Shifty Powers

This is totally a non Scouting post.. but it speaks volumes about Character.

I got this in my inbox today and it asked to forward it and keep it going.  Well... I hate doing that.. so I thought I would use my blog to fufill the promise of "Fowarding it".

Being a Combat Veteran myself and having served 21 years in the Army.. I certainly appreciate the following article.  You do not have to be a war hero, service member or veteran to appreciate what Shifty Powers and the men he served with did.  They truly are the greatest generation.

Enjoy this Tribute.

Darrell "Shifty" Powers.  Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.  At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.  I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this. Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center. No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way.  Rest in peace, Shifty. "A nation without heroes is nothing." Roberto Clemente Have a Great Scouting Day!

What's in your Backpack?

My latest podcast is all about gear and what's in your Backpack.

A good discussion with the Assistant Scoutmaster's of Troop 664 and me.  We had a blast recording it and think that there is some good information in the show for you.  

This is the first of a two part series, there was so much information that we had to break it up.

Check it out and listen to the show here.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Branding the BSA

Great message from our Marketing folks at the BSA.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

4th of July Pride

I hope that everyone had a great Independence Day.   Mine was extremely good and let me tell you why.

I went camping with my family, my sisters family, and a family that are close friends of ours, almost family in fact.  We went out to the Oregon coast and had a ball.  We went to a small town parade that truly demonstrated the spirit of America and why we celebrate the 4th of July.  It was refreshing to see when the Coast Guard Color Guard lead the Parade, People stood and covered their hearts as the flag passed.  It was nice to see the local Boy Scouts following the color guard carrying a banner and getting big cheers from the crowd.  Old fashioned cars, dogs dressed in Red, White, and Blue, fire trucks, and horses, but all of them proud to be Americans and happy to be living in the land of the free.

Then back to camp for rest and relaxation, hamburgers and hot dogs and some good potato salad, sitting around the fire and enjoying the sounds of campers having a great weekend.

As it began to get dark, it was time to go see the fire works.  We grabbed our lot of sparklers and other spectacular noise makers and headed to a point on the Columbia river.  Positioned so that we could see the fire works from Astoria to Long beach.  It was fantastic!  We turned up the radio in my truck to get the simulcast from the fire work show in Seaside and began to celebrate.  All at once the Star Spangled Banner began to play over the radio as the fire work show began.  Without a word I noticed that everyone in our group had turned and looked to a nearby flag pole where the flag was still flying.  Not a sound, other than that of a lone voice singing our National Anthem.  Pride filled my heart as I looked to five young men standing in the back of my brother in laws pick up truck.  Standing tall, hands over their hearts, quiet.

Respect.

These five boys are all Boy Scouts and without a word to pay attention or put your hand over your heart, or be quiet, they knew what to do.  At the last note they turned to see the smiles on all of our faces.  We all were and are proud of them.  They get it. 

It was a perfect way to end the day.. start the celebration.. and call this one of the best Independence days ever.

Character, Citizenship, and Fitness... You gotta love the Boy Scouts of America!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Birthday America!

233 years of Freedom!

God Bless You!

Have a Great Scouting Independence Day!

The power of influence

I have talked about influence a bit here at the Scoutmaster Minute, mainly because I try not to take for granted the influence that I have on the lives of the young men we have in Scouting.

Yesterday I was given some shocking news about a few kids in our neighborhood.  And it got my wife and I in a discussion about influence and how these two kids got to where they are.

First, both of these kids are from good homes, with good, caring parents.  They go to school in a solid middle to upper middle class area and are not lacking at all in attention, love, and care.

Second, both of these kids are seemingly well behaved and polite.  One is an all start athlete, the other is into her own thing, but nothing that you would send red flags flying.

So here is the twist.

The All star athlete was caught smoking dope the other day.. turns out it is not the first time.

And the other kid has been caught hanging out with a gang and dabbling in pornography.

And so the question is why?

What is the influence that drove them to where they are?  It saddens me.

It's not their parents, they are good people.  People with a strong set of values and structure.  They provide a loving environment for the kids and make sure that all their needs are met.

My guess is that it is from peers.  Which frightens me as a Dad as to how much influence peers have on our young people.  It is obvious that even when all the stars are lined up at home.. peers can sway the decisions of our kids.  It is a power that influences the kids that can be stronger than what mom and dads deem right and wrong.

So what is the answer?

DO YOU BEST.  We raise our kids in a loving, caring environment.  We allow them to learn from mistakes, but they understand that with every decision comes consequences.  Good and Bad.  You teach them in the ways that you would have them brought up and show them what right looks like.

