Boy Scouts

     Have you ever attended a Boy Scout meeting?  You will find a parallel universe filled with gestures of sometimes unbelievable decency and a code of conduct.  If you did, you'd see a "senior patrol leader", probably 15-years-old and in the tenth grade, call the troop to opening ceremonies, lead it through the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a full-throated repetition of the scout motto "Be Prepared" and a scout slogan "Do a Good Turn Daily".  

     To anyone familiar with the chaos of urban public school classrooms, such rituals are a little piece of heaven.  In a world lacking structure, where even your family is in constant flux, Scouting provides order.  From the weekly meetings, flag ceremony and scout oath, to the little rules of self-presentation—like neckerchief-tying and tucked-in shirts—it provides young men with responsibility and accountability.  It calls all scouts to a bit of discipline, leadership, self-control, and a clear path toward achievement.  It speaks a language of selflessness and honor.  I was proud to belong to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

     In fact, the expression of promising something "on my honor" originates with the Scouting Movement.  Seen below, the hand gesture that people use also came from Scouting.  When someone asks, "Do you promise?", I can truly say, "Yes, on my honor."

     At an early age, I began my experience as a Cub Scout and learned the values.

     As I progressed through the next four ranks, my blue uniform earned additional emblems.  When I reached the rank of Webelos, I was indoctrinated further to the Scouting program and wore a different uniform. 

I accepted the challenge of the elective adventure called Arrow of Light.  Succeeding, I demonstrated readiness for the next step on "the Boy Scout trail", and I could wear the Arrow badge.

     My transition was symbolized by a ceremony of crossing a wooden bridge.  

     I was also issued a new handbook to read.  During Scouting, I probably read more handbooks than an Army sergeant or employee at Cartier.  Nonetheless, it was good conditioning for my mind.

     As an official Scout, I started at the lowest rank.  I strove to rise quickly to the next rank of Tenderfoot, and I earned my way upwards thereafter.  However, to achieve Tenderfoot, I was required to prove knowledge about practical use of a square-knot and taut-line hitch, how to sharpen a knife and saw, how to pack/carry camping gear, pitch a tent, explain the importance of the Buddy System, describe the significance of socializing as a patrol and larger as a troop, raise/lower/fold the U.S. flag, show improvement in push-ups and sit-ups, prepare a cook-out meal and share in the clean-up, and demonstrate first-aid for scrapes, blisters, snakebites, frostbite, and choking.

     Concurrently, I also sought to contribute to my Boy Scout Troop in leadership capacities.  Due to my efforts, I qualified to become Assistant Patrol Leader, then Patrol Leader.  Later, I got a promotion to Senior Patrol Leader.  I learned to instruct boys and earn their respect by setting a good example.

     Despite the instructional learning, we had loads of fun!  Full of boyish verve and vivacity, we played intramural sports and had contests for handmade sailboats and wooden racing cars (that we carved ourselves).

     We learned about our national heritage.  We travelled to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to see the Liberty Bell (a national treasure) and Independence Hall (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) where the nation was born in Philadelphia.  

     We also bought Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches from the two "competing" restaurants in Philadelphia.  Both were mediocre.  We discovered that it was a gimmick to deceive tourists to buy food from both places.  That taught us a lesson to be wiser.

     To admire an architectural marvel, we ascended to the top of the Twin Towers (without conceiving the possibility that they would collapse in 2001).  Honestly, the view was unremarkable.  

 

     For knowledge about aquatic wildlife and lessons about water pollution, we journeyed to a fish hatchery in Cold Spring Harbor.

     Here are the kinds of things that my Boy Scout troop participated in throughout our community, donating our efforts "doing good deeds" (unpaid, and in our spare time) and volunteerism for civic good:

Park beautification.

Picking up litter, and trash removal from forlorn public spaces.

Cooking meals and serving them at charitable Soup Kitchens for underprivileged people.

Tidying the property around churches and temples: trash clean-up and beatification projects.

Contributing festivities to Nursing Homes and Senior Centers.

