing.

In Cubs yes, not in Boy Scout so much...haven't looked into what Venture Scouts "allows". We do family camping for as many of the Cub Scout camps as we can though. We have the envy of the pack (10 person, 3 room 'Taj Mahal' tent w/ additional 10x10 pop-up shade, chairs, table, stove, lanterns, etc.). Now I need a propane fridge!

[izzyscout21]

In Cubs yes, not in Boy Scout so much...haven't looked into what Venture Scouts "allows". We do family camping for as many of the Cub Scout camps as we can though. We have the envy of the pack (10 person, 3 room 'Taj Mahal' tent w/ additional 10x10 pop-up shade, chairs, table, stove, lanterns, etc.). Now I need a propane fridge!

depending on troop leadership, Boy scouts generally dont have a problem with parents attending. However, IIRC, officially parents need to be certified in the youth protection training to attend. No biggie. It doesnt take long. Keep in mind though, young scouts tend to do a better job learning and developing in general scout skills when the rest of the family isn't around. It's a pressure thing, I think. Boy Scouts by design is supposed to be a "boy led" event. Scoutmasters and parents are only there for logistics and support. Older scouts mentor the younger scouts and do most (if not all) of the teaching. It's what makes scouting great.

Venturing is BSA's other side of the house. It is geared more toward older scouts and also allows females in the ranks. It's members are in the older lids demographic and dont reach the age limit until they are 21 (as opposed to 18 in Boy Scouts). Venture crews have more lenience on activiteis, as much of their curricumum concentrated on High Adventure (read: higher risk) trips.
Climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, extended backcountry trips, Shooting something other than a .22......etc.

[Echo2]

depending on troop leadership, Boy scouts generally dont have a problem with parents attending. However, IIRC, officially parents need to be certified in the youth protection training to attend. No biggie. It doesnt take long. Keep in mind though, young scouts tend to do a better job learning and developing in general scout skills when the rest of the family isn't around. It's a pressure thing, I think. Boy Scouts by design is supposed to be a "boy led" event. Scoutmasters and parents are only there for logistics and support. Older scouts mentor the younger scouts and do most (if not all) of the teaching. It's what makes scouting great.

Venturing is BSA's other side of the house. It is geared more toward older scouts and also allows females in the ranks. It's members are in the older lids demographic and dont reach the age limit until they are 21 (as opposed to 18 in Boy Scouts). Venture crews have more lenience on activiteis, as much of their curricumum concentrated on High Adventure (read: higher risk) trips.
Climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, extended backcountry trips, Shooting something other than a .22......etc.

This is quite correct....My little girl is more of a Scout than a lot of the Scouts.....:)....but it changes dynamics at the Boy Scout level

[Grumpy Old Man]

In my day Venturing was called Explorers. As I got my Eagle in The Heart Of America Council, we didn't have OOA, but rather Mic-O-Say, where I hold Tom-tom beater responsibility. Most everything I learned about prepping was in Scouts. The best times of my life growing up I had in Scouts. And what is going on with the attacks on Scouting's policies is reprehensible! You got to see what Scouting does for young men in action. Scouting rounds a guy out!! Be Prepared!!

[Echo2]

In my day Venturing was called Explorers. As I got my Eagle in The Heart Of America Council, we didn't have OOA, but rather Mic-O-Say, where I hold Tom-tom beater responsibility. Most everything I learned about prepping was in Scouts. The best times of my life growing up I had in Scouts. And what is going on with the attacks on Scouting's policies is reprehensible! You got to see what Scouting does for young men in action. Scouting rounds a guy out!! Be Prepared!!

Amen

[bacpacker]

I totally agree grumpy. I was in a the scouts for a while, and while I didn't proceed through the ranks to Eagle, I learned a lot of valuable information. I still fondly remember those days. I do wish things had went differently back then and I had stayed with it, but at the time it just wasn't practical. Life goes on.

[Alas Babylon]

Congrats on his OOA, and it's great to hear scouting is still doing its job.
I earned Eagle way back in the early 80's, and "Be Prepared" has stuck with me. When my son is of age, I plan to get him into cubs. I talk it up so he is excited about it.
I wonder if anyone has ever doen a survey to see how many scouts became preppers?

When I was in scouts we used to do our summer adventures in East Tennessee near my Uncle Buddy's place in the mountains. I sure miss those great times.

[Grumpy Old Man]

I don't know about a survey, but I did post this thread on the 100th Anniversary of the Eagle Award.

http://www.shtfready.com/f22/100th-anniversary-rank-eagle-scout-1928/