Sept. 2023: Camp Allamuchy

It is the night of September 25th, 2023, a Friday and we are once again in the parking lot of our church and meeting place eagerly searching and packing our equipment for our first campout of the 2023-24 season. The air has turned a bit cool, and the air smells of impending rain - which has been the topic of conversation all week. From emails to texts, I've been fielding questions of "Are we still going?" since the weather began reporting that a hurricane was pushing foul weather our way.

Of course, we're going, why wouldn't we? We've never been worried about foul weather before (however there were a few cases where we should have been), so why would we start now? In fact, it worked out in our favor; we're heading to Camp Allamuchy in Stanhope, NJ and due to the inclement weather prediction, a once full camp is now very much open, and the ranger has offered to move us to a more suitable accommodation. In this case, it happens to be a campsite with a pavilion and lean-tos. 

It also happens to be directly behind the camp office, the trading post, and the rangers home, which makes me think it was less about our comfort and more about his ability to get to us in an emergency quickly and get us under more permanent shelter should the need arise.

However, standing in the parking lot next to a church on Friday dressed in my finest camping clothes, it is evident that the Scouts are excited. It hasn't been since the end of summer camp in July that they have been camping (though we were together a few times over the summer for recruiting events); it's also the moment I realize I'm excited too. It's not just that it's the first campout of the season (which is a part of it) but also that all my Scouts are eager to go. I also have a new Scout who has never been in the program. He seems overly excited, and my hope on this Friday night is that same eagerness will be there come Sunday morning.

His eagerness is absolutely astounding. Having never even been camping before (with us or with his family... or anyone else for that matter) he has asked about summer camp, National Jamboree, World Jamboree, all the High Adventure Bases, earning merit badges, teaching merit badges and even working at summer camp. This was the weekend before at a recruiting event, and I told him let's get him through the first campout before we talk about him going to wherever the World Jambo is (it was last in South Korea). I also said if he's planning on going to all those events, he should probably get a really good job (while all are worthwhile to go to, none are what I would refer to as "cheap"). 

We finalize our equipment, close up the pickup truck, and all load into the SUV. This time around (beyond myself (driver of the SUV) and our dedicated committee chairman (driver of the pickup) we have two other assistant SMs (one leaving early on Saturday) and an additional Scout arriving Saturday afternoon after a cross-country meet.

I feel I need a scorecard when it comes to keeping track of who is coming and who is going to our campouts. I try to discourage arriving after 12 p.m. on Saturday, but everyone wants to camp, if even for one night.

So we head out, going through the interchange lovingly referred to as the "spaghetti bowl", west on I-80 where we arrive about 30+ minutes later at the dark road into camp. Here, we pull over, wait for one of our ASMs who had to make a stop, and text the ranger. He unlocks the gate and gives us the go-ahead to come in. At this point, the rain has yet to arrive, and other than a little chill in the air, it's a nice night. He gives us the welcome speech, takes our roster, and in exchange hands us green rubber wristbands - to let everyone know we are supposed to be on the camp property.

He points us to the trail leading into our site and informs us that he would prefer we don't take all 4 of our vehicles into the site. Fair enough - since two are filled with either firewood or troop equipment, in they go. I and another ASM hoists packs on our backs, and proceed to walk to our site. Walking into a new site is both exciting and concerning at the same time; it's great to be in a site you've never been to before, but also you could be in for a 30-minute hike uphill or a 2-minute walk on a hardpacked dirt road (in this case, it was the latter and (I realized later) the way he took us was the long-way; we were even closer to the parking lot by going around the other side of the trading post/camp office). 

To our surprise, we entered into a pretty nice site. There was a decent-sized pavilion (made of large steel square stock so we knew it wasn't going anywhere), and a building consisting of 5-6 lean-tos connected by a front porch with an overhang. Directly adjacent to the site (by about 20-30 yards) was the "Eco-Pavilion" which was (I guess?) where merit badges relating to nature were taught during summer camp. It had electricity and even a small greenhouse (I wanted to camp in the greenhouse, but it wasn't quite capable of holding my hammock up - nor was it big enough for me to even lay down in the bottom without curling up). 

Immediately, the Scouts began picking lean-tos for the weekend. Some previous camper (or maybe the staff) had added hooks along the top of the entry on the inside - aligned perfectly with the grommets in the tarp - which told me this had been well used over the years. Most of the Scouts opted for a tarp over the door and sleeping mat and bag on the floor; one (our SPL) apparently was expecting a superstorm-level hurricane to hit his lean-to directly, so he opted for a tent in the lean-to, with a tarp across the doorway. 

In certain cases, I've learned to not ask a lot of questions.

There were a few issues with this lean-to palace; it was painted in dark brown paint, which means you needed a flashlight to find anything even during the day (and there were no windows); there were no spaces between the joists and the roof to hang a hammock strap; and (as we discovered later) it had been built in 1990 (a year before I joined the troop as a Scout) and it was starting to see it's age. In daylight, the roof looked like the waves at the Jersey shore, and was covered in moss and a few 2x4s whose purpose I could not discern. 

For a hammock camper, it was an issue. I waited until all of us had found built or found shelter for the night, then began working on my own sleeping arrangements. One of my ASMs (also a hammocker) took probably the only two viable trees in the area to hang from and (admittedly) I was feeling a bit lazy so I was hoping for a solution within the coverage of the lean-tos. I found I could hang a strap from the joist holding the porch roof on, but with a railing in the way and upright being too close together, I needed another connection point. I found an eye-bolt that had been screwed in by whomever for whatever about 20 years ago.

