star spangled banner scoutmaster`s minute

STAR SPANGLED BANNER
SCOUTMASTER’S MINUTE
Greetings! As the Scoutmaster of SR-947,
let me thank you. It is my honor to serve
you, because without you, this course
would not be happening.
When two more states joined the original
13, the stars and stripes on the flag were
increased from 13 to 15 on May 1, 1795. It
was this flag of 15 stripes that flew over
Fort McHenry the memorable night of its
bombardment in 1814 and inspired Francis
Scott Key to write the verse of our National
Anthem.
Let us honor it by singing the first verse of
the song it inspired.
The Star-Spangled Banner
O say, can you see,
by the dawn's early light,
Who so proudly we hailed
at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
that our flag was still there!
O say, does that star-spangled
banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave?
Some of the staff and
I started serving you
as early as two years
ago. We already see
our reward in you this
weekend. It is great
that a group of
Scouters can come
together in such a
short time.
Thanks again, it has made my heart (and
my head) swell to be associated with a
group as fine as you.
Yours in Scouting………………
from H.
SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE
MORNING
7:00 Breakfast
8:00 Assembly – Gilwell Field
8:30 Interfaith Worship Service
(Instructional)
9:30 Troop Meeting
11:00 Troop Presentation
AFTERNOON
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Patrol Leaders Council
1:30 Conservation Project Planning
2:30 October Sky
4:30 Closing Assembly – Gilwell Field
5:00 Patrol Meetings and Departure
THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING
Part Two of Five
catch one. Ninety-nine out of a
hundred did not know one butterfly
from another - any more than I did so one was on fairly safe ground in
that way, and they thoroughly
sympathized
with
the
mad
Englishman who was hunting
insects.' (Baden-Powell)
What the officers did not notice was that
Baden-Powell's sketches of butterfly wings
included maps of their own forts and
defenses. One of the first priorities was to
prevent the Boers from storming the town,
because they could easily overpower the
flimsy Mafeking defense. But Baden-Powell
deduced that the Boers were afraid of
minefields...
War was declared on 11 October 1899, and
by 13 October the town was surrounded by
the Boer forces, cut off by rail and telegraph
from the outside world.
Baden-Powell
would have to improvise...
When the siege of Mafeking began, the
British
regiment
was
outgunned,
outnumbered, and cut off from the outside
world by an army of more than 6000 Boer
soldiers. But Baden-Powell was in charge
of the defense, and he was an expert at the
"Game of Bluff".
Many years before Mafeking, B-P had
disguised himself as a butterfly hunter in
Dalmatia, and spied on the forts and
defenses of the enemy. Whenever he met
an enemy soldier,
`with my sketch book in hand, I
would ask innocently whether he had
seen such-and-such a butterfly in the
neighborhood, as I was anxious to
So, to confirm the Boer fears, B-P got
strings of the town's inhabitants to carry
metal boxes around the town, with dire
warnings not to drop or bump them.
Hundreds of these were buried on the
outskirts of the town, and the areas marked
with warnings for the inhabitants and cattle
herds to stay clear. Then he warned the
townsfolk to keep inside while the new
mines were tested.
With everyone safe indoors, Major
Panzera and I went out and stuck a
stick of dynamite into an ant-bear
hole. We lit a fuse and ran for cover
until the thing went off, which it did
with a splendid roar and a vast cloud
of dust. Out of the dust emerged a
man with a bike who happened to be
passing, and he pedaled off as hard
as he could go for the Transvaal,
eight miles away, where no doubt he
told how by merely riding along the
road he had hit off a murderous
mine. The boxes were actually filled
with nothing more dangerous than
sand. (to be continued…)
Dedicated to my father J.P. Kennedy
Chapter 1
DOES SCOUTING MATTER?
As an elementary school child, I always
looked forward to school holidays,
especially Thanksgiving. At Thanksgiving,
we got out of school at noon early in the
week, and my family always headed to our
family hunting camp for the holiday.
On the day we got out of school for
Thanksgiving in 1963, my teacher came
into the room. She had been crying, and
she was struggling to speak. She told us
that President John F. Kennedy had just
been shot in Dallas. It was hard to grasp
that anyone would want to shoot this man.
He was a war hero, the skipper of PT-109,
our president, and the man who had gotten
the missiles out of Cuba. His picture was
on the wall of our schoolroom.
What shaped this man’s character? How
did he grow into this confident figure who
commanded the free world? The influences
he had as a young boy helped shape him
into the man he became. He was influenced
by his family, his church, and his Scout
leaders. Scout leaders just like you.
Here is a short letter the young Jack
Kennedy wrote his father in 1929, asking
for a small raise in his allowance. (No
editing or spell-checking has been done.)
The letter shows plainly the changing
priorities of this future world leader. After
reading young Jack’s letter, ask yourself
this one, simple question:
Does Scouting
matter?
