1992

Boy Scout Leader

My Boy Scout shirt with troup number and Troop Commitee patches

In the summer of ’92 I decided I wanted to get involved with Boy Scouts. My brother and I were in the Boy Scouts for a few years when we were kids and I really enjoyed it.  Not having any kids of my own was always a disappointment with marrying Julie although raising Anne was a wonderful experience but now she was in college. I would have liked to have a son that I could have done things fathers do with sons, including Boy Scouts.  Well not having a son didn’t mean I couldn’t get involved with the Boy Scouts, I reasoned, and I contacted the regional Boy Scout association and talked to them.  Not having a son was not a problem, they said, they could always use men to help with troops and they gave me the contact information for a troop in Reston.  I called the contact Dennis, the Scout Master he explained, and yes, the troop could use some help.  After filling out some paperwork, I joined the troop. I had thought I would be an Assistant Scout Master, but after talking to Dennis, he explained that what they needed more was Committee Members. Committee Members, he explained, assisted and advised the scouts on rank advancement and merit badges.  Perfect, I thought, just what I wanted to do and with that I joined Troop 1802.

Boy Scouts troops meet once a month during the school year, September through May with their meetings often held at churches and schools.  When I was a boy, the troop met at a nearby church, Troop 1802 met at one of the elementary schools in Reston.  I showed up a few minutes early for the first troop meeting and Dennis introduced me to a couple of other men who helped with the troop, two had sons in the troop but the third was a young man who, like myself, wanted help with the boys. Soon the boys started to arrive, around fifteen or so, it wasn’t a large troop but seemed like a good size.  Dennis called the meeting to order and the senior boys in the troop then took over and ran the meeting. The meeting went well, a bit chaotic at times with some of the boys talking amongst themselves and horsing around, yeah, that’s boys, it brought back memories of when I was in Boy Scouts as a boy.   

Attendance was taken, troop business discussed, kids reminded to return their paperwork with parents’ signature and dues, and then discussion about the first camping trip. The troop was quite active about camping with a camping trip each month from October through May, the Scout Master and other adult scout leaders and the boys seem great, it was just what I was hoping for.  The first camping trip was planned which was at Carderock, perfect, I thought, I loved camping, I would have to get some camping gear.

The Window Office Indident