Scouting…a Way of Life
David Goin, Troop 479, 1966-1969
When I think back upon my growing up years in
I remember very clearly
early troop gatherings held in a meeting room on the second floor of the 1st
Christian Church in Waurika during which we discussed the Scout Oath and
Law. Those meetings were followed by
conversations with my parents about living the Oath and Law and committing to
memory these simple, yet profound statements.
“On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the
Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake and morally straight.”
“A Scout is
trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful,
thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.”
The Scout Oath and Law
embody such noble principles: Honor,
duty, God, country. They provide a moral
compass and emphasize healthy growth of mind, body and spirit; call us to lives
of faith and integrity—and they reinforced the value system first taught by my
parents. Quite honestly, not a day goes by but that I reflect upon at least
some of the twelve attributes expressed within the Scout Law.
The Scout Slogan, “Do a
good turn daily,” was shared with
us in this way: Doing a good turn means
looking for ways to help other people and then doing so quietly, without
boasting. It isn’t just using good
manners (which is a basic expectation), but a Scout is to actively reach beyond
the expected—and then not seek or even accept payment.
And the Scout Motto:
“BE PREPARED.” Within the
context of the scout oath, law and slogan, it seems to me that so much we did
as Troop 479 was to learn across a myriad of topics to be prepared. The Boy Scout advancement and merit badge programs
were organized to prepare young people for life, and they prompted us to think
and do. They set forth in very concrete
ways steps required to move our knowledge and skills from point “A” to point “B.” We knew if we followed the path set before us
that we would have fun, learn and advance toward the ultimate goal of Eagle
Scout.
For instance, since one of Waurika’s local physicians, Dr. Rosier, was an assistant
scoutmaster, we received excellent instruction in First Aid, such as proper
cleaning and treating of cuts, scrapes, puncture wounds and burns. We learned how to identify and treat poison
ivy and poison oak. We role-played about what to do and possibly more
importantly, what not to do, in the event of a simple or compound arm or leg
fracture. We learned about detecting the
signs of and administering first aid for heat stroke, frostbite, and spider
bites.
One of the more interesting
and yet distasteful lessons in first aid was what to do in case of a
snakebite. Maybe it’s because we lived
in southwest
As our troop’s bugler, multiple opportunities were available for me to be
of service. I was proud to have had the
opportunity to play To the Colors and
Taps at Veterans Day ceremonies. I appreciate now much more than I did at the
time that the veterans who attended those ceremonies were men who had served
during WWI and WWII as well as in
Also at times I was called
upon to play Reveille during the
early morning after a night of camping out.
As you can imagine, that duty didn’t win points for me with
anybody.
Speaking of campouts…the boys in our troop loved hiking and camping.
Packing our gear in backpacks, using compasses, setting out across fields and
treed areas, establishing the campsite, setting up tents, positioning the
campfire location and then getting the fire lit…trying to be patient to let
white-hot coals form, seeing just how many wieners strung on straightened
clothes hangers could be successfully placed over the fire, observing our scout
leaders cook a real meal using a Dutch oven, playing “capture the flag,”
observing star constellations at night…these are great memories! And, come to
think of it, hiking and campouts also resulted in our having opportunities to
implement the first aid skills we had learned as scouts.
Love of the outdoors and
hiking continue to provide great personal enjoyment. Maybe it’s because we attended summer camp in
the
My journey to earning Swimming & Lifesaving
merit badges was a precarious one. During those early growing up years, Waurika
had no public swimming pool and in-ground home pools were virtually
non-existent. As a result opportunities
for learning to swim were few. Occasionally on family vacations we would stay at
a motel that had a pool in which we could play around. And so, it was with those very limited family
vacation experiences under my belt that I set off with the rest of our troop to
summer camp at George Thomas.
There must have been at
least 100 scouts there at what seemed to me to be a very large pool that first
day of camp—and all of us were decked out in our swimwear ready to hit the
pool. Instructors asked questions to
separate non-swimmers from beginning and advanced swimmers. Well, when very few scouts overall and none
from my troop identified themselves as “non-swimmers,” I thought for sure that
I too, had to be at least a beginning swimmer.
To confirm our abilities
the swimming teacher gave instructions, stating “What I need you beginning swimmers
to do is swim one lap of the pool—going from the deep end to the shallow end
and back.” Well, I had seen in the Boy Scout
Handbook and my dad had demonstrated to us how to move our arms and legs with
the American Crawl stroke once when we were in a motel pool—but this was a much
larger pool and I recognized that what was being asked of me was going to be a
tall order. But, I had announced that I
was a beginner swimmer—not a non-swimmer—so off I went to line up with the rest
of a group of beginner swimmers.
In race-like fashion, we
novices set off from the deep end.
Initially, I remember thinking how well I was doing—I was really moving
out away from the starting point. What I
didn’t realize was that as I was moving forward I also was moving downward. In fact, with each stroke I was becoming more
and more submerged—going deeper and deeper into the depths of the pool.
Well, my euphoria at “swimming”
subsided abruptly when I was struck with the realization that I had to breathe;
at that point the stark reality of my situation set in…I was near the bottom of
a very deep pool and it would be impossible for me to move to the surface
quickly enough to breathe and survive!
However, about the time
that panic took over completely, I enabled one of the lifeguards to demonstrate
his rescuing skills in front of the 100 other scouts and save my life! The
silver lining is that by week’s end, I received the “Most Improved Swimmer”
award.
Remembering the camaraderie among members of our troop and with scout leaders
brings a smile to my face even to this day. Whether it was listening to stories
around a campfire, hiking to Mr. Largent’s old military cadences (such as one
that started, “You had a good home but you left, you’re right…”), working
together to set up tents during a windstorm or on soggy ground, or initiating
or being the object of some goofy practical joke—the social interactions that
resulted as a natural part of scouting are unforgettable.
While no member of Troop 479 achieved Eagle Scout
status before the group once again
became inactive due to graduating scouts and leaders, several advanced as Star
and Life Scouts and a few of us were admitted to the Order of the Arrow.
As an adult, I also had the good fortune to serve for a brief time in
I am thankful for Friends of Scouting and those of
you who devote so much to Scouting—either as a vocation or through volunteer
service. The boys you help are a
diverse lot—from kids who receive the extras scouting has to offer on top of
already enriched home environments, to boys who seek and find refuge, security,
friendship and identity as scouts.
My own father, who is truly
a mentor and hero to me, fit into the latter group as a 12-14 year old. While he had a loving mother and family
members, he also experienced the detrimental effects of a fractured home
situation in which his dad was rarely there to support him. He has shared with
me the benefit of wholesome adult and peer influences that being a Boy Scout
afforded him during those transitional years.
He went so far as to say that had he not taken to heart the lessons of
scouting, his life might have turned out very differently. Dad recently gave me
several Boy Scout artifacts that he kept for over sixty years—among which are
his scout identification card and handbooks that date back to the 1930’s—and I
cherish having them.
The Boy Scouts of America turns 98 years old this
year—but the scouting message first
communicated nearly a century ago remains just as powerful today as it was at
the beginning of the movement. Thank you
for being Friends of Scouting. Whether
through financial assistance or the invaluable gift of your time and energies
working directly with young men, be reassured that your efforts are
worthwhile. I am confident that you are
playing an important role in the transformation of boys into men of character
who will be prepared for positions of influence, responsibility and
leadership within our communities, state and nation.