Having no other options, I hooked everything up and hoped for the best. I gingerly sat down on the hammock; the eye hook wiggled a bit, but happily, held. As we've been having issues with "salty" language in the troop as of late, I told my ASM that if he heard a loud thud followed by some colorful language in the middle of the night to not hold it against me. He agreed that it would be extenuating circumstances and it would not.

We retired for the night to the beginning of a rather wet weekend.

I awoke at about 6 a.m. to answer the call of nature, only to see a flashlight wandering the trail around our site. Wondering if there was a lost Scout (one wears glasses and has a tendency to not wear them for late-night bathroom breaks) or (even worse) an emergency of some sort I watched the light flash around the dimly lit trees. Rain was falling steadily but not heavily, so I couldn't hear any conversation or, for that matter, much else.

Finally, the owner of the flashlight came into view - it was my new Scout. Immediately I thought he was lost (though he was on the far side of the site from the latrine) but almost as quickly as he entered the picture so did his buddy, another newer Scout. I watched, wondering a) what they were up to, and b) why were they up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday? They went to the Eco Pavillion, looked around, and proceeded to make their way to our little dining area. 

After inquiring about what they were up to, I realized they weren't causing trouble. They were excited, and the one who had never been camping wanted to wander around and see the sites. Youthful exuberance, nothing more. I applauded them for using the buddy system, but reminded them that they can't go into other's campsites or closed/locked buildings; they stated they knew, they were just exploring.

In the long run, it was better than them attempting to make a fire, or something more nefarious; so, no harm, no foul. 

Slowly, the site came to life. As Scouts began to stagger out of their lean-tos (or lean-to/tent combinations), a large tarp was set up next to the fire for cooking, sitting and whatever out of the rain, and work began on breakfast - bacon and French toast, a staple of campers if not a favorite of everyone. Our committee chairman handled the coffee, which this SM was greatly appreciative of.

After breakfast and dishes, the work began. I schedule the first campout every year as a sort of "shakedown"; it's been a while since we camped (more so in cooler weather) and I don't schedule a hike or anything - let's camp, work out any bugs with equipment or anything, and get the first one under our belt. As our Fall Court of Honor happens in October, it is actually a great time to get requirements signed off for any rank advancement that may be lingering since July, which is where we started.

My SPL is Life Rank and working on Eagle; at this point, he needs to do the work with guidance from our adult leadership, but there is nothing for me to sign off on at the moment. My next oldest just made Star a week ago and also has to teach and earn merit badges, so nothing there either. The advancement ball is in their court. My two newest Scouts are starting at the beginning - Scout - and the one without any experience in the program at all will need the most work. I'll start with the other two.

Let me start by saying that all my Scouts are good kids. They are a mixed bunch on a variety of points, but they are all helpful to each other. I don't worry about them causing intentional trouble (unintentional is a different story) and I don't really worry about them running off and doing anything that I would need to kick them out for. They just aren't wired that way.

...but sometimes they are both frustrating and baffling at the same time.

First up is a Scout who has been with me for two years and is a little older - meaning, if he plans to earn Eagle he needs to get moving. I always try to keep things light so that Scouts are not scared about coming to me with problems, rank advancement, questions - whatever. Despite that, they still take their time coming to me for sign-off; this is the case here. He completed the last requirement for Tenderfoot I don't know how long ago, and is only now coming to me for sign-off. Actually, that's a lie; I asked him for his book, looked at the requirements, and asked why he didn't come to me for sign-off.

He's a pretty happy-go-lucky kid, and he smiled, chuckled, and muttered something to the effect of "I don't know." I initialed and dated the last requirement, and immediately went into the Scoutmaster conference. In about a half-hour, I had initialed all the requirements for Tenderfoot, initiated a few more for both Second and First Class, and he was asking his troopmates for a Board of Review. The BOR happened that night, but during the day he and another Scout were now both working on Second Class, so they focused on the outdoor skills of the ranks.

The other Scout working on Second has made great strides since being with us (for only a year or so). When he first started with us, he had trouble remembering the Oath, Law, Slogan, etc., and would always put himself down as being "stupid". I was surprised by how easily he put himself down when he didn't get it right. I explained that not remembering it all was nothing new - all the Scouts had trouble with it (it's partly why we say it at every meeting) and that he wasn't stupid, he just needed to be taught. Over time our troop uses almost all the requirements regularly, so the more he does it, the better he'll get.

He earned his Scout rank, and he was both happy and proud that he had done it. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Scout smile so much. Tenderfoot came a little bit easier, and it was then that I think he realized that he wasn't stupid. I can't say he's been diligently working on rank advancement - going home and studying the book, practicing his knots and first aid, asking parents to test him - but he's getting it. I wasn't sure he was even thinking about earning Eagle until a relative and he was at an Eagle Court - he said it would be "cool" to be up there receiving his bird.

This weekend, he was getting stuff signed off, and every time my initials and the date went down on the page, he was ready to get another, then another, then another. He did great this weekend (despite trying to light a fire in the rain) and while he didn't complete a rank, he made a great movement forward in two of them.

