Twitter
Facebook
The Boy Scouts of America Troop 69 and Barbarossa District hosted a Merit Badge University at the 435th Construction and Training Squadron facility Feb. 26. The event provided an opportunity for 178 Boy Scouts in the Kaiserslautern area to earn more merit badges. The events that earned the Scouts badges were taught by adult volunteers, some of them coming from as far away as Spangdahlem and Heidelberg.
“We have people that have nothing to do with Scouting that just came out to help,” said Col. John Parker, Troop 69 scoutmaster and event coordinator. “They gave up their Saturday for this.”
Among the things taught were fire safety, emergency preparedness, architecture, music and law. These classes not only brought the boys closer to earning another badge, but also aided them in making future decisions.
“I’m currently learning law, and I want to get into law when I get older,” said Mitchell Krueger, 14, a Scout from Troop 69. “It’s a good stepping
stone. Plus, Eagle Scout looks really good on a resume.”
The classes taught can also be very beneficial to the community. One example of this would be emergency preparedness.
“It’s something a lot of people just don’t think about,” said Benjamin “Chuck” Suminsby, a Scout from Troop 156. “When people see someone screaming ‘call an ambulance,’ no one thinks ‘Oh, I should be the one to do that.’”
The emergency preparedness class teaches Scouts to be the person who takes action in the event of a crisis.
Boy Scouts is the premiere character building program for young men. Along with camping and outdoor skills, Boy Scouts teaches citizenship, leadership and integrity.
“You get instilled with character. That’s the entire point of Boy Scouts,” said Dakota Galley, 14, another Scout from Troop 69.
Boy Scouts teaches young men to serve their community and their nation well. In fact, some of the most important members of society were once Boy Scouts. Ramstein High School teacher John Mol, the scoutmaster of Troop 156, has seen several Scouts come and go through the program.
“There’s a professor in St. Louis, there’s a lawyer in Dallas, there’s a police officer in Florida — there’s these guys all over the United States — colonels in the Army, fighter pilots over at Lakenheath (who) were all part of our troop at one time, and it’s neat to imagine that once upon a time they were a goofy little Scout at age 12.”
Boy Scouts is a rewarding program not just for the boys, but for the adults who help teach it as well.
“The best part about Boy Scouts is when something clicks and the boys learn to do something on their own without my help, (something) they couldn’t do before, because of something I’ve taught them or some behavior I’ve modeled,” said Colonel Parker about his role as a scoutmaster.
Most Boy Scouts start at a very young age and slowly work their way to becoming an Eagle Scout. However, it’s a long program and most young Scouts become discouraged.
“Everybody gets frustrated, so my advice is just stick with it,” Dakota said. “There’s always going to be fantastic leaders in your troop that are going to help you push through the storming stage and you will be a senior Scout before long.”
Boy Scouts is a long but rewarding program that teaches boys how to be men. For more information about becoming a Boy Scout, check out www.tac-bsa.org to find a troop near you.
