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Boy Scout Troop 5
(Coffeyville, Kansas)
 
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Famous Boy Scout Quotes



John Wayne: What the Scout Law means to me

A great American, John Wayne, passed away many years ago. One of his last public appearances was at a dinner. He was riddled with cancer and knew he was close to death. The purpose of the dinner was to benefit a land purchase for a Scout Reservation called John Wayne Outpost Camp. At this dinner, Wayne recited the Scout Law. Then he did something unusual, he said the twelve points of the Scout Law are "nice words". "Trouble is," he continued, "we learn them so young we sometimes don't get all the understanding that goes with them. I take care of that in my family. As each boy reaches Scout age, I make sure he learns the Scout Law. Then I break it down for him, with a few things I have picked up in more than half a century since I learned it."

Then Wayne proceeded to explain the importance of the Scout Law, breaking it down for the guests at the dinner, much like he would have for his grandson.

TRUSTWORTHY

The badge of honesty. Having it lets you look at any man in the eye. Lacking it he won't look back. Keep this one at the top of your list.

LOYAL

The Very word is life itself, for without loyalty we have no love of person or country

HELPFUL

Part sharing, part caring. By helping each other, we help ourselves, not to mention mankind. Be always full of help -- the dying man's last words.

FRIENDLY

Brotherhood is part of that word. You can take it in a lot of directions - and do - but make sure and start with brotherhood.

COURTEOUS

Allow each person his human dignity which means a lot more than saying, "yes ma'am" and "thank you sir". It reflects an attitude that later in life you wish you had honored more... earlier in life. Save yourself that problem. Do it now.

KIND

This one word would stop wars and erase hatreds. But its like your bicycle, its just no good unless you get out and use it.

OBEDIENT

Starts at home. Practice it in your family. Enlarge it in your friends. Share it with humanity.

CHEERFUL

Anyone can put on a happy face when the going is good. The secret is to wear it as a mask for your problems. It might surprise you how many others do the same thing.

THRIFTY

Means a lot more than putting pennies away, and it is the opposite of cheap. Common sense covers it just about as well as anything.

BRAVE

You don't have to fight to be brave. Millions of good, fine, decent folks show more bravery than heavyweight champs just by getting out of bed every morning, going out to do a good day's work and living the best life they know how against the law of odds.

CLEAN

Soap and waters help a lot on the outside. But it is the inside that counts and don't ever forget it.

REVERENT

Believe in anything that you want to believe in, but keep God at the top of it. With Him, life can be a beautiful experience. Without Him, you are just biding time.



The Price They Paid, by Garry Hildreth

The Price They Paid, by Garry Hildreth of Erie, Pennsylvania is a short treatise covering the fate of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, especially those to whom the phrase "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" had a definite meaning.

Have you ever wondered what happened to those men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge, and Middleton.

At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis, had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire, which was done. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home after the war to find his wife dead, his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. There were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave you and I a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the revolutionary war. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Perhaps you can now see why our founding fathers had a hatred for standing armies, and allowed through the second amendment for everyone to be armed.

Frankly, I can't read this without crying. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted. We shouldn't.


Welcome To The Boy Scouts Of America

(The Promise*)

SCOUTING promises you the great outdoors. As a Scout, you can learn how to camp and hike without leaving a trace and how to take care of the land. You'll study wildlife up close and learn about nature all around you. There are plenty of skills for you to master, and you can teach others what you have learned. Everyone helping everyone else-that's part of Scouting, too.

SCOUTING promises you friendship. Members of the troop you join might be boys you already know, and you will meet many other Scouts along the way. Some could become lifelong friends.

SCOUTING promises you opportunities to work toward the Eagle Scout rank. You will set positive goals for yourself and then follow clear routes to achieve them.

SCOUTING promises you tools to help you make the most of your family, your community, and your nation. The good deeds you perform every day will improve the lives of those around you. You will be prepared to help others in time of need.

SCOUTING promises you experiences and duties that will help you mature into a strong, wise adult. The Scout Oath and the Scout Law can guide you while you are a Scout and throughout your life.

