Scout’s Scrapbook (9-12-12): The Spirit of Adventure

 

 

Here is yet another excellent quote from John Thurman, who was an influential British Scouter. I am just blown away by this quote as John Thurman is able to put in one paragraph what I’ve been trying to put into words for years. Sometimes simpler is better.

This is what Scouting is all about. We are Scouts; we are Pioneers; we are Explorers. Sure, lashing together small bridges and practicing First Aid doesn’t seem like much, but all great journeys start by taking the first step. As Scouts, we are committed to taking that first step when oftentimes no one else is willing to risk the commitment.

Yet sometimes we forget. Sometimes we don’t remember the big picture of why we do what we do. Sometimes, when we recite the words of the Scout Oath, they are only words.

No more! Let’s Rediscover Scouting for what it has always stood for! Take this quote from John Thurman and read it aloud at your next Troop Meeting. Post it on Facebook, Tweet it to your friends, share it with every Scout you know. Sometimes, it’s up to us to make sure that True Scouting isn’t forgotten. Sometimes, Scouting needs to be Rediscovered!

Keystones of a Scout: The 10 Virtues That Make a Scout | Exploration

“To meet their spirit of adventure I held up for their ideal the doings of backwoodsmen and knights, adventurers and explorers, as the heroes for them to follow.” ~ Baden-Powell

I have particularly enjoyed doing the research for this third installment of the Keystones of a Scout series: Exploration.

“Very few fellows learn these things when they are living in civilized places, because they have comfortable houses, and soft beds to sleep in. Their food is prepared for them, and when they want to know the way, they just ask a policeman.

Well, when those fellows try to go scouting or exploring, they find themselves quite helpless. Take even your sports “hero” and put him down in the wilderness, alongside a fellow trained in camping, and see which can look after himself. High batting averages are not much good to him there. He is only a “tenderfoot”.” ~ Baden-Powell

You don’t need to dig far into the history of Scouting to see how much pioneers, adventurers, and explorers have influenced the Scouting movement. This is perhaps the real reason that most of us joined the Scouting movement, is it not? Scouting promised us adventure. Scouting promised us camping trips, canoe trips, hiking, rafting. Scouting promised us the exploration of the wilderness. 

Lessons from War Scouts: The 28 Standing Orders of the Army Rangers

Peace Scouts helping out a War Scout

When Baden-Powell founded Scouting over 100 years ago, he modeled much of it after the branch of military Scouting that he helped develop in the British Army. However, when he wrote Scouting for Boys, he was careful to point out that Scouting was by no means a military or paramilitary organization. The aims of Scouting were different from military Scouting.

He made this distinction by describing the difference between ‘war Scouts’ and ‘peace Scouts’. War Scouts had the job of protecting and defending the military and country during war-time by using stealth to gather needed information; and, if necessary, use force in combat. Peace Scouts took a lot of the admirable characteristics of War Scouts and used them to a different purpose. The task of Peace Scouts is to protect and contribute to their Nation and Community, not by force or combat, but by actively improving themselves and actively contributing to and volunteering for the community.

Army Rangers performing a training exercise

As Peace Scouts, there is still much we can learn from War Scouts. To start with, the qualities of Courage and Loyalty that they must posses to do what they do. Some of the real-life War Scouts in America today are the 75th Ranger Regiment, commonly known as the Army Rangers.

The Army Rangers have a history that predates the Revolutionary War, and today, they are actively assigned to such missions as airborne, air assault, and direct action operations, raids, infiltration and exfiltration by air, recovery of personnel and special equipment, and support of general purpose forces.

The Rangers have a series of standing orders that they must always follow and abide by. These rules were originally drafted during the French and Indian War. From the perspective of a Scout, I find this list of rules very interesting, and wanted to share them with you. Besides lessons in Character, this list may also give you the advantage in any airsoft tournaments. Here they are [This list is copied from this Wikipedia article]:

