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Posts Tagged ‘BSA’

Keep Scouting Strong

Saturday, March 16th, 2013

As an Eagle Scout and current Cub Den Leader I know how important Scouting is to America’s youth. Not only that, for over 100 years, Scouting has existed as an International organization that instils values that cut across cultures. Over time Scouting has succumbed to special interests from all sides. In some cases it has made the program stronger and in others it has weakened it or resulted in unintended consequences such as cutting off access to the very youth it is designed for. While social norms may change in this country, Scouting will roll with the punches. Through it all, one thing should never change and that is Scouting’s commitment to develop young people into great citizens, leaders and lovers of the outdoors.

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Invest In Our Nation’s Future and Keep Scouting Strong.

Be Prepared, Indeed

Friday, March 15th, 2013

Two things we are fans of at SSD are guns and Scouts. It’s even better when we can put the two together like in this story.

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A young man who just became an Eagle Scout received this rifle as a gift from his father. Best of all, “in front of everyone, the first thing he did was to open the bolt and clear the rifle before really looking it over. He had a smile from ear to ear.” his father stated. According to Cerakote, this carbine features H-226 Patriot Brown, H-235 Coyote Tan and H-199 Desert Sand.

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See more pics of this rifle and vote for your favorite gallery images at www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/gallery.

Scouting

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

I grew up with Scouting and obviously I had great parents since they gave me the opportunity to join Scouts, first as a Cub and later as a Boy Scout and Explorer. The experience left a lifelong impression on me. “Be Prepared” is more than just Scouting’s motto.

Today, it seems to be a lost art. As an adult I apply the skills I learned in Scouting everyday. Once, when I was home on leave from the service I was able to visit my old Scout Troop and tell them that I had a job where I applied the field living and survival skills I learned as a kid in my job. I didn’t watch someone else do those things on The Discovery Channel, or watch a Youtube video of some guy starting a fire. Rather, I learned how to live in the wild with my own two hands. That’s something that’s missing from most children’s lives; hands on, outdoor living. So this is a plug for Scouting. If you have kids yourself, or young relatives, or even a friend’s children, get them involved in Scouting. Boys and Girls both. They are great programs that get them outside and learning how to do things; to live and love the outdoors. In addition to Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts has Explorer and Venture programs for teenage girls. I mean, hey, they are over 100 years old, they must be doing something right.

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BSA Selects Osprey to Provide Duffels to Jamboree Participants

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

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The Boy Scouts of America announced that 2013 Jamboree participants will be using this duffel from Osprey called the Osprey Transporter BSA. National Scout Jamborees are held every four years and this is the first at the new Summit Bechtel Reserve after 30 years at Fort AP Hill in Virginia. In addition to this new high adventure location, this Jamboree marks a departure from previous events. Beginning this year, tentage and other camp supplies will be provided by Bechtel so that local councils will not be required to acquire and transport equipment specifically for the Jamboree. In an effort to help control transportation costs and the amount of space each camper will use while at Jamboree, BSA is limiting each participant to the use of one of these issue duffel bags. But don’t worry, at 7015 cu in (115 liters), there’s plenty of room for a Scout’s clothing and gear. In addition to haul loops, the Transporter also incorporates stow able shoulder straps. These are awesome bags and I often use smaller version as a carry-on for short trips. No word yet if the BSA model will be available for purchase by those not attending the 2013 National Scout Jamboree. The Jamboree gear transport concept is excellent is and Osprey is a great partner for BSA.

BSA Introduces SAR Merit Badge

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

The Boy Scouts of America recently announced the creation of a Search and Rescue merit badge. Appropriately enough, they made the announcement during the 2012 National Search and Rescue Conference hosted by the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) and the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

“The Boy Scouts of America’s motto is ‘Be Prepared’—which sometimes translates to knowing how to respond in an emergency,” said Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. “While we are not encouraging our Scouts to practice these new skills independently, we do want them to be ready to lend a hand to the community, and to each other.”

To meet the requirements of the Search and Rescue merit badge, Scouts must complete a series of nine requirements relating to SAR fundamentals such as:
– The process and safety methods of working around specialized teams such as aircraft, canine, and aquatic rescue teams
-Identifying differences between search and rescue environments, such as coastal, wilderness, rural, and urban landscapes
-Determining when Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) and latitude and longitude (Lat/Lon) should be used

Scouting officials have stated that earning the badge will not qualify a Scout as a trained searcher. In a press release, Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America related, “The Boy Scouts of America’s motto is ‘Be Prepared’—which sometimes translates to knowing how to respond in an emergency. While we are not encouraging our Scouts to practice these new skills independently, we do want them to be ready to lend a hand to the community, and to each other.” Regardless, those skills will serve Scouts well in their lives.

Back to Gilwell

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012

I’m out again this weekend for my second weekend of Wood Badge fun. Over the weekend you’ll see a few blasts from the past as well as a few new items. Since this is a full three days, I’ll catch up with everyone on Tuesday.

Wood Badge is an international adult leadership program for the Scouting movement developed initially by Scouting’s founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Lord Baden-Powell was a Lieutenant-General in the British Army who served in the Second Boer War. Based on his experience as a Cavalry officer he wrote several books for military training. After finding out that boys had been reading his works, he penned, “Scouting for Boys.” This led to the first Scout camp in England at Brownsea Island and later to a leadership development program at Gilwell Park for adults.

In order to recognize the graduates of this training program, BP turned to one of his war trophies. He had captured a necklace belonging to Chief Dinizulu while pursuing him in Zululand. The necklace was 12-foot-long with more than a thousand acacia beads which were used to denote a warrior. BP awarded beads from this necklace to the graduates of the adult leader training. In modern times Wood Badge graduates are awarded a leather thing with wooden beads.