Every thing we do as parents, as Scout leaders, and influential adults in our communities is being watched.  We can't lock up our kids and shelter them from life.  We have to show them life's choices and how it will effect them in the long term.  Last night we had the serious talk about drugs.  We have talked about it all before, but it never really hit home.  Our kids do not see it first hand, so we turned this into a teaching moment and it really hit hard.

Our all star athlete.. well he can't play sports any more.  His life revolved around football and track.  All gone.  For my son, the athlete.. this shocked him and put everything in a certain perspective.  In so far as the other situation, the teaching moment was about Birds of a feather...  You become like the people you associate with.. so pick your friends with caution.  A true friend will share your values and care about you.  And while you may find that in a gang, you need to look at the values and consequences. 

In Scouting we share a set of values and the consequence is success, character, good citizens, and fit young people.  All pluses in my book.

While I am still in shock over the news, it presented a great teaching moment as a Dad.  And while I am not happy that this had to happen to these parents, or the kids for that matter, I hope the kids learn from this and have a change in their lives.  I hope that they can find a way to change their values or learn from the influence of positive role models and people of character.

Life is hard sometimes, but we all have influence... use it wisely.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

I want to extend a Happy Independence Day to the Scoutmaster Minute Family.

This is a celebration of Character, Determination, and Will.  

This nation was born not because of of a piece of land, but because men (and women) were willing to stand for right.  Our founding Fathers were all men of Character, we can debate habits and other social ill's later, but by and large they were men of principle that were willing to selflessly sacrifice everything to gain independence and to start a free and prosperous country.

They were men that were determined to live free from the rule of a monarch.  They understood the value of a representative form of government and that the people should rule, not be ruled.

I once heard that if our republic (the United States) failed it would be the last Republic on Earth.  And it has remained.  It is the model of the Republican form were our representatives execute the will of the people.  It has been tested that is for sure, but remains the beacon the world looks to see what right looks like.  Some hate it, some wish they could be like it, but the fact remains that our Nation stands as a example for all to see.  We may not always be right to 100% of the people, but that is why we hold free elections.

So have a Great time this Independence Day Weekend.  Be Safe!  Celebrate the Birth of the greatest Nation on Earth and thank God you were born here!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

I will never apologize for...

There is a great little book available called The Scoutmaster Minute, Your handbook for inspiring moments by Ron Wendel.

I like this little book, fits well in the pack and it has saved my bacon a time or two when I needed something quick at a camp fire or at the end of a meeting.  I am not here to sell the book, but it is worth the six bucks.

At times I like to scan the pages and see the inspirational quotes or comments from the authors on area of Scouting that seem to hit home with our Troop.  That I have a peeve for "Rediscovering" that which someone else has done a fantastic job communicating.

Tonight, in particular I stumbled upon one that I use and added to.

I goes like this;

We all make mistakes. We all say or do things that sooner or later we come to regret.  Here are some things that we will never be sorry for.

Thinking before acting,

Hearing before judging,

Forging your enemies,

Being candid and frank, 

Helping a fallen brother,

Being honest in business,

Thinking before speaking,

Being loyal to your church,

Standing by your principles,

Stopping your ears to gossip,

Bridling a slanderous tongue,

Harboring only pure thoughts,

Sympathizing with the afflicted,

Being courteous and kind to all.

Author Unknown.

Who ever the author is or was certainly knew a thing or two about Scouting.  Rereading this I see the Scout law woven in its words.  And I will never be sorry or apologize for living the Scout law.

I don't have to.  If I live the Law daily, it will guide me to do the right thing, and when you do the right thing, you never have to apologize.

This weekend, we watched as one of the "News shows" did an expose on why politicians cheat on their wives.  They spent the better part of an hour discussing the who's, what's and why's of this "problem".  The answer is simple.  These politicians have no Character.  Bottom line.. period.  They have to apologize because they lack Character, they lack the moral compass found in the Scout law.  They lack the ability to judge their actions based on a simple set of values.

Scouting reenforces the values of the Scout law and sets our young men up to never have to apologize for a lack of Character.

I will never apologize for living the Scout law.  It does not make me a nerd or a geek, it does not make me un cool or a pansy... it makes me a man of Character.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

To Keep myself Physically Fit

Now I don't know what has happened to boys.. and you before you think I am going to rant about video games and MTV.. stop.   But I wonder when we stopped being physically fit.

I remember as a kid there were not to many "Heavy kids".  We ran, jumped, climbed, and rode our bikes all over the place.  

