Posted on 09/25/2006 9:11:24 PM PDT by Coleus
It was 1926. Queen Elizabeth II was born, the first liquid-fuel rocket was launched and a pair of men's pants cost less than $6. It also was the year Charles Soldi joined the Boy Scouts.
Soldi, the middle of six kids living in Orange, was 12 when he was recruited by a neighbor. He quickly advanced in Scouting with the goal of making Eagle Scout, the organization's highest achievement. He earned 22 merit badges and in February 1932, at a court of honor, he was presented with his sterling silver Eagle Scout pin.
Yesterday, Scouting officials from northern New Jersey recognized "Uncle Charlie" with another court of honor, presenting him with an Eagle certificate, patches for his years as an adult leader, and pins to reflect his total years of service. The Scouts don't make a pin to reflect 80 years of service, and a 70-year pin was not readily available, said Dan Stryker, assistant commissioner for the Orange Mountains District, which oversees Scouting in the West Orange area. So, being a resourceful group, the Scouts gave Soldi 55-year and 25-year service pins.
"Your dedication as a leader has made a difference to hundreds of youth," Stryker told Soldi. Soldi received similar praise from Rick Shropshire, Orange Mountains District executive, who said: "This tribute is for you, Charlie. You are loved and admired and respected for all your efforts in your life." While the national Boy Scout Council doesn't keep records of older Scouts being honored, Soldi is among a small group of seniors recognized by New Jersey councils. In the last year, a 100-year-old Collingswood man and an 86-year-old Cherry Hill man were among those recognized for their years in Scouting.
Soldi, 92, said yesterday of his Scouting experience, "I enjoyed it."
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
....I guess that's on account of they should know how to camp......
An Eagle has leadership skills that others don't have. Leadership development is a major part of the Eagle program.
Yes, somebody told me the Scouts are a private organization therefore the domestic terrorist group the ACLU can`t touch them.
Nice post. I was afraid it was going to be about some kid who had a sex change and was