Then there were my two new Scouts. The first (going through the Cub Scout program) ran through almost all the requirements for Scout. The Scout rank requirements are about the same as the Arrow of Light requirements for Cub Scouts, so it was a breeze. He'll probably come to me at the Friday meeting looking to get the rest signed off, and I'll be handing him his first rank at the Court of Honor.

The other, more eager and less experienced Scout, was a little different. As I said, he's eager, to the point where he is always asking if he can skip ranks (for the record, he can earn everything from Scout to First Class in basically a night - if he knows his stuff - but he cannot "skip" anything). Despite his lack of program experience, he managed to learn 3 new knots and get about half of the requirements signed off for the Scout rank. I was surprised at how well he learned the knots - and quickly! - and while I know he wanted that rank, he was content with the work he had done. I wouldn't be surprised if he also came to me to get more requirements signed off at the Friday meeting as well.

A note on the knots; never, ever, had I had to tell a Scout to stop tying rope around poles. My two new Scouts had a new skill and they were determined to use it as much as possible, as though the minute the weekend was over it would spill out their ear and onto the ground, never to be remembered again.

On and in it went Saturday, teaching, testing, initialing, chopping, sawing, cutting, tying, untying, retying, lighting, and lighting again. Adults teaching youth, youth teaching youth; a break for a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup followed by dishes; another break for a dinner of lemon pepper and teriyaki chicken, corn, and salad, followed by a Board of Review and dishes done by the Scoutmaster. A lot of hard work was put into rank advancement by a dogged group of Scouts and Scouters. The day ending with a decent fire and mountain pies.

More importantly, everyone sleeping through the night.

Sunday morning came with our usual routine; get up, get dressed, pack personal equipment, have some breakfast - in this case oatmeal - pack troop gear, do a police call (garbage pickup), checkout, and hit the road. Inform the parents of our impending arrival at the church where it all began and watch as eyelids begin to dip on the ride home.

All in all a very productive campout that had no specific plan.

...and the rain? It was a constant wetness all weekend long, with times of heavy rain (though not overly heavy), times of light rain, and times of misting. It was a weekend where you should be wearing rain gear all the time, even when it's not raining, just to stay a little warmer and to make sure you don't sit on a wet bench. If things get wet, you accept it because it's not warm enough to really dry anything out.

To be honest, it was a pleasant companion to the weekend if for nothing more than the soothing sound it makes when you are trying to drift off to sleep at night. Add the fact that the lean-tos had dark paint on them, with small trailing vines growing in the gutters, it gave the feeling of being in a Shinto temple or Buddhist monastery in the mountains of Japan rather than a handicap-accessible campsite in NJ.

Musings of a Scoutmaster: That First Fateful Step

In the not too distant past, I was asked by my latest Eagle Scout if I could answer some questions for him for a project he was doing for a college course. Naturally, I said yes, despite having only a slight idea of what those questions might be, as well as being a relatively private person. The project revolved around groups and how they interact and behave within those social groups - specifically, non-traditional social groupings, meaning not your interactions in a school or work environment.

Regardless, the reason for the questions is not what this is about.

The first question was "How did you join Scouting, and at what age?" My initial reaction was what the majority of participants in this organization would probably answer "Six or seven, and I went to an open house/meeting." Period. End of story.

However in this case, I had to stop and consider how I really came to this point in my life. How I had spent the better part of my adolescence wearing a uniform with a little 101 embroidered on the shoulder. How I went to meeting after meeting, faithfully first as a Cub Scout when Pack 101 had something like 40 Scouts, to every Webelos meeting when there were literally 3 of us, to every Friday night meeting from 11 years old to 37 (and counting). How I went to dozens of Klondike Derbys, Pinewood Derbys, 26 summer camps, 1 National Jamboree, 1 High Adventure Base, and have spent hundreds of nights sleeping in the woods, fighting off either swarms of no-see-ums or the cold winter's chill.

How I went from a shy quiet seven year old to an Eagle Scout and eventually, Scoutmaster.

How?

I can't say I went looking for it - no seven year-old goes looking for something like this. Even more so when you don't know what a Boy Scout or Cub Scout even is. There wasn't a history of Scouting in my family (which by the way, was question #2) - my father, despite being an accomplished outdoorsman was only a Sea Scout (how this feat was tackled in Lodi, NJ I will never know) and my grandfather was in briefly, never earning Eagle (though in his case, if I had to guess, it was interrupted by his going to apprentice as a tool and die maker at 16). Before that, my family was either too old, or too not-in-the-country. In fact, out of my entire family (and we are a large bunch) I am one of two Eagle Scouts in the whole lot. I certainly wasn't looking for something to do because video games were non-existent, and I had no desire to learn how to make a fire and cook over it.

So what was it that got me down to my school's gym on that fateful day with 40 or so other screaming 7 year-olds to see what Scouting was all about?

...in a word: Dad.

Now, I don't know what made Dad take me down there. Perhaps it was my lack of skills on the sports field (and believe me, was there a lack); perhaps he wanted me to fulfill something that neither he nor my grandfather had; maybe he felt I wasn't active enough - or it could have been a good old case of Mom saying "He needs to be more social." I don't know what the real reason was, and perhaps I'll never know (my guess is that neither mom nor dad really recall either at this point).