In Scouts, we hiked, biked, canoed and seemed to always be doing something active.  I can remember every troop meeting doing something physical, weather that was playing a game or riding our bikes to and from our Scout house.

Last Monday we helped a group of Scouts complete the physical fitness requirement for Tenderfoot.  I was, and am always amazed at how out of shape our kids are.  Do they not take PE in School anymore?  It seems to me that just by being a kid with all the running and playing you do.. how can you be out of shape?

We are a backpacking troop and the good news there is that anyone can do it, but it sure helps to be in shape.  Most of that is mental.  But watching some of the Scouts doing sit ups this Monday... well it made me wonder what the kids today are doing.

I own a Wii and an X Box, but they are not the center of my house.  I guess those two items have become babysitters in some cases, where as my mom would tell us to get outside and play.

I enjoy a house that my kids like to bring there friends to.  They play games on the X Box, but are limited to the amount of time they spend on it.. then it is "grab the football and get outside"!

We make a promise in the Scout Oath to keep ourselves Physically Fit.  Your own personal limitations will apply, the Boy Scouts want you to do your personal best.  What the Scouts also realize is that when you keep yourself physically fit you are healthy and when you are healthy you have a better life.

Scouting impacts us all in many ways.. if it is a promise to be fit that motivates a young man to be healthy then we win in Scouting.

Your troops activities should push the Scouts to try new things, be adventurous, and test the limits of their physical fitness.  The Scouts will have a lot more fun then sitting in a class room cranking out merit badges, and they will benefit by being more physically fit.

I don't know what happened, and I am not one to buy a bunch of excuses.. just get them outside and let them play.  Playing keeps them fit.  Bumps and bruises from a good hard game of ball are not a bad thing and you will see a healthier son in the end.

Get out and play....

And Have a Great Scouting Day!

Words To Live By

These 12 little words... they can make a difference in your life.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Recipe of the Week

Not that this is a regular segment ...but I had to make the title catchy...

But here is my recipe of the week,  can't remember where I got it, more than likely from our friends at Trail Cooking.com

Try this one. You will love it.

Teriyaki Chicken

1 cup dry instant rice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1 pgk honey

2 pgk soy sauce

1 1/2 cups water

1 can or pouch of chicken

Before camp, mix all dry ingredients at home.  Store in a zip lock bag.

At Camp, boil water, add rice mixture.  After the rice is cooked, stir in Chicken, honey, and sauce.  This makes 1 serving, so do the math and multiply for your size of group.

See a video of me making this recipe on my YouTube channel.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Numbers

In business numbers are everything.. in Scouting... well not so much, but when it comes to impact... I guess a number can demonstrate that you are in fact making a small impact and spreading the word, helping others to deliver the promise of Scouting.

I started podcasting sometime last year, I was asked and joined the PTC media network.  PTC media is made up of three Scouters that just really love Scouting.  Chris has a Cub Scout background, he is in Texas.  Steve is a Scoutmaster in Minnesota, he has many years of experience and brings a twist to the network with a cool puppet named Buttons the Radical Boy Scout.  And then there is me.  I have had my share of Cub Scouting and am well versed in the Boy Scout program.  Together we have 4 podcasts that we produce independently.  The result is a fan base of Scouts and Scouters and those that maintain relationships in the Scouting movement.  The result is that there are people out there that love to listen to our Shows.. and for that we are truly thankful.  We do not make money doing this.. we do it because we love it.

I rarely keep up with the numbers of the show.  I know that I have done 35 shows to date and have received mountains of emails about them.  But tonight I was chatting with a fellow Scouting podcaster and blogger Shawn from Wisconsin, we were talking about the numbers and so I looked it up and got shocked to learn that the Scoutmaster minute is actually making an impact.. or at least people are listening.

Over the 35 shows I have received 68,689 downloads of the shows.  To me that is exciting and amazing!  

I just want to thank everyone that downloads and listens to the show.  I appreciate it and it makes me want to do more to help deliver the promise of Scouting!

Thanks again everyone!!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

The Scoutmaster Minute Podcast

A new Show is out.  The final part of my 3 part series on Leave No Trace.

You can get more information and down the show here.  Or you can download and listen to the show by clicking here.

Either way.. enjoy the show.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Quote from BP

I love this one.  Our Founder truly was a man of vision and insight.

"We only have a short time to live, so it is essential to do things that are worthwhile and to do them now."  

~  Lord Robert Baden-Powell

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Happy Fathers Day

Today is Fathers day, ties will be given, maybe a new tool or handy gadget, a gift hand made by loving hands.  Today we honor our fathers.  Have a BBQ and be nice to dear old dad.

