Posts Tagged ‘Brian On Scouting’

Guest post by Sgt. David N. Beckstrom, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Reprinted with permission JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – The smell of sawdust wafts through the air. Power tools whine. It’s mid-February, and inside the Scout Hut on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the boys and parents of Pack 462 are preparing for the annual Pinewood Derby in late March. The…

The Eagle Scout badge is extremely rare, but the U.S. Army has a badge that’s even rarer. It’s the badge worn by members of the Honor Guard who keep 24-hour watch over the Tomb of Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Fewer than 700 men and women have worn the badge since the round-the-clock patrol began in 1937. The Honor Guard…

The BSA’s 2017 Boy Scout Requirements book, detailing major and minor changes to Boy Scout ranks and merit badges, is now available. Inside you’ll find: Modifications to the Second Class and First Class ranks The new Exploration merit badge Major changes to four merit badges Minor changes to 32 merit badges The changes are the work of volunteers…

When top-seeded Villanova takes the court in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, they’ll have more than Nova Nation behind them. They’ll have Scouting Nation, too. That’s because Josh Hart, the leader (and leading scorer) for Villanova, is an Eagle Scout. Even if you don’t bleed navy and white, there’s plenty of reason to cheer for the Wildcats. For me, the list…

Eagles and Tigers and Bearcats? Oh my! A look at the nicknames of all 68 teams in the 2017 NCAA Tournament reveals some great ideas for patrol names. Here, the 10 best patrol nicknames taken from this year’s March Madness field. 10. Hurricanes School: University of Miami Why it’s cool: Wild, unpredictable and occasionally destructive. Does that describe…

You worked hard to earn that Scouting square knot and should wear it with pride. You also should wear it right-side up. (Unlike the Hornaday Award knot pictured above. It’s shown upside down to illustrate my point.) Quick refresher: Square knots are rectangular representations of a variety of Scouting awards. Most of these awards are for adult volunteers, but there…

As a Boy Scout, BSA Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh spent time in national parks to complete service projects. He was the owner of a well-worn National Parks Passport book and was proud of all the stamps he collected. The story of a young person who developed a lifelong appreciation of national parks through Scouting is not an anomaly. It…

By the time they made it through metal detectors, past gates that required both an ID card and a security code, up a manned elevator, and through a heavy door that required a second secret code, the Report to the Nation delegates had to be feeling pretty special. That feeling was only made stronger when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson walked…

FOX’s new show, “Kicking & Screaming,” airing tonight at 8/9 Central, pairs survival experts with Average Joe-types to see how they fare when facing wild animals, hunger and extreme weather in the jungles of Fiji. Except competitor Terry Fossum — a businessman, author and public speaker — isn’t your typical Average Joe. Fossum is an Eagle…

When the Report to the Nation delegates described their Washington visit to the Secretary of the Senate, she was floored. “That’s not a routine week in Washington by any stretch of the imagination,” said Julie Adams, whose office handles the Senate’s day-to-day operations. Adams listened intently as the Scouts described visits to memorials, exclusive tours, and meetings with…