A Plea for a raise
By Jack Kennedy
My recent allowance is 40 cents. This I
used for areoplanes and other playthings of
childhood but now I am a scout and I put
away my childish things. Before I would
spend 20 cents of my 40 cents allowance
and in five minutes I would have empty
pockets and nothing to gain and 20 cents to
lose. When I am a scout I have to buy
canteens,
haversacks,
blankets,
searchlidgs [searchlights] poncho things
that will last for years and I can always use
it while I cant use a chocalote marshmellow
Sunday with vanilla ice cream and so I put
in my plea for a raise of thirty cents for me
to buy scout things and pay my own way
more around.
Finis,
John Fitzgerald Francis Kennedy
THE UTES ARE
COMING!!!
This rock, stationed strategically near the
entrance to Mafeking Hall, is the perfect
weather indicator, it never fails. It is more
accurate
than
your
local
weather person. This rock is 100% correct.
This is how it works:
A dry rock means fair weather.
A wet rock means it's raining.
A dusty rock means a dust storm.
A swaying rock means it's windy.
A shadow under the rock means it's sunny.
A white rock means it's snowing.
If the rock is jumping up and down, an
earthquake is upon us.
If the bottom of the rock is under water it's a
flood.
If the rock is missing, it’s a tornado.
THE UTES ARE
COMING!!!
WEATHER ROCK SAYS
Cold (high 20’s) in the morning,
warming to high 40’s by midafternoon. Skies should be clearing
during the day.
Of course, this could all be wrong.
PATROL NEWS
TROOP GUIDE REPORT
Days One and Two have come and gone,
and now we are beginning Day Three,
where we are seeing our patrols learning
and growing as a TEAM. Each patrol has
diversity – male and female participants,
from different walks of life, leading different
types of scouts, but we all have a common
ground – THE BOYS!
Each one of us are honored to serve as
your Troop Guide for SR-947.
“The Lizards”: Artis, CeCe, Dale, Julie,
Melanie, and Liz
EAGLE PATROL
Introducing the Eagle team: Hurricane
Katrina, DeWayne In The Rain , Dan the
Man, Ty the Guy, Mark the Shark, Dale the
Male, and Ken… Amen!
The Eagle totem continues to develop… an
outstanding team effort. Remember that a
sharp pocketknife is essential for a Boy
Scout!
Thanks to Dan for setting the standard as
Eagle patrol leader.
A special thanks to the Wood Badge Youth
Staff for spending their weekend in our
service!
As always at Camp Seminole, the chow has
been outstanding. Thanks Young, Perry,
and all other grubmasters.
To all staff… Thank you for a motivating
campfire Friday night, and especially to
Perry for an udder brilliance, and Gary for
becoming Lord Baden-Powell.
FOX PATROL
Awesome quotes, as recorded and reported
by the Fox patrol.
•
•
•
•
•
Know before you go
It’s your attitude that matters.
Attitude reflects leadership.
When the time to present is present,
the time to prepare is past.
Proper prior planning prevents pitiful
poor performance.
We are really happy to have enjoyed the
company of Mark Guyton at lunch and
Charlie Plasters at supper. We’d like to
thank them for sharing their time with us.
BEAVER PATROL
Beaver Patrol would
honored we are to
Scoutmaster of Troop
Guide. He brings 20
experience to our table.
BEAR PATROL
like to say how
have Artis Ford,
27, as our Patrol
years of scouting
Russ Hayes, our Patrol Leader, is Asst.
Scoutmaster of Troop 14 and has 10 years
of Scouting under his belt.
Flash! We’ve added our table totem!
The Bear Cheer
We are big
We are strong Wood Badge is
Where we belong!
(Hey, Boo Boo! The Bears are here!)
Susan Aycock, Asst. Patrol Leader, brings
40 years of Scouting around the world to
lead her Pack 14 Webelo Den.
David Franz, our Chaplain’s Aide, is
Cubmaster for Pack 14, and uses his six
years of Scouting wisely. Scribe Curtis
Hollingsworth also has six years of
Scouting, and is the Cubmaster for Pack
30.
Mike Remotigue, Cubmaster of Pack 27,
and Bubba Forrester, Webelo leader of
Pack 27, have 10 and five years of
Scouting experience, respectively.
This brings the total Scouting experience of
the Beaver patrol to 97 years!
BOBWHITE PATROL IN VERSE
As program patrol twas Bobwhite,
Led the others in song just in spite.
Of the inclement weather,
That appears it will never,
Clear off ‘til late Sunday night.
OWL PATROL
THANKS, B3AR
The Owls started their second day by
enjoying a large, wonderful breakfast
prepared by Mr. Young Kerby and staff.
Then, we took a field trip to the
Pushmataha Council’s Scouting Museum.
At the museum we saw previous wood
Badge patrol projects. We also viewed
many artifacts which document Scouting as
a whole, as well as local history. Thanks to
our Scoutmaster, B3AR, for giving our
council such a great resource!
The Eagle Patrol would like to thank
Scoutmaster B3AR Ellis for demonstrating
that in rocket design, size does matter.
Next, the Owls learned about diversity,
leadership, styles, team growth, and project
planning.
Then, all patrols reached for the sky with
their rockets! The Owls rocket flopped, but
we’ll soar higher than an Eagle… at night!