I tend to look at fathers day this year from the prospective of the father.

While niceties are being exchanged and gifts given, I am thankful to be a dad.  I can think of no greater responsibility on this planet than the one given to me on November 15th 1993, the day I became the father of twins.  

Everything in life changes when you become a dad, I will say for the record, everything gets better.  Yeah, there are challenges along the way.  There are hardships to endure, emotions to deal with, and burdens to bear, all a part of being a dad.  At some point you ask yourself am I good enough?  Do I possess what it takes to be a good teacher, role model, provider?  You look into the eyes of your little boy and wonder if one day he will be a great man.  What beauty you hold in your arms when your daughter looks up at you and smiles.  Comfort.

And then before you know it, they are teen agers and you ask yourself again, do I have what it takes to get this young man through high school and into life?  Have I done everything that I can to prepare this young lady to be proper.  Is this young man going to do great things?

Today, I am proud to be a dad, I would not trade it for all the money on earth.  While there are challenges and obstacles that fatherhood throws your way, it all comes down to the love you have for those kids and the love that is returned, especially on fathers day.

God Bless all of you Dad's out there that are doing it right.  You know who you are.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs (ch. XXII, v. 6)

Happy Fathers Day!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

At what point are meat balls not enough?

As Scouts develop and grow they acquire skills and better their camping techniques.  They learn through the Start, Stop, and Continue process and each and every camp out they get better and better.  

Right?

Well, we would hope so.  You all know that old adage, "You can lead a horse to water..."  Well, I have come to believe that it is true.  With a few exceptions, I mean to say that.. you can lead that horse to water.. but you have to motivate him to drink.  And so it is with our Scouts.  We teach them, guide them, and coach them... but I will not do it for them.

So what motivates them?  The other thing that I have come to believe is that one day in all of them a light goes on... lets call that light motivation.  When it comes to cooking on camp outs, it is that point when meat balls are not enough.

It is the point when a Scout realizes that being lazy will never getting anything accomplished, and when taking the easy way does not satisfy them.  It is that point when they look around and see those that have already had to light come on and want to be like them.  Until then however.. meatballs are enough.

I recently had a discussion with a few of the parents of boys in my troop that were not happy with the way their Scout was eating on camp outs.  Valid concerns I assure you.  But the answer was not going to be found by asking the Scoutmaster.  The answer could be found in their planning (which is checked by an ASM).  The answer could be found in the Scout that did the shopping and food prep.  The answer could be found in how much did they bring home (Un prepared food because "We did not feel like cooking).  The answer was not in lack of instruction, coaching, and leadership.  The answer was in laziness and lack of "Wantto".

We take the boys out prepared, what they do within their patrols during meal times is pretty much up to them.  There has never been a Scout that died of hunger on a weekend camp out and the sooner they get tired of meat balls... the sooner they will get better.

We have seen in this in the last three age groups of our Scouts.  they start off great... taper off.. then get tired of the crappy food and become great camp cooks.  The light goes on and they get it.  And that was my answer to concerned Mom and Dad.. one day they will get it.  And you will know... as will I.  Until then, we coach, teach, and mentor and they cook meatballs.

So be it.  We all learn.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Rules or Reminders

A Scout can be Trusted, a Scout is Trustworthy.

Rule or Reminder?

IF I am a person of character, a person that has grown with a set of Values, then do I need a rule to tell me to be Trustworthy?  Ok.. so if I did not grow up with said values... do I still need a rule to be Trustworthy?  How about Friendly, kind, and obedient?  Rules or reminders?

Do I need a rule that tells me not to steal?  Not to kill?  Not to Lie?

Or do I need a reminder every once in a while to keep me on track.

I am amazed at how many rules and regulations we have in our world, many of which are just a waste of paper and ink.  What is amazing about it is that we have to have them because for whatever reason people tend to break them.  Some where along the way we as a society drifted away from the simple rule of "Doing unto others as we would have done to us".  I believe they call it the "Golden Rule".

How simple it would be if we all just lived by that simple rule.

How simple it would be if we all just were Trustworthy and loyal to each other.  Obedient and Cheerful?  Kind and Courteous?  The world would be so much a better place and we would not need so many rules.

When my Troop does any activity, weather that is a meeting or a camp out, a back pack trip or a trek in canoes, we have 1 set of rules... starts with Trustworthy, ends with reverent.  The rest seems to take care of itself.  Burdening them with rules for this and that are as ridiculous as the amount of laws and regulations our government imposes... and for what?  The results are not that good, just look at the courts.  

