The end of the Boy Scouts

[bigsky]

Since the Boy Scouts are in the news. I have been remembering my time in the scouts and reading the handbook given to me by my parents on my birthday, 1965. I was in the Stonewall Patrol. Yep, that Stonewall. My patrol leader, who named our Patrol, was one of the most morally upright people I have ever known. He was Physically strong, mentally awake, morally straight. He later went to VMI, transferred to Duke, became a communist activist for textile workers’ rights, dropped out of Duke, and was shot by Nazis and suffered brain injuries at the Greensboro Massacre.

Life is complicated. I still remember you, James Wiemer Wrenn.

[dan_bgblue]

The downfall of the BSA began a long time ago, and it had more to do with the feminist movement that tried to save the bankrupt GSA who did their best to force a merging of the two organizations, than any lawsuits and court battles over improper behavior of accused troop leaders. I loved the BSA organization, the Scout troops I was a part of , and the learning experience I was given. My feeling is that the BSA should have held their ground and told the GSA, and any group that wanted to subvert the values of the BSA, to take a hike, do their own thing and, leave the successful organization that supported young men with high value personal traits to continue without change.

Without those troops of young men and their troop leaders, I would have missed out on many camping trips, a 2 week canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe area in Minnesota, a 3 week adventure of assisting a local welding company to build a 18 foot pontoon boat that hauled the scout troop from Paducah,KY on the Ohio river thru to the confluence with the Mississippi River and then saiing to New Orleans, then one final trip with the Explorer Troop for a 3 week trip in 2 camper vehicles to tour, England. Holland, Belgium, Holland, France, West Germany, Italy. Switzerland, and Austria.

Friendships were made with other Scouts and Troop Leaders that have endured the test of time for the last 55 to 58 years.