     Famously, we held Food Drives: going door-to-door to collect donations, as well as standing outside of supermarkets to ask passersby for donations.

 

     Part of my early-learned salesmanship came from our fundraisers of selling home-goods or snacks.  Sometimes we positioned ourselves outside of supermarkets.  But, mostly, each of us used door-to-door techniques.  It was a great learning experience.

     Volunteerism is important to Scouting because "service to others" should be a lifelong activity.

     Ernest Thompson Seton, a Canadian naturalist and children's author, wrote, "It is the exception when we see a boy respectful of his superiors and obedient to his parents… handy with tools and capable of taking care of himself."  Seton looked around for "robust, self-reliant boyhood," but found "a lot of dull-witted cigarette smokers with shaky nerves and doubtful vitality".
     The Boy Scouts grew out of Seton's boys' group, the Woodcraft Indians, and the insights of a British war hero who was a baron: Lieutenant-General, the Right Honorable Lord Robert Baden-Powell.  

     In 1906, His Lordship envisioned a youth organization that grew on ancient codes of chivalry: strength and goodness, instead of "gangsta" culture.  Baden-Powell wrote, "The aim of the organization is to develop among boys a power of sympathizing with others, and a spirit of self-sacrifice and patriotism."  The baron believed that Scouting's core virtues of "selflessness" and the "cheerful performance of duty" were as valid for the poor as for the upper and middle classes.  Respect for others—without social class distinctions—was a scout's universal duty.  A scout held himself accountable to a noble set of lofty ideals, an eco-friendly behavior, and a socially-responsible code of conduct.  

     Scouts progress through a series of ranks by mastering outdoor skills and showing self-reliance and civic-mindedness.  Many of the requirements reinforce bourgeois values, like being thrifty and handy.  (Think of the scout characters in the film "Up"...

...and "Moonlight Kingdom" or "Ducktales": always helpful, effervescent, and resourceful).  

     Other Scout requirements are exercises in self-cultivation.  Boys memorize the contents of a store window after a brief period of observation, to develop mental discipline and attention to the world around him.

     The core of Scouting is the scout law and oath (above).  Scout Law: "A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent."  Scout Oath: "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight."  The scout handbook, "a book about goodness", has an overarching theme of thoughtfulness toward others.  Excellent schools promote the same values.

     In addition, there are themes of preservation of Nature, a sense of community, and doing good deeds.  All of those united during our annual weeks of Summer Camp.  Many troops convened.

     Camping was a great way to expand my outdoor skills.  

     Lunchtimes at summer camp involved a slew of designated duties that rotated for all scouts.  We ate together in woodsy dining halls.  It was fun to meet new people from other parts of the country.

     "Leave a place (campsite) better than you found it," is another phrase that is quite valuable.  Don't litter, don't vandalize, and clean-up after you use something.

     At night, each troop hosted a campfire to mingle with scouts from nearby counties and remote parts of the state.  Jamborees involved a larger convention of scouts, including internationals.

Meeting new people and being accepting of different cultures was evocative of the baron's original beliefs of inclusion.

Those sensible values stay with me.

     My troop did whitewater rafting along the rocky rapids of the Delaware River!  (It and the State of Delaware are named for an English baron named De La Warr.  That noble family still exists; the 11th Earl De La Warr lives successfully in London).  

     We slept in log cabins in the Adirondack Mountains.  Like mountaineers, we reconnoitered the forests of Mohawk Mountain in the Berkshires highlands.  Sometimes, our hikes through National Parks necessitated a backpack with a sleeping bag... which taught me stamina.

     We camped on the snow in tents in winter, which I refuse to repeat.  

     A pleasant winter weekend was spent at a scenic lodge for cross-country skiing.  

     On other excursions, we caught catfish on trawlers in the Atlantic Ocean.  We went whale-watching by Montauk Point Lighthouse.  (Erected in 1797, it's the fourth-oldest in America, and it's a national landmark).  

     To attend Summer Camp, we sojourned to Baiting Hollow in Suffolk County, NY.