But look at a well run Scout Troop.  12 words, values, rules, reminders of how we should live our lives.

Enough said.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

30,000

Not that I am a number watcher.. BUT...

I wanted to say thank you to all of you that read and share the Scoutmaster Minute.

The numbers do not mean a thing as I do this out of a love for Scouting, as you can see there are no adds that shoot money my way...

But it does go to show that we in the Scouting community do love and care for Scouting.

As of today I noticed that the Scoutmaster minute crossed the 30,000 mark.

So to celebrate.. I am off to our Troops Court of Honor!

Looking at the Pie Chart... its also cool how International the Scoutmaster Minute has become.

Just in the last week we have had 149 visitors from the US, 7 from the UK, 5 from Belgium, 2 from Germany, 2 from Canada, and 1 from the Philippines.

Thanks again everyone and Have a Great Scouting Day!

Bear Grylls- Chief Scout

Recently Bear Grylls was appointed as the new Chief Scout of the British Scouting Association.  For those of us on this side of the pond, this is not a significant news item, except that most everyone I talk to about it seems to think that he will impart his "Survival antics" from the TV show into the Scouting Association.  I personally think that is highly unlikely.

I found this video from the British Scouting Association on you tube, and thought it was worth sharing.

I am not one to criticize our leadership, but I wonder if Mr. Mazzucca would do what Bear does in this video.  If so.. My hats off to him.

I think what Mr. Grylls says in the video is interesting too.. in a nut shell the business of Scouting is Fun.. not business.

hmmmm... just a thought.

Enjoy the video.  I did.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

HOORAY FOR ASK ANDY!

I am a fan of the Ask Andy column at the US Scouting Service Project.  Andy's no nonsense, straight answers are just up my ally.

I was reading his May 26th column and chanced upon this gem.

Giving all the credit where it is due.. to Andy, I want to share this with you.  The reason is simply this is right on and a philosophy that I have held to from day one as a Scoutmaster.

Enjoy, I did.

Dear Andy,

My son’s in a high-achieving troop, with five to eight Eagles a year, great leaders, great program, huge fund-raising successes, friendly parents, and no complainers.  He’s about to go on his third campout with the troop.  In the first two, everyone cooked together—Scouts and parents.  The very first one was a Webelos-as-guests, plus “electronics.”  The second was a new Scout weekend.  For these first two, it looked like the parents pretty much did all the cooking.  When I asked who’s buying food for the adult leaders, for this third campout, I learned that the adults "scavenge" off the patrols that their sons are in.  This is a new one on.  What do you think?  I’m really pretty unsure. (Bob White)

Here's the deal about Boy Scouts and the out-of-doors: Boy Scouts hike and camp as Boy Scouts.  This is not "Webelos III Family Camping."  Boys of this age need to grow, and to form peer relationships, to individuate themselves, and to gain a sense of competence and independence.  This absolutely cannot occur in a "family camping" environment.

If parents come along, they should be camping separately from the Scouts--literally out of sight and out of ear-shot.  If they cook, they cook for themselves, with their own food.  They don't "mooch" from the Scouts, or cook for them, or have any interactions with them.  The Scouts and their Scoutmaster and an assistant (may be an ASM, a parent, or a committee member) are together, but any "extra" parents should be making themselves invisible.

A "Jamboree Troop" is a "model troop," from which we can draw lessons. There are four patrols of eight, one Senior Patrol Leader, perhaps one or two ASPLs, and four adults: Scoutmaster and three ASMs.  That's it.  Patrols cook and clean up for themselves, lead themselves, plan for themselves, and carry out daily activities for themselves.  The four adults aren't the “leaders," they're the wallpaper, or safety-nets, if you will.  All troops need to be organized in this general fashion.

Parents stay away.  They pitch their tents away from the Scouts and do whatever they do during the day away from the Scouts.  This is not a "Dad n' Lad" activity--That went the way of the buggy whips of Cub Scouting, and should no longer be present.

Any troop that doesn't do it this way is ultimately crippling their Scouts by keeping them subservient and "small."  Boy Scouting cuts those apron-strings, and keeps 'em cut.

How “separate” should any accompanying parents be from their sons, while camping? (BW)

How separate?  How's this: If the Scouts and the parents don’t see one another from dawn till after dinner, that would be just about right.  Boys and young men of Boy Scout age need to assert their independence and their reliance on one another without Dad and Mom "hovering."

Thanks Andy!

Have a Great Scouting Day!