Adventure, learning, challenge, responsibility - the promise of Scouting is all this and more.

[* "The Promise" is on page 1 of the 1998 edition of the Boy Scout Handbook]




The Bridge Builder by Will Allen Dromgoole (1860-1934)

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."




Red Skelton - The Pledge of Allegiance

From the Red Skelton Hour, January 14, 1969

"Getting back to school, I remember a teacher that I had. Now I only went, I went through the seventh grade. I left home when I was 10 years old because I was hungry. (laughter) And .. this is true. I worked in the summer and went to school in the winter. But, I had this one teacher, he was the principal of the Harrison school, in Vincennes, Indiana. To me, this was the greatest teacher, a real sage of my time, anyhow.

He had such wisdom. We were all reciting the Pledge of Allegiance one day, and he walked over. This little old teacher ... Mr. Lasswell was his name. He said:

"I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?

I me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance my love and my devotion.
To the Flag our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there's respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job.
of the United that means that we have all come together.
States individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that's love for country.
of America and to the Republic Republic ... a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For Which It Stands One Nation One Nation ... meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible incapable of being divided.
With Liberty which is freedom, the right of power to live one's own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice the principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others.
For All For all ... which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

And now boys and girls let me hear you recite, the "Pledge of Allegiance."

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance - "under God." Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said, "That is a prayer," and that would be eliminated from schools, too?"



Famous BSA Scouts


FAMOUS EAGLE SCOUTS

(Note: In the lists below, we've omitted "Former" from all titles.)