While I don't know the reason, I can recall some details about the day; I was hanging onto my father like a remora on a shark the entire time (I was a really shy kid). I remember seeing all these kids and their parents running around the room, checking out different pictures or Pinewood Derby cars or other Scouting paraphernalia that was set up on tables around the gym. There was a food table at the back with the standard cookies and juice set up for everyone's consumption (to this day, I cannot eat cookies and juice blech.) I remember women in uniform, wandering around making sure that no one ate the glue, or cut their fingers with safety scissors, yellow polyester shirts covered in various patches that at the time meant nothing to me.

Despite this (and my father generally hates large crowds, even more with screaming children that are not his) Dad seemed...happy. He moseyed around the room with me in tow looking over the various displays, seeing something he liked, or pointing to something and saying "Your grandfather had that when he was a Scout" - acting as though he was at something akin to a flea market as oppose to a Cub Scout open house. It was as we were ending our initial lap around the room that we almost crashed into him.

He was about as tall as Dad, dressed in a crisp, clean uniform; patches all stitched on and straight; creases all sharp as a knife's edge; the edge of his shirt aligned with the bright brass buckle on his belt, which was aligned with the front of his pants. His hat was low over his eyes, and pushed forward a bit, containing the "high and tight" of his hair cut (or, more specifically, what was left of his hair) buttons adorning the front - one being, curiously enough, a small, green pickle with the word "Heinz" molded into the plastic. Around his neck was a bolo, hand carved and painted to look like a military man screaming at someone with a camouflage hat on. He was a little plump around the middle, but you could tell that there was muscle under there...

...and his Scout pants were "bloused" into his combat boots.

This was the Scoutmaster?

My father and he apologized for almost crashing into one another, and he introduced himself and shook Dad's hand.

Yep. This was the Scoutmaster.

...and of course, Dad being a police officer and a friend to all those who serve (not to mention being an amateur student of history) notices the bolo. "Well that's a funny story..." is how it started, and continued with the words "Marine", "sergeant" and "active reserve", ending with "Scoutmaster of Troop 101, where your son will go when he crosses over from Cub Scouts in to Boy Scouts". Actually, it ended with my father smiling down at me and saying I was going to have fun in Scouts after the gentleman walked away.

Shortly after that, my father and I grabbed an application and headed for the door. I'm not even sure I had a say in my future endeavor, nor do I recall if there was any convincing to be done on Dad's part for Mom. Maybe she agreed; maybe she figured Dad knew what he was doing; maybe she kept her reservations to herself (though, if you knew my mother, this is highly unlikely). I honestly don't recall most of my time in Cub Scouts - I recall snippets, like sitting on the end of a porch at day camp and listening one counselor ask another how he got the fire to light with all the rain we'd be having (answer: he soaked it in lighter fluid for 3 days to make sure it would light). I have tons of pictures, several Pinewood Derby cars, and endless miles of woven lanyards to prove I was there.

That was the first step. Dad taking me to an open house, and almost, literally, running into the Scoutmaster himself. A step that started me on a path that lead from a lowly little Bear in Cub Scouts to an Eagle in Boy Scouts - and oddly enough, the Scoutmaster who took over from the very same guy he almost crashed into 20 some-odd years earlier.

Hopefully, when I'm old and grey and have trod a thousand miles over muddy trails, pushing Scouts to the top of the hill, and have spent ten-thousand nights among the trees and stars, some young Scout will return to continue the traditions of Troop 101 - but I've just started, and have a long, long way to go.

I still don't know why you did what you did, but thanks Dad.

............

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - 
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

Our History: The Month of February 2015

First, once again I have not stuck to my guns and written every week like I had proposed. However, I do have a very good reason - February 10th marked a great day in my personal history in that my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world.

As you can imagine, life has been a bit hectic around here. Mother and baby are healthy and well, and we are all adjusting to our newest addition as best we all can. Since I did not make these posts on the days that I had intended, I am writing this entry to cover some key events marked in the month of February. Obviously, many, many events happened during the last month, so I am focusing on events that mark special anniversaries.

February 4th, 1945 - The 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Yalta Conference

The Yalta Conference was held during the ending days of World War II at the Livadia Palace near Yalta in the Crimea. It was attended by the heads of the key Allied Powers - President Franklin Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Premier Josef Stalin. This conference was to determine the post-war reorganization of Europe, and more specifically, Germany.

Many points were discussed between the three leaders, but the reason this event is so important to our history is that it created the division between the (then) U.S.S.R. and the Western Powers. Germany was divided between the two, and the creation of East and West Berlin was a direct result of this conference - which led to the creation of the Berlin Wall, and a Cold War that lasted 50 years, ending with the fall of the Soviet Union in December of 1991. It could be argued that the Korean and Vietnam wars (as well as several smaller battles) could be directly attributed to the division of Europe at the end of the war.

A small meeting between 3 men that had repercussions as a Cold War for 50 years, but smaller ripples that are ongoing today.


February 9th, 1965 - The 50th Anniversary of the First Combat Troops to Viet Nam

It was the first step in a long campaign that would cost more than 50,000 American lives, and millions of Vietnamese. The first of thousands of American troops were sent to Vietnam - in this first case, a battalion of Marines serving Hawk Air Defense Missiles to protect the key American Air Base at Da Nang. By sending in the Marines, President Johnson gave a very clear message that the U.S. would be backing the South Vietnamese against Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces (who were backed by China and the Soviet Union) - which lead to protests in Moscow by Vietnamese and Chinese students numbering over 2,000 and leading to an attack on the U.S. Embassy there.