     We also drove 170 miles—across two state borders—to the 1,800-acre Camp Yawgoog in Rhode Island.  

     We either slept in lean-tos or army-style tents and shared "rustic" latrines.

     Abiding with the rhythm of Nature, a bugler started and ended our days by performing Reveille and Taps.  

     Each morning, we paraded to the Parade Ground, where we grouped into formations for the Raising of the Flag Ceremony.  We all learned how to properly fold or unfurl/hoist the flag.  As scouts, we used our own trademark three-fingered salute. 

     Scouts also use a unique handshake.  It originated from Ashanti warriors whom the baron met in Africa.

     Some evenings, the various troops congregated for fireside skits.  Many were truly funny.  One accurately taught the importance of "being able to communicate so somebody else knows exactly what to do".  (I still use those skills, which are helpful during "remote meetings" and when I "talk someone through something" on the phone).

     BSA offers Physical Education because it is important for kids to collaborate, learn coordination, compete for awhile, and recharge.  

     Unlike most groups that play sports, the overall theme for Scouts was always "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."

     Scouting promotes literacy, craftsmanship, and problem-solving skills—all vital to the overall development of critical thinking.  Aside from whittling a stick to roast hot dogs, boys also learn history, science and the arts.  

     Only three years after the publication of Scouting for Boys, the famous author, H.G. Wells, wrote, "There suddenly appeared in my world a new sort of boy: an agreeable development of the town-bred youngster in a khaki hat, with bare knees and an athletic bearing, who earnestly engaged in wholesome and invigorating games.  He was a Boy Scout."  

     Quickly spanning the globe, Scouting leaped to America.  "Chief Scout Citizen" President Theodore Roosevelt reminded scouts in 1913 that "manliness in its most rigorous form can be and ought to be accompanied by unselfish consideration for the rights and interests of others." 
     Long before "diversity trainers" appeared, the scout law urbanely told boys to "respect the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion."

     American Scouting entered its heyday after World War II.  The scouts thrived "when America believed in itself," as painter and Boy Scout illustrator Norman Rockwell recalled (his painting above).  
     However, 1960s/70s counterculture and the BSA were a train wreck waiting to happen.  Here was a supremely service-oriented institution suddenly up against a movement celebrating rebellion.  In 1969, membership dropped for the first time in its history; it nose-dived throughout the 1970s.  Perhaps that was the impetus for the BSA's emphasis on minority recruitment.  

     Consequently, when I became a scout, I belonged to a well-rounded and fully integrated troop of varied nationalities, religions, and races.  It was a great education of cultures.  It was a thing of pride to wear your uniform on the streets, alongside one another.  

      Sartorially, my Scoutmaster chose for our troop to wear the traditional "campaign hats".  That type of hat has heritage.

In other troops, the scouts upturned/folded one edge.

It was spiffier than the typical cap...

     During summer camps, parades, and Jamborees, we were admired by other (envious) scouts, who complimented our handsome appearance!  Only the scouts who wore berets might've looked more stylish.

     I used it to my advantage.  Wearing that hat and uniform added authority to my fundraising pleas, as well as my requests for teamwork among other campers.

     Of special pride to scouts is their merit-badge sash, wrapped around them.  

     Every one of those badges represents an achievement; no one "gave" them to you.  At a time when government is creating a dependent class, Scouting insists that nothing comes for free.  Merit badges are awarded, not on the basis of economics or skin color or politics, but according to individual accomplishment.  Earning them involves partnering with another adult or a professional in the community.  

     I fondly recall completing the requirements for my favorites: Personal Fitness, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the World, Cooking, Environmental Science, Hiking, Dentistry, Native American Lore, Astronomy, Lifesaving, Music, Art, Public Speaking, Swimming, Exploration, and Photography.

     The same goes for earning your Order of the Arrow sash (the BSA's National Honor Society), which I did.  

     It involves meeting elite requirements and completing an "ordeal" project.  During the "ordeal", initiates sleep apart from other campers, maintain silence, and work on camp-improvement projects.  The induction ceremony occurs by firelight.