1. All Rangers are subject to the rules of war.
2. In a small group, march in single file with enough space between so that one shot can’t pass through one man and kill a second.
3. Marching over soft ground should be done abreast, making tracking difficult. At night, keep half your force awake while half sleeps.
4. Before reaching your destination, send one or two men forward to scout the area and avoid traps.
5. If prisoners are taken, keep them separate and question them individually.
6. Marching in groups of three or four hundred should be done in three separate columns, within support distance, with a point and rear guard.
7. When attacked, fall or squat down to receive fire and rise to deliver. Keep your flanks as strong as the enemy’s flanking force, and if retreat is necessary, maintain the retreat fire drill.
8. When chasing an enemy, keep your flanks strong, and prevent them from gaining high ground where they could turn and fight.
9. When retreating, the rank facing the enemy must fire and retreat through the second rank, thus causing the enemy to advance into constant fire.
10. If the enemy is far superior, the whole squad must disperse and meet again at a designated location. This scatters the pursuit and allows for organized resistance.
11. If attacked from the rear, the ranks reverse order, so the rear rank now becomes the front. If attacked from the flank, the opposite flank now serves as the rear rank.
12. If a rally is used after a retreat, make it on the high ground to slow the enemy advance.
13. When laying in ambuscade, wait for the enemy to get close enough that your fire will be doubly frightening, and after firing, the enemy can be rushed with hatchets.
14. At a campsite, the sentries should be posted at a distance to protect the camp without revealing its location. Each sentry will consist of 6 men with two constantly awake at a time.
15. The entire detachment should be awake before dawn each morning as this is the usual time of enemy attack.
16. Upon discovering a superior enemy in the morning, you should wait until dark to attack, thus hiding your lack of numbers and using the night to aid your retreat.
17. Before leaving a camp, send out small parties to see if you have been observed during the night.
18. When stopping for water, place proper guards around the spot making sure the pathway you used is covered to avoid surprise from a following party.
19. Avoid using regular river fords as these are often watched by the enemy.
20. Avoid passing lakes too close to the edge, as the enemy could trap you against the water’s edge.
21. If an enemy is following your rear, circle back and attack him along the same path.
22. When returning from a scout, use a different path as the enemy may have seen you leave and will wait for your return to attack when you’re tired.
23. When following an enemy force, try not to use their path, but rather plan to cut them off and ambush them at a narrow place or when they least expect it.
24. When traveling by water, leave at night to avoid detection.
25. In rowing in a chain of boats, the one in front should keep contact with the one directly astern of it. This way they can help each other and the boats will not become lost in the night.
26. One man in each boat will be assigned to watch the shore for fires or movement.
27. If you are preparing an ambuscade near a river or lake, leave a force on the opposite side of the water so the enemy’s flight will lead them into your detachment.
28. When locating an enemy party of undetermined strength, send out a small scouting party to watch them. It may take all day to decide on your attack or withdrawal, so signs and countersigns should be established to determine your friends in the dark.
29. If you are attacked in rough or flat ground, it is best to scatter as if in rout. At a pre-picked place you can turn, allowing the enemy to close. Fire closely, then counterattack with hatchets. Flankers could then attack the enemy and rout him in return.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post. What else do you think us Peace Scouts can learn from War Scouts? I’d love to hear your thoughts, please leave a comment, and, if you enjoyed it, share this article with your friends.

Scout On!

Keystones of a Scout: The 10 Virtues That Make a Scout | Introduction

Today I’m going to introduce a new, ten-part series that I will be running here on Scouting Rediscovered. There is no better list of adjectives that describe what a Scout stands for better than the Scout Law:

A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

In my own Quest to rediscover Scouting, I have gone through many writings of Scout Leaders from the past, and have learned more and more about the essence of what Scouting is and the essence of what a true Scout is. I wanted to know: At his core, what is the true essence of a Scout? What is the Spirit of the Scout? In fact, this is the very reason I set off on my quest to rediscover Scouting; I wanted to find the essence of what a Scout is, and I wanted to become that.

So, as I dug deeper, and uncovered more about Scouting’s roots, I have come to form an understanding of what this essence is. And, the more I understand, the more I was able to put this into words and define it. This is what Scouting Rediscovered is about. I want to share this with you, and I want you to join me in the quest.

I have come to see the spirit of the Scout as summarized by ten words. I call them ‘keystones’. The meaning of the word ‘keystone’ finds its roots in architecture. In building an arch out of stone blocks, there is always one critical block needed at the very top of the arch which holds everything together. If you were to remove this keystone, the entire arch would collapse.