Britain and Australia supported the action, while France (who had suffered heavy loses fighting the Viet Minh during the late 40's through the 1950's) called for negotiations.

February 19th, 1945 - 70th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iwo Jima

Operation Detachment began in the early morning as Marines loaded into their landing craft and headed for a small strip of rock in the middle of the ocean. To the Marines it was another island that needed to be taken from the Japanese - to the American military, it was the best place to build a landing strip to launch strikes against the home islands of Japan - a mere 660 miles away.

By the end of the first day, 550 Marine lives would be lost, and another 1,800 would wounded. One of the lost Marines was GSgt. John Basilone of Raritan, New Jersey. A veteran of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as well as Guadalcanal where he earned the CMH, he was killed while landing at Iwo Jima, leading a platoon of Marines. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism.

Two key events that were a direct result from the battle: the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi, which created the famous picture taken by Joe Rosenthal, and in doing so lead to the 7th War Bond drive in the U.S., allowing American servicemen to finish the job in the Pacific. Iwo Jima was also used as an emergency landing strip for the bombers carrying the atomic weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It also served as an example for invading the Japanese home islands - of the 22,000 Japanese Imperial Army soldiers on the island, only 216 were taken alive. All others were either killed or committed suicide. For the Americans, 26,000 casualties were taken; 6,800 of which were killed in action.

In the end, the loss of life for a small piece of rock became a controversial subject in Washington. By the time the B-29 bombers with the atomic weapons were headed to Japan, the island of Okinawa (considered to be a part of the main Japanese island chain) had been liberated and was used as a staging area. The Army and Navy had no strategic use for the island, and in the end it became one more island that the Marines had liberated for the war effort.

The island had an elaborate tunnel system where the IJA forces were fighting from; because of this, the last troops to surrender came walking out in 1949.


February 21st, 1965 - The 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Malcolm X

from History.com:
In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights.

Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the black nationalist ideals of Marcus Garvey. Threats from the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to move to Lansing, Michigan, where his father continued to preach his controversial sermons despite continuing threats. In 1931, Malcolm’s father was brutally murdered by the white supremacist Black Legion, and Michigan authorities refused to prosecute those responsible. In 1937, Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers. By the time he reached high school age, he had dropped out of school and moved to Boston, where he became increasingly involved in criminal activities.

In 1946, at the age of 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. It was there he encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims. The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral “devils.” Muhammad’s teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name “X” to symbolize his stolen African identity.

After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. In contrast with civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans “by any means necessary.” A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community in New York and around the country.

In the early 1960s, he began to develop a more outspoken philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad, whom he felt did not sufficiently support the civil rights movement. In late 1963, Malcolm’s suggestion that President John F. Kennedy’s assassination was a matter of the “chickens coming home to roost” provided Elijah Muhammad, who believed that Malcolm had become too powerful, with a convenient opportunity to suspend him from the Nation of Islam.

A few months later, Malcolm formally left the organization and made a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, where he was profoundly affected by the lack of racial discord among orthodox Muslims. He returned to America as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and in June 1964 founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which advocated black identity and held that racism, not the white race, was the greatest foe of the African American. Malcolm’s new movement steadily gained followers, and his more moderate philosophy became increasingly influential in the civil rights movement, especially among the leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members while speaking at a rally of his organization in New York City.

February 23rd, 1945 - 70th Anniversary of the Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima

It had taken 4 days, but finally the Marines had made their way to the summit of Mount Suribachi. There, they found an old drainage pipe, and affixed an old and worn U.S. flag to it and raised their makeshift flag pole into the top of the mountain. From there it could be seen all over the island, and by the Naval flotilla just off shore. Despite the fighting, Marines cheered and saluted, and the ships at sea sounded their horns. 

While Marine photographer Louis Lowery captured the original flag being raised, later that day another, larger flag was brought up and the smaller one was replaced. This is the flag that is in the image and newsreel footage. Five Marines and one Navy Corpsman raised the second flag fighting the weight of the pole and wind atop the mountain to do so. Captured the second time by Joe Rosenthal, the picture went on to become the most reproduced image in history, and earned Rosenthal a Pulitzer Prize. Sadly, of the original 6 men to raise the flag, 3 would be lost to enemy fire before the battle for Iwo Jima was over.

Navigating BSA Policies & Procedures 1: The Merit Badge Blue Card

For our first discussion in the series "Navigating BSA Policies & Procedures" I've decided to tackle a crucial yet incredibly simple piece of card stock that all Scouts at some point in their Scouting career will come in contact with: the BSA Merit Badge Blue Card.

Merit badges are an important part of the Scouts' BSA career. Twenty-one merit badges must be earned in order to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout - eleven of which are required for the rank. As early as the rank of Star, merit badges are needed in order to advance to Life as well as Eagle. Summer camp in itself is dedicated to a week of earning merit badges that would otherwise be difficult to earn at home with a counselor or a meeting with your troop.

So where do you begin? Obviously, the first step is to decide which of the over 130 merit badges available to Scouts you wish to pursue. Everything from Swimming to Rocketry has a merit badge, and while earning a merit badge will not make you an expert on a subject, it will open your mind to something that you didn't think you wanted to know about before. It may even take you out of your comfort zone, and in some rare cases, it you may find yourself pursuing a career in something you got a taste of in a merit badge class.