     Scouting is full of insignia, emblems, and badges!  As a youngster, you can hold varied ranks:

     (I wish they'd had a badge for this… ha ha!)

     I can assure you, you do internalize the Scouting values.  A 1996 Lou Harris study indicated that men with Boy Scout experience placed a higher value on honesty and integrity than men without it.  

     The promise of Scouting—a universal brotherhood regardless of demographics—is amazing.  It doesn't matter if you're the high school football star or the nerd.  Currently, troops are wildly diverse with an ethnic and religious mix.  Belonging to a tolerant group is uplifting, and when each Boy Scout Troop marches in municipal parades, they do with pride in themselves and their communities.  I fondly recall marching in annual parades through Main Street in the Village of Farmingdale, and also along the turnpike for three miles.

     Exemplifying a "soldierly precision" and impressive posture, my friends and I were often selected to be the Color Guard who carried the banners and flags in front of the troop.

     After my Scout Troop marched down a local street—during a Veteran's Day parade—an appreciative mother told me that her son was doing a lot of "interesting things with his hands and mind: camping, archery, tying knots, and building fires."  She was amazed that he learned how to use a compass and a map.

     I fondly recall cooking food on our campfires (in summer and winter), as well as preparing meals on propane-fueled griddles and barbecues.  

     Preparing for the big bonfire, we rehearsed funny skits to perform for the other troops.

     As outdoor adventurers, we hiked over hills, explored stalactites in subterranean caverns in the Catskill Mountains, climbed walls, and crossed elevated rope-adventure courses.

     Being a runner, I easily earned my Athletics merit badge, which was styled with a winged foot to honor the Greek god, Hermes.  He protects travelers and is a divine messenger.  When the ancient Romans renamed the gods, he became Mercury.

     Standing on boats, seashores, and riverbeds, we learned the techniques of fishing and fly-fishing.

*Whenever I eat a line-caught fish, I appreciate the effort that was exerted to catch it.

     We learned to cherish Nature's equilibrium and the importance of ecosystem conservation.  

     With my wood-working skills, I built birdhouses (and I mounted one in my backyard).

     As Assistant Scoutmaster was friends with a fellow who owned a propeller-nosed airplane at a private airfield, and some of us got rides in it.  It was my first time flying, and I enjoyed being airborne.

     We made a day-trip to visit America's elite Army school: West Point Military Academy, and we observed its doctrine.  It is also a national landmark.

     My troop also visited a Coast Guard barracks and an Army base.  We observed their methods, standards, and values.

     We toured the U.S. Navy's Intrepid Sea & Air Museum: a retired aircraft carrier that is anchored at a pier in Manhattan.

 

     During years of summer camp, I reveled in opportunities to learn new skills.  We painted, whittled wood, and sketched.

     Using a mallet, tools, needle and plastic cords, I embossed and sewed a leather case for my pocket-knife.

     As a precaution, we learned First Aid...

...before fiddling with our Swiss Army knives (made in Switzerland).  Coincidentally, both use the same colors and an equal-ended cross.

     I was a quick learner during Bow & Arrow lessons, and my steady aim accomplished "tight groupings" of bullseyes.  I added the Archery merit badge to my sash.  (20 years later, friends took me to an archery range.  I remembered what I was taught, and I impressed everyone—especially the instructor—with my aim).

     Relatedly, we progressed to firearms.  I easily earned two merit badges: Rifle Shooting and Shotgun Shooting.  To avoid harming living animals, our target practice involved Skeet Shooting at clay disks that were mechanically thrown into the air.  Such techniques develop dexterity, nimbleness, calmness, and eye-hand coordination.  I was "an excellent shot".  

     Of course, no one today really needs to know how to build a fire or pitch a tent...  

...but Scouting taught persistence in the face of disappointment.  

     Hiking the Appalachian Trail and the 10-mile Nathan Hale Trail instilled an appreciation for natural beauty and history.  (My Timberland hiking boots served me well!)  