  • Henry Aaron - Baseball player, home run king - the Mobile Press Register quoted Henry as saying that the greatest positive influence in his life was his involvement in scouting
  • Gary L. Ackerman - U.S. Representative from NY
  • Bill Alexander - U.S. Representative from Arkansas
  • Lamar Alexander - Lawyer, Governor of Tennessee, Secretary of Education, presidential candidate
  • Neil Armstrong - astronaut, first man on moon, from Wapakoneta, OH
  • Willie Banks - Olympic & world record holding track star
  • Albert Belle - baseball player
  • Charles E. Bennett - U.S. Representative from Florida
  • William Bennett - Secretary of Education
  • Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr. - Treasury Secretary & U.S. Representative from Texas
  • Michael Bloomberg - Mayor of New York City, founder of Bloomberg News
  • Bill Bradley - Pro basketball star and U.S. Senator from NJ
  • James Brady - Press Secretary to President Reagan
  • Stephen Breyer - US Supreme Court Justice
  • Milton A. Caniff - Comic strip artist "Steve Canyon"
  • Barber B. Conable - President, World Bank
  • John W. Creighton, Jr. - President & CEO of Weyerhaeuser Company
  • William E. Dannemeyer - U.S. Representative from Cal.
  • William Devries - M.D., transplanted first artificial heart
  • Michael Dukakis - Governor of Massachusetts, presidential candidate
  • LTC Aquilla James Dyess - WWII Marine & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Arthur Eldred - First Eagle Scout
  • Daniel J. Evans - Senator and Governor of Washington
  • David Farabee - Texas State Representative
  • Robert Edward Femoyer - WWII Army Air Force Navigator & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey - WWII Submarine Commander & Medal of Honor recipient  (deceased)
  • Thomas Foley - Speaker of the House and U.S. Representative from Washington
  • Gerald Ford - U.S. President (1st Eagle to be President)  (deceased)
  • Steven Fossett - Flew solo nonstop around the world in a hot air balloon and in an ultralight airplane, won the Chicago to Mackinaw boat races, competed in the Iditarod dog race, and competed in several iron man triathlons, and among other things lived the Scouting mottos both Cub and Boy Scout by doing his best and being prepared (deceased)
  • Murphy J. (Mike) Foster - Governor of Louisiana
  • Robert M. Gates - Director of Central Intelligence (CIA) and Sec'y. of Defense
  • Richard A. Gephardt -  U.S. Representative from Missouri, Minority Leader
  • Michael Kahn - stage director, Oscar winning film editor
  • William Henry Keeler - Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Baltimore
  • Dr. Alfred Kinsey - insect biologist, human behavior researcher
  • John Koncak - basketball player
  • Sheldon Leonard - actor, director, producer, 3 time Emmy award winner
  • Steven W. Lindsey - Astronaut - He was the pilot for STS-95 when John Glenn returned to space as a Senator. He made Eagle in Troop 161 in Temple City, California.
  • Gary Locke, Governor of the State of Washington, the first Chinese-American Governor in the contiguous United States, and selected as a Distinguished Eagle Scout by NESA
  • James Lovell - Navy pilot and astronaut, President of National Eagle Scout Association. Flew on Gemini 7, 12 & Apollo 8, 13 At one time had seen more sunrises than any other human being
  • Richard Lugar - Senator from Indiana (presidential candidate 1996)
  • J. Willard Marriott, Jr. - President, Marriott Corp.
  • CDR William McCool, USN - Astronaut, Pilot of U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia
  • W. Walter Menninger - Physician, civil servant
  • Michael Moore - Author and filmmaker, nominated for an Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine"
  • Jim Mora - NFL football coach
  • Oswald "Ozzie" Nelson - actor
  • Sam Nunn - U.S. Senator from Georgia
  • Ellison Onizuka - Astronaut aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger (deceased)
  • Steve Oswald - Astronaut, Navy Rear Admiral
  • Mitchell Paige - walked 200 miles to enlist in Marines on his 18th birthday in 1936, retired as a Colonel, Medal of Honor.  Presented his Eagle award in 2003 after it was verified that he'd not received it in 1936 because he'd joined the Marines. (deceased)
  • Francis J. Parater - nominated for Sainthood by Diocese of Richmond, VA.  died at age 22 in 1920 in Rome, while at seminary.
  • H. Ross Perot - Self-made billionaire and presidential candidate
  • Rick Perry - Governor, State of Texas
  • J. J. Pickle - U.S. Representative from Texas, proudly displays his Eagle plaque inside his office
  • Samuel R. Pierce - Former Sec. Housing & Urban Development
  • Frederick Reines - Nobel Prize winner in Physics
  • Gary Rogers - Chairman and CEO of Dreyer's Ice Cream
  • Jim Rogers - CEO of Kampgrounds of America (KOA)
  • Mike Rowe - Star of "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe" on the Discovery Channel
  • Donald Rumsfeld - Secretary of Defense
  • Harrison Salisbury - Pulitzer Prize winning author
  • James Sanderson - Vice Admiral, US Navy (Ret), Deputy Chief US Atlantic Fleet
  • Dr. Benjamin Lewis Salomon - WWII Army front line surgeon & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Jeff Sessions - Senator from Alabama
  • William Sessions - FBI director
  • Sam Skinner - Secretary of Energy during the Bush administration and now CEO of Commonwealth Edison
  • Steven Spielberg - Movie producer, from Scottsdale, AZ, made a movie of his troop while getting Photography MB. Helped to design requirements for the cinematography MB.
  • Wallace Stegner - Writer and college professor, won Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for "Angle of Repose"
  • Percy Sutton - Attorney, Chairman of the Board of City Broadcasting Corp.
  • John Tesh - TV celebrity and pianist
  • Meldrim Thomson, Jr. - 3 term governor of New Hampshire (deceased)
  • Leo K. Thorsness  - Vietnam War Air Force Colonel, POW, & Medal of Honor recipient
  • Sam Walton - Founder, Wal-Mart  (deceased)
  • Togo West - Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • Edward O. Wilson - Pellegrino University Professor and curator of entomology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
  • Jay Zeamer Jr. - WWII Army Air Force pilot & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. - Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations

Eagle Facts

Less than 1.5 million boys have reached Eagle in over 90 years (15,000 a year, roughly). Only 2-5 in 100 that joins Scouts make Eagle--that's less than 1% of the male population.