We moved on to planning tickets and our
patrol project. The Owls just keep rockin’
along! Hootie Hoo!
(Scribe Note: the scribes are impressed
by the Owl’s blunt honesty in assessing
their rocket. “Scribe Kudos” to the Owls
for their forthrightness.)
ERRORS AND OMISSIONS DEPT.
Be advised that the Scribe Staff doesn’t
make errors or omissions. However, if we
had made any in the past two days, we
probably would have done something really
thick-headed, like claiming Dale Tate
worked at a bank where he doesn’t work
(He works at Bank First. We would never
report otherwise.). We would also tell you
to pronounce Julie Via’s name incorrectly,
instead of the correct pronunciation, which
is “Vie”. Aren’t you glad we don’t make
errors like these?
YOUR PROBLEM IS EVIDENT
A Scoutmaster stopped in to see his
Psychiatrist. "Doc you've got to help me. I
keep having the same dream over and over
again, and I can't get rid of it."
"Tell me about your
psychiatrist inquired.
dream,"
the
The Scoutmaster responded, "The first
night I dreamt about wigwams. The next
night I dreamt about teepees. Then
wigwams. Then teepees, then...."
"Wait I minute," the psychiatrist interrupted.
"I think I know what your problem is. You're
just two tents."
THE MEMORIES OF SCOUTING
During the first weekend of your Wood
Badge course, you’ve encountered many
images of Scouting. You’ve seen photos
of Lord Baden-Powell. Think of all the other
images you’ve encountered this weekend.
Wood Badge beads.
Campfire ashes.
Mclaren tartan. Tan neckerchiefs. The
sign. Patrol flags. It’s a long list of
memories, too long to list here.
The memories that may mean the most to
you may be the ones you get to take home,
the memorabilia of your own Wood Badge
course. Your own Wood Badge beads and
neckerchief will mean a lot to you, but don’t
miss out on your ONE opportunity to have
SR-947 memorabilia.
SR-947 pens,
personalized coffee cups, cool course tshirts, and other memorabilia are available
only briefly.
Don’t miss your chance to
take these tangible images home with you
at the end of the course! All of these items
are available in limited quantities, so place
your order this weekend. Special order
items such as the cups and t-shirts
CANNOT be ordered after this weekend.
TICKETS!
GET YOUR
TICKETS!
HOW MANY BEADS DOES IT
TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT
BULB?
By now, you’ve
had time to think
about the five
parts of your
Wood Badge ticket. For some folks (okay,
most folks) this can be a little intimidating.
Once you’ve completed your Wood Badge
ticket, one of the outward signs of your
accomplishment will be the presentation of
your Wood Badge beads. You’ll receive
two beads, which indicates you have
successfully completed the Wood Badge
training course.
Ready for some good news?
What the staff wants from you by the time
we leave Sunday afternoon is five good,
general ideas of what you think your five
ticket items will be. They’re not expecting
five detailed ticket items, but instead, just
five ideas of what your ticket items will be.
You’ll have three weeks before the next
Wood Badge session to think about these
ideas, finalize some thoughts, and make
sure these are the goals you want to meet
for your ticket.
Want more good news?
You won’t be alone in your planning. In
addition to your troop guide, you’ll also
have a staff ticket counselor help you with
your five goals. By the time the second
weekend is over, you’ll have five completed
items for your ticket, helped along by your
troop guide and your staff ticket counselor.
Even after the second weekend, you’ll have
these two people to help you as you move
toward completing your ticket items. Every
staff member is ready and willing to help
you plan your general ticket ideas today.
Don’t hesitate to ask, we’re ready to help!
Isn’t that good news? We think so, too!
After serving on a Wood Badge staff, you
are presented with a third bead to indicate
your have been a staff member. If you are
selected to serve a course as Scoutmaster,
you will have the rare privilege of wearing
four beads. Four is the most beads a
Scouter can be presented.
There are two exceptions.
Green Bar Bill (William
Hillcourt) wore five beads.
The Scouter who is
responsible for maintaining
Gilwell Park, home of the
Wood Badge program, is
entitled to wear six beads,
the same as Lord BadenPowell.
LION PATROL
Two Scouts were walking through the
woods when suddenly a mountain lion
leaped out in front of them. The first Scout
cautioned the second to remain calm.
"Remember what we read in the Scout
Handbook. If you stand absolutely still, and
look the lion straight in the eye, he will turn
and run away." The second Scout said,
"Fine, you've read the Scout handbook, and
I've read the handbook, but has the lion
read the handbook?"
The Gilwell Gazette is an official publication of SR-947. The Scribe Staff does not guarantee accuracy, especially of materials submitted for publication in the later stages
of Wood Badge Time. The staff reserves the right to be arbitrary when choosing articles for publication, and will accept or reject submissions on a whim, even though we
really, really want to publish your articles, poems, artwork, etc. Schedules and times listed are subject to modification and changes with or without notice, reason, or
logic. When all else fails, do what the SPL tells you to do (it will make him feel like he is important). Remember the backbone of Wood Badge is the Scribe Staff,
regardless of anything told to you by other Wood Badge staff members.