     When it rains and your boots are muddy, you can either weep or you can keep going, knowing it will get better.  Thus, we learned the values of persistence and being physically fit.

The same logic applied to my sneakers.

     We were taught the obligations of physical involvement and the effects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  

     The "trust exercises" built teamwork: the "fall back" routine and blindfolded "guessing games".

     A similar activity was instructing someone how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while assuming that they knew nothing.  The funniest part happened when a scout got frustrated that he couldn't properly describe how to smear the peanut butter, so he shouted, "Screw the peanut butter".  The scout who was being "instructed" gave a devilishly-horny smile, and the boy who said it suddenly realized what it could mean!  All the teenage boys laughed!  

Admittedly, older boys inadvertently or directly taught younger boys about hormonal pleasures.  It's part of life.

     Scouting is one of the few truly age-spanning activities.  Younger scouts look up to older boys, but the age difference never prevented friendships or mutual respect.  Older scouts were aware of their duty as role models.  They encouraged less-experienced scouts to transition from tentative "firsts" to boldness and confidence.  

     Teamwork and coordination was also forged when paddling a two-person canoe.  The hardest part seemed to be getting into the life preserver vests.  Ha ha.

Developing an optimism toward adversity is a key for success.

     Scouting is a brilliant method for infusing children with a set of values that can be especially hard to find.  The little details that fill each meeting constantly reinforce a code of conduct based on self-restraint, neatness, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and courtesy: the essentials of civilized life.  Keeping your uniform in order and standing precisely in line is not haphazard nagging.  They empower scouts to set an example for others.  They give kids opportunities to lead, not just boss others around.  Besides, how often do most teens get to serve as positive role models?  

     In my Boy Scout experience, the greatest boon was my Scoutmaster, Mr. Hank.  A role model.  A lifesaver.  

     For some, he was the only stable adult in a child's life.  He welcomed us into his home and into his orbit of adventure.  He strove to spread Scouting values to our parents, too.  He taught that our every gesture is a moral example—for better or worse.  It was a Socratic dialogue.  When I won awards, he was so proud of me that he created handmade wooden plaques for them!  (If he liked you, it was a honor that the whole district new about).  

     The other Troop Leader was Mr. Keane.  He admired me and my sincere friendliness with his blind son (whom other boys avoided because he was different than them).  Unlike my father, those men were wonderful, upstanding, big-hearted, and gentle-but-firm mentors.  Unfortunately, men like them are hard to find.  In America's current atmosphere, there is focus on "making money" and "taking shortcuts".  There is a vacancy for decent men to lead scouts.

     A few years ago, while the tradition-minded Boy Scouts of the United Kingdom were open-minded to welcome gay members, the Boy Scouts of America (supposedly the "Land of the Free" & "Land of Opportunity") banned gay members.  The fiasco of the BSA denying gay men the role of scoutmaster hurt the organization's image, funding, and civic relationships.  

     As a gay man, it strikes a chord inside me, to watch the events unfold, including Eagle Scouts returning their medals in protest.

     I see men and boys rebuffing the Boy Scouts of America's ignorant decree.  Gay youths and adult supporters wear their colors with pride.  

     Cultivating a love of country in boys is a cure for alienation; it centers them in an identity and informs them that this is their country, too.  The same goes for Teamwork, Togetherness, Community, and Conservation.  
    When I see my neighbors carrying bags up the building's stairs, I help them automatically.  I hold doors for people.  Yet, laughably against the cliché, I've never yet helped a little old lady across the street.  Happily, "Scout Spirit" and good manners still flow from their well-planted roots.  Hopefully a wider array of supporters will sustain the upstanding program for the developing future.   

*Amendment to that: like many wholesome things that try to survive in the squalor of the USA, the Boy Scouts of America disintegrated.  It filed for bankruptcy in February 2020.  Such an occurrence is a terrible shame, and it's indicative of how things operate in America.

     Thankfully, the "Scouting Spirit" is alive in other parts of the world.