The theme of the 2008 Council Recognition Dinner involved the Sixties. If you did not attend, then you missed what should be an Emmy Award winning performance of Geraldo, as played by Jim Wood. Or perhaps not.
Part of the production involved a series of pictures of yours truly from the Sixties showed on the screen. One picture was me as a young Scout in Troop 105 based in Baumholder, Germany, and is included at the top of this post. The memories flooded back:
- The very Camporee in 1965 where the picture was taken...during the fire building contest that my fabled Tailbone Patrol won handily.
- My fellow Scouts from Troop 105, who I haven’t seen in 40 years, and all the times we froze on campouts. Or threw C-ration jelly cans into the campfire and hid until they exploded. That was great fun!
How tough it was for me to earn my Eagle Badge, and how much of a role my parents and Troop leaders played in making me who I am today.
Recently, I was fortunate to be at the Bezanson Service Center during Red Cedar District’s Eagle Boards of Review. Several young men passed their Boards that night, and reminded me of the stress I felt heading into my Board.
One young man stood out as personifying the character that Scouting helps families instill in young men. Life Scout Andrew Loggins of Troop 3, chartered to Grant Wood Parents Youth Organization passed his Eagle Board that night. This culminated an extraordinary journey for Andrew. Although he communicates only via sign language and assistive keyboard, the joy, energy and passion he brings to his fellow Scouts and the world around him is contagious. Thank you, Andrew, Andrew’s family and all those who positively impacted his Eagle journey. You all serve as an example of the limitless power of a positive attitude. I know what it takes to earn the Eagle Badge. Given how Andrew and his family turned potential stumbling blocks into stepping stones, his achievement is stunning. He is an inspiration to us all!
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