Once you've determined which of the myriad of merit badges you wish to earn, your next step is approaching your Scoutmaster and asking for the item pictured above: a Blue Card. The blue card is called so for the obvious fact that it is blue, and it is much easier to say than "Application for Merit Badge" - but that is exactly what it is. This little card has three sections to it, printed on both sides, and it provides a record for the merit badge counselor, your troop, and your council. Despite everything being recorded electronically these days, you as a Scout are still required to bring all your blue cards to your Eagle Board of Review. You won't have what you see above - by the time everything is said and done, you will have a third (about the size of a baseball card) of the card above.

Let's break down the card:

• Upper left section: This section is just a few instructions for both the counselor and the applicant. There is nothing that really needs to be discussed about this section, but if you wish to take a closer look, read it off the actual blue card.

• Upper center section: This grid is for writing down the numbers of the requirements for the merit badge you are going for. The grid (which is turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise in this image) has three columns - the first for the number and/or letter of the requirement (i.e. 2, 3a, 3b, 4, etc.), the second is for the date which the requirement was completed, and the third is for the counselor's initials. (The other three columns are a repeat of the first three, as some merit badges have many numbers and letters for their requirements). As a show of respect for the counselor, Troop 101 requires our Scouts to fill in all the requirement numbers and letters in the first column.

• Upper right section: This section is essentially the basic info for any Scout. It asks for his name & address, if he is a Boy Scout, Varsity Scout or Venturer, his troop or crew, the troop number, district and council. The Scoutmaster then signs the bottom of this section and dates it, to indicate to the merit badge counselor that he has approved of this Scout earning this merit badge. There are cases where a Scout would not be able to earn a merit badge - for instance, in NY state where our summer camp is located, a youth is not allowed to shoot a rifle or shotgun until a certain age. If the Scoutmaster has signed the card on this section, he is indicating that this Scout is eligible to earn this merit badge.

• Lower left section: This is the reverse of the upper right panel. This section indicates to the Scout's council what merit badge he earned, the name of the counselor, where the badge was earned, and the signature of the counselor upon completion. The lower part is filled out once the troop has recorded it in the database, and the merit badge has been presented. Then this section is handed in to council and is placed in their records. If there is ever a question about the earning of a merit badge, there is always a copy at council.

• Lower center section: This section is initially filled out by the Scout with his name and the name of the merit badge. Once the badge is complete, the counselor signs and dates the card, and once that is completed, the Scoutmaster signs the card as well. If for some reason the Scoutmaster feels that the Scout did not truly "earn" the merit badge, the Scoutmaster has the option of not signing, indicating that either there was some trickery afoot, and he needs to investigate, and/or he can make the Scout re-take the merit badge. (As of this writing, I have yet to see a Scoutmaster do this. I have however seen a Scout ask that the Scoutmaster not sign, as the Scout felt that he did not earn the badge.) Once this section is completed, it is handed back to the Scout with the merit badge at a Court of Honor for his records.

• Lower right section: This section is to be filled out by the Scout with his name, unit and unit number. Once the merit badge is completed, the counselor will date the card, and then (s)he will keep the card for their records. So, when a Scout earns the merit badge, the card should already be 1/3 smaller.

In the image above, everything highlighted in yellow is the responsibility of the Scout to fill out before getting it signed by the Scoutmaster. What is not filled out in the image is the requirements grid. In T101, I check each card before I sign it to make sure that it is properly filled out. If something is missing, I hand it and a pen right back to the Scout. Once its filled out to my satisfaction (i.e. properly) I'll sign the front section, and then I give it to the Scout.

At this point, the Scout has to bring the card to the counselor, who will (or should) hold on to it until the boy completes the merit badge. Once the all the requirements have been completed to the satisfaction of the counselor, (s)he'll sign off and send the two sections back with the Scout to hand over to the Scoutmaster. I'll then sign, and hand it over to our records keeper, who will log the merit badge with council, get all the necessary paperwork in order and purchase the actual merit badge. At the next Court of Honor the Scout will receive his portion of the blue card and the merit badge itself.

As happens every so often, a Scout will get back a full blue card with some of the requirements initialed and dated in the grid. This is what we call a "partial" meaning that the Scout only finished some of the merit badge, and will either have to return to summer camp, or find a counselor to help them finish. Some merit badges - like shotgun - require the Scout to shoot so many targets out of so many targets. Sometimes, he doesn't hit enough, or the weather is too foul at camp to complete the badge. These thing happen.

In the cases of partials from summer camp, I hold on to the blue card itself (in order to make sure they aren't lost over the winter) and will bring it back for the Scout to complete the following year. If the Scout wishes to finish sooner than later, I can provide him with a list of counselors around his home for him to contact to see if they are available to finish. Even if he wishes to earn one that is not a partial, I'll provide him with a list of counselors in the area.

Can a Scout start a merit badge before filling out the blue card? That depends on the counselor. Some are real sticklers for the rules, and BSA policy does say that the Scout needs to arrive with the blue card in hand. Many though won't care either way, as the boy can't earn the badge without the proper application signed and filled out. While you would be wasting the time of the counselor, the only person being really hurt by not getting a blue card for a merit badge is the Scout himself - no record in the council database, then as far as everyone is concerned, the merit badge was never earned.