FAMOUS SCOUTS, but not Eagles

  • Richard Dean Anderson - taught Reptile Study, actor
  • Charles F. Barber - CEO of American Smelting & refining
  • Marion Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC
  • Jimmy Buffett - musician and singer
  • George W. Bush - Cub Scout, President of the United States
  • Bill Clinton - Cub Scout, President of the United States
  • Walter Cronkite - newsman
  • Harrison Ford - Life, taught Reptile Study, actor "Indiana Jones" & "Han Solo"
  • Bill Gates - Life, founder of Microsoft Corp.
  • Richard Gere - Actor
  • David Hartman - TV personality
  • Dan Jansen - Olympic Gold Medal - Speed Skating
  • Bruce Jenner - Olympic Gold Medal - Decathlon
  • John F Kennedy - First US President who was a Scout - See his note to his father about an allowance increase for Scouting
  • Branford Marsalis - Life Scout, Jazz musician
  • Norman Y. Mineta - Mayor of San Jose, CA, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Commerce.  Japanese-American, spent WWII in an internment camp in Wyoming, where he met Alan Simpson. (see below)
  • Sir Paul McCartney - Rock N Roll, Beatles (UK)
  • Jim Morrison - Rock N Roll
  • Merlin Olson - Pro football player and sportscaster
  • Eddie Rabbitt - Country & Western singer
  • John Ritter - actor, son of singer Tex Ritter  (deceased)
  • Richard Roundtree - actor
  • Nolan Ryan - pro baseball pitcher
  • Alberto Salazar - Life, 3 time winner NY marathon
  • John Schneider - Actor, Dukes of Hazard
  • Alan Simpson - US Senator from Wyoming. - Boy Scout in Cody Wyoming, where he visited fellow Scouts in a Japanese-American internment camp, and met Norman Mineta (see above), who became his life-long friend.  Helped pass the Japanese-American Compensation Act.
  • Howard K. Smith - TV newsman
  • Mark Spitz - winner of 7 Olympic Gold Medals in swimming
  • James Stewart - actor, USAF Brig. General, B-17 pilot in WWII
  • George Strait - Singer
  • George Takei - actor, Mr. Sulu of Star Trek
  • Joe Theisman - Life, former QB, Washington Redskins
  • Peter Uberroth - Cub Scout, Commissioner of Baseball
  • Paul Winfield - Cub Scout, Actor

Except for Paul McCartney, who was a Scout in the United Kingdom, we've only listed men who were members of BSA.  There is a fairly comprehensive list of famous women who had been in GSUSA, on the web site of the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York at http://www.girlscoutsnyc.com/~gscgny/webmaster/Website/ALUMNAE/FamousGirlScouts.html

Contributors to this file

  • Joseph Bork
  • John Carlson
  • John Creighton
  • Mike Derleth
  • Steve Eisele
  • Randy Everette
  • Shawn Getten
  • Jerry Gross
  • Jennifer Hooper
  • Chuck Huber
  • Bill Kennedy
  • Fred Kimball
  • Doug Marks
  • Bill Nelson
  • Michael Opitz
  • Douglas Shearer
  • Jim Schlichting


Another List:

Famous Eagle Scouts
and Other Well Known Scouting Alumni

Famous Eagles

  • Bill Alexander, U.S. Representative from Arkansas
  • Gary Anderson, U.S. Representative from New York
  • Charles Bennett, U.S. Representative from Florida
  • William Bennett, Former Secretary of Education
  • Bill Bradley, Pro basketball star and U.S. Sneator from New Jersey
  • Milton Caniff, Comic Strip Artist "Steve Canyon"
  • Willaim Dannemeyer, U.S. Representative from California
  • Arthur Eldred, (First Eagle Scout)
  • Gerald Ford, 38th President of the U.S.
  • Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Governor of Louisiana
  • James Lovell - Astronaut
  • Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator from Indiana
  • Sam Nunn, U.S. Senator from Georgia
  • Ellison Onizuka, Challenger Astronaut
  • J.J. Pickle, U.S. Representative from Texas
  • Samuel Pierce, Former Secreatry of HUD
  • Harrison Salisbury, Pulitzer Prize winning Author
  • Willaim Sessions, Former FBI Director
  • Steven Spielberg, Film Director/Producer
  • Wallace Stegner, Pulitzer Prize winning Author
  • Percy Sutton, Chairman of CBS John Tesh, TV Celebrity
  • James Stewart - Actor
  • James Brady, Former Press Secretary to President Reagan
  • William C. DeVries, M.D., Transplanted first artificial heart
  • Walter Cronkite - Journalist, T.V. commentator
  • J. Willard Marriott, Jr., President, Marriott Corporation
  • H. Ross Perot, Chairman, EDS Corp.
  • Daniel J. Evans, Former US Senator and Governor of Washington state