That is how I views the words which summarize for me the essence of a Scout. Without them, the title of ‘Scout’ is just an empty word. With them, the purpose and meaning of a Scout becomes clear and defined. These Keystones are:

1. Endurance
2. Self-Discipline
3. Exploration
4. Observation
5. Deduction
6. Initiative
7. Ingenuity
8. Chivalry
9. Duty
10. Honor

I will make one post for each of these Keystones. And these will be published every day, or every other day. I hope that you will join me in this discovery. Please leave a comment with your feedback and any questions/additions that you might have. I am passionate about this and want to have as many Scouts hear about this as I can. If you find these posts valuable, please pass them along to your friends and your Troop! Using the little buttons at the bottom of the post, you can share this on Twitter, Facebook, and many other Social Media sites.

Thank you for reading!

-Yours in Scouting

An Important Decision: The Eagle Project

In the Boy Scouts of America, the Eagle Scout Rank is the highest Rank attainable. The Rank of Eagle Scout has a long tradition of great men and leaders who have earned it. If you want to know more about the statistics and great tradition of the Eagle Scout Rank, this infographic pretty much says it all.

In 1965, a requirement was added to the Eagle Scout rank:

5. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community.

Since then, this Eagle Scout Service Project has come to be almost the defining achievement of the Eagle Scout. The way it is chosen, the subject, the leadership skills it requires, and the amount of work needed to complete it have all been testaments to the new Eagle’s willingness to serve and his ability to lead others.

In my quest to rediscover Scouting, I have come to appreciate this project and the work involved more and more. Currently, I am a Life Scout, and I decided upon my Eagle Project two years ago and have been working on it since. This may seem like quite a long time, and there are various reasons why it has taken so long. But the main reason is the project itself and its scope.

Part of my philosophy of Scouting goes back to the word itself: Scouting. I believe it is part of the identity of Scouting and each individual Scout to explore beyond and push the boundaries of what has been done, and to set a higher standard of possibility as to what is commonly accepted.

That is why I wanted to do something different for my project. I wanted to try something ambitious. As an Amateur Radio Operator , I had known and realized the value of what this group of volunteers does in the field of emergency communication and storm chasing. So I decided to choose a project that would help out this group in assisting and protecting our communities.

I decided on building and installing an Amateur Radio Repeater for my Eagle Project. A Repeater is a radio that is mounted in some high location, who’s job it is to retransmit received signals, thereby increasing their range and effectiveness. The antenna, radio, and other components needed to put together a repeater can cost well into the thousands. I am almost done with this project, and if everything goes well, I expect to finish it sometime this month or the next.

OK, so I’ve shared my story, but this post is not about my story, it’s about yours. What are you going to choose? Have you chosen something already?

Here is cool article from Scouting magazine on how to choose an Eagle Project, but there’s some advice from my own personal experience that I would like to share.

• Number 1#: Choose something you’re passionate about.

You’re only going to have one Eagle Project, and you are going to look back and remember what you did for your project the rest of your life. Make sure it is something you really care about. Make it worthwhile for you. If you choose something that you really care about, it will show in your work, and you will learn the most and help the most.

• Number 2#: Choose something that Challenges you.

I cannot overstate how much I have learned from my Eagle Project so far. There is so much about communication, organization, planing, and etc. that I was very poor at. With the greater portion of my project behind me, I can see how much it has helped me grow and how much it has taught me. Even if you think it’ll be a great idea, don’t choose it if it will be really simple to accomplish. The Eagle Project is not about how little we can do and still pass the board of review, but about how much we can push ourselves and accomplish.

• Number 3#: Shoot for something Big.

An Eagle Scout Project is an excellent opportunity to accomplish big things. There are many, many people out there who love to help Scouts with Eagle Project. I’ve come to realize that being a Scout has a way of eliminating obstacles that anyone else would have to face if they were attempting the project on their own. So take this opportunity do do something significant. Do something that’s permanent and that will keep on serving the community for years and years to come. Do something that saves lives or significantly improves the quality of life. This is your opportunity, and it is a great one. Don’t waste it!

 

So that’s my advice on choosing an Eagle Project. I would love to hear yours! Any thoughts, questions, additions? Please leave a comment! Thanks for reading this post; I hope you enjoyed it!