Pretty much that is the blue card in a nutshell. Whether you want to earn another merit badge, or whether you need to complete one from 2 years ago, see your Scoutmaster and ask for a blue card and a list of phone numbers. Merit badges are not earned only at summer camp - anyone looking to go all the way to Eagle should be earning merit badges all year long.

The blue card is the first step.

Let's Try Something New for 2015

Since I am currently between jobs (something that seems to plague many in the country these days) I've been sitting here contemplating how to improve the way things are with Troop 101; more specifically, how this blog could help current members, future members and their families. 

Since this blog was started, it has pretty much been about what we we've been doing as a troop; meetings, events and camping trips. I plan to continue keeping everyone up-to-date on that front - it is the backbone of everything we do after all. However, if you are regular reader, you'll notice that many of our trips come back around every year, and unless something really off-the-wall happens, its pretty much the same trip. So, in the spirit of making a new and helpful blog, I plan to start writing a few series of posts that I'll label so that they can be referenced at any time.

1. Troop Calendar Updates: This will be the posts related to what we've been doing. Hopefully I can keep this up-to-date.

2. Gear & Gadgets: This is a series where I will be discussing the pros and cons of various equipment that we use in the troop, as well as what you should be using as a Scout (or looking for for your Scout). Hopefully it will be pretty in depth on various topics, like sleeping bags, foot wear, flashlights, etc., etc.

3. Navigating BSA Policies & Procedures: This is where I'll be talking about various policies and procedures that the BSA uses to help your Scout on his path to Eagle. Items like uniforms, paperwork, merit badges and rank advancement will fall into this series.

4. Troop 101 Tips & Tricks: Okay, this may not exactly be tips & tricks, but it will cover how T101 handles certain items, such as purchasing food for a camping trip, or summer camp procedures.

5. Our History: I am an amateur student of history. It was one of the few non-art related classes that I took in high school that I was really good at. I've discovered this year marks quite a few key milestones in America history, and since many of the hikes we go on are history related, I felt it was a good idea to occasionally remember where we came from - and possibly where we are going. 

So, with that said, I hope to have a much more well rounded blog. Hopefully most of what I write about will help out in the long run. So keep an eye out for new posts as I intend to do them on a weekly basis - and if they going longer than that, I pray that it won't be a year.

Tempus Fugit

Once again, I find myself stunned by the fact that I am completely incapable of keeping this blog up-to-date. Previously, I've missed a few weeks or months, and here I am realizing that I have missed pretty much an entire calendar year. That's pretty bad, even for me.

Happily, my job as scoutmaster does not require me to keep the blog up-to-date. If it did, I obviously would not be writing this blog entry, or for that matter, any blog entry here. So, let me start by saying that yes, we are all still here and Scouting on. Obviously, our lives did not stop just because the blog did - we have done so much since the last posting about the 2013 Asbury Park Zombie Walk.

To begin, in the past year, we've picked up two new Scouts. One is the younger brother of a Scout that joined us when their troop folded (as troops sadly sometimes tend to do), and the other, is the second of possibly four brothers that will be joining the troop over the next decade or so. Both are doing quite well with their rank advancement and learning how to be a Troop 101 Boy Scout. Our other boys are doing well - our eldest at 17 made Life Rank and is currently working his way to an Eagle Scout project and - hopefully - his Eagle Scout rank. We have four Scouts working their way through the middle ranks, and hopefully by June of 2015 they will all have made the rank of 1st Class, and be ready to start working on their Star Ranks at summer camp.

Our 3 youngest are moving along quite well through the early ranks, all of whom show great potential in rocketing up through the middle ranks rather quickly. For the one set of brothers, it sets quite the fire under the older one when he realizes that his younger brother could easily out rank him at some point. Also on the horizon is another crossover from the Cub Pack coming this spring - and he has quite the legacy to live up to. His great-grandfather was Scoutmaster, his grandfather was Scoutmaster and his father is Cub Master as well as an Eagle from 101 - obviously there is no pressure there what-so-ever.

As for me, things have been busy on a personal level.

For those who have no idea what a Scoutmaster does, let me say that running a troop is like having a part time job. Despite what anyone at Council may say, my job is not "one hour a week, one weekend a month, and one week a year". (This is part of the reason this blog is almost never up-to-date - of all the things I need to do, this is not high on the priority list.) Summer camp alone - while the actual event is only a week - takes months of prodding to make sure that merit badges are signed up for, medical forms are filled out, everyone is paid up, and for me to pack all that we need, it takes at least 3 weeks of running around!

On top of all this, I work full time. Happily while at work, I have downtime enough that I can answer emails and help set up events for the troop during the week. (What I can't do is stop and write a blog entry though). The miracle of modern technology (and a Scoutmaster willing to use it) allows me to answer questions almost instantly when they come up. The week before a campout I have to make sure everyone is notified that we are going, if we their Scout needs any special equipment, get a head count, and make sure that the person buying food for the weekend gets everything we need. The last thing I want is a Scout to go hungry. I am always the last to eat, which means if we are low on food, I go the weekend without - but frankly, I could afford to miss a few meals.

Finally, I am married and my wife and I are expecting our first - soon. Like, "I'm-expecting-a-phone-call-any-minute-soon". So my spare time has been spent getting the nursery ready, and basically preparing for my life to be completely turned upside down.

As you can imagine, a blog is least of my worries.