Famous Scouts

  • David Hartman, Actor (Life Scout)
  • Henry "Hank" Aaron, Baseball Superstar (Boy Scout)
  • Richard Gere - Actor
  • Bruce Jenner - Olympic Gold Medal Decathlon (Cub Scout)
  • Jim Morrison - Rock Legend (Boy Scout)
  • Merlin Olsen, Actor, Sportscaster (Boy Scout)
  • Eddie Rabbitt, Country/Western singer (Boy Scout)
  • Richard Roundtree, Actor (Boy Scout)
  • Alberto Salazar, 3-time winner, NYC Marathon (Life Scout)
  • John Schneider, Actor/Singer (Cub Scout)
  • Howard K. Smith, Former ABC-TV commentator (Boy Scout)
  • Mark Spitz - Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer (Cub Scout)
  • George Strait - Country/Western Singer (Cub Scout)
  • Joe Theisman, Sportscaster, former NFL player (Life Scout)
  • Peter Ueberroth, Former Commissioner of Baseball (Cub Scout)
  • Paul Winfield, Actor (Cub Scout)
  • Steve Young, NFL Quarterback

ASTRONAUTS

EAGLES:

Adamson, Armstrong, Bagian, Bluford, Bowersox, Brady, Carr, Carter, Chaffee, Covey, Creighton, Duke, Eisele, Fullerton, W. Gregory, Griggs, Hoffman, Jones, Lee, Lind, Llewellyn (King's Scout, U.K.), Lovell, McCulley, O'Leary, Onizuka, Oswald, Parazynski, Reightler, Searfoss, See, Tanner, Truly, D. Walker

LIFES:

Anders, Basset, Brand, Bridges, Casper, Cooper, Evans, Fabian, G. Gardner, Givens, Gregory, Kregel, Low, Mattingly, McArthur, Mitchell, D. Scott, Spring, Springer, Van Hoften, C. Williams

STARS:

Barry, Cameron, England, W. Fisher, Garriott, R. Gibson, Gordon, Grissom, Haise, Lounge, McNair, Stafford

1ST CLASS:

J. Allen, Bean, Clifford, Coats, Engle, Freeman, D. Gardner, E. Gibson, Hammond, Henize, Linnehan, Nelson, Overmyer, Schirra, Schweickart, W. Scott, Shepard, Veach, Worden

2ND CLASS:

Bolden, Buchli, Carpenter, Cernan, Culbertson, Mullane, Parker, Pogue, Shriver, Swigert, W. Thornton, White, Young

TENDERFOOT:

Aldrin, Bursch, Hawley, Lousma, McDivitt, Michel, Schmitt, S. Smith

EXPLORER:

O'Connor, D. Williams

GIRL SCOUT:

E. Collins, Davis, A. Fisher, Helms, Jernigan, Lawrence, Seddon, Sherlock, Sullivan, K. Thornton, Janice Voss, Weber

CUB SCOUT:

A. Allen, C. Brown, Conrad, Foale (Wolf, Germany), Gernhardt, Henricks, Leestma, Lopez-Alegria, McBride, Meade, Readdy, Rominger, Shepherd, Thomas, Thuot, Wolf

RANK UNKNOWN:

C. Brown, Bull, Clervoy, Garneau, Harris, James Voss