The only reason I am writing today is because its snowing out, and I have to do some work in my garage for the baby - and since I have no heat and spray paint won't spray correctly in cold weather, I find myself at a stopping point for the moment.

Which segues into the reason I wanted to write a blog today. We live in New Jersey, and our winters can be "hit or miss". Sometimes we get monster storms, sometimes you can ski all winter in a t-shirt. Its just the nature of our area - or global warming. However you want to look at it.

When it does snow, I like to encourage our Scouts to go out and not only help their family clear the snow, but also friends and neighbors. Sometimes we forget how quickly things change over the course of the year, and we forget that what was routine last winter is an impossibility this year.

The reason I bring this up is because just this past weekend I had this exact issue happen to me.

My parents moved into their current home in 1985. They have been living in this home for 30 years, and for 30 years their driveway has been a nightmare to clear of snow. Their house is located on the side of a hill - or mountain depending on how you look at it. If I had to guess, from the back of the property to the front sidewalk/street there is probably about a 10-15 foot change in elevation. At the center of this elevation change is their house - a split level built probably sometime in the 60's. While the font entry and the rear entry of the lower floor is the same level - meaning that the house isn't built into the side of the hill - the driveway slants down to the street, thus creating the nightmare.

I don't know the actual degree of angle for the drive, but we were taught as soon as we got our licenses that you set the parking brake when you pull in. (A good rule of thumb - never park on a hill and expect the gear shift pin on your transmission to hold the weight of your car from rolling away - always set the parking brake.) If your car door had a weak spring, there was enough of an angle to close the door on you - and I took a few to the head over the years.

Over the years we went through winter after winter - and for the most part they were mild. Sure, there were a few that were really bad - one I even used snow shoes to get to friends' houses - but our little Sears snowblower managed to do the trick; if the snow was deep enough. That stupid little thing needed at least 2" of snow to work, and even after you were done, you had to go back and really clean it down to the asphalt if you didn't want ice to form. Eventually, the little guy started showing his age, and dad went and got a big gas powered monster. (Oddly enough, this was about the time I went off to college for 4 years. Up to that point I was doing the bulk of the shoveling when I could manage (dad could get pretty sneaky shoveling at 4am)).

The monster served him well. Even when I got back from college, I would use it to clear the drive so dad didn't have to. We would even load it up and drive over to my grandmother's and do her driveway. It was a beast to get on the truck, but it was self-propelled and could eat snow 2' deep like it was nothing.

As I and my sister grew up, we eventually moved out - as children tend to do. Things were fine up until last winter - my grandmother had fallen ill, and my mother had tumbled down some stairs and broken one ankle and sprained the other - while on vacation in Russia. Between going to the hospital for my grandmother and rehab for my mother and working two part-time jobs, the stress began to take its toll on dad. Eventually, my mother began walking under her own power - though she hasn't fully recovered - and sadly, by February my grandmother passed. It was at that point dad, as eldest child and executor of the will, had to now deal with even more stress of the sale of my grandmother's house, distribution of assets, etc., etc. (Even as I write this, the house has still not sold.)

By this point, summer was here and things were moving ahead as life usually does. My wife and I had broken the good news about the baby, and life just... went. Then fall came and dad started having trouble with his health. He was in the hospital a few times, and now wears a monitoring vest for his heart. Mom is still not walking correctly, and my sister is still living in Florida. I do live closer, but not close enough to drop by whenever.

Then the weather report came for this snow storm - a possibility of 2'.

...and just like that, you realize that even with a self-powered snow blower, your parents are going to be snowed in. You also realize that there are probably other things that they may no longer be able to do. My parents aren't 88 like my grandmother was - they are only in their 60s - but sometimes life throws a curve ball.

Happily, arrangements have been made for someone to come and dig them out.

So where am I going with this long tale? I know my Scouts go out and help those whom they perceive as "elderly" with snow removal - as they should. What I am getting at is check in with those who aren't so "elderly". Many people pass as a result of a heart attack or over exerting themselves while shoveling snow...

...and they aren't all that elderly.

So, don't just check in with the 80+ crowd this winter, check in on everyone you know - even if they declined help last year, they may just need it this year (even the young ones expecting a baby could always use a second set of hands :)

2013 Asbury Park Zombie Walk

Well, we started out September with such high hopes, however our first month was... less than spectacular.

Then October came, and our first weekend was spectacular! Friday we found a potential new Scout, and Saturday we got all zombied up and headed down to the Asbury Park boardwalk to participate in the annual Asbury Park Zombie Walk!

Last year, the NJ's honor was taken away when Minneapolis took the Guinness World Record for most zombies in one place at one time. NJ, and Asbury Park in particular, were determined to get those bragging rights back, so all the zombies of NJ descended on the Asbury Park beach.

Despite being unseasonably warm, the turn out was great and we beat out Minneapolis for the record by over 1,000 zombies! That means that Troop 101 is now in the Guinness Book of World Records! (We were also pretty popular with everyone down there too - not only were we a themed group, we were an actual Scout Troop!) Everyone is already working on improvements to our costumes...

On top of that, we were approached by a National Geographic photographer who is compiling a book about zombies... or maybe the zombie phenomenon. We don't know yet. At any rate, we were photographed by a NG photographer and are going to be in a book! (and its not about Scouting!)

How cool is that?!

I'd love to post pics, but we're having a few issues at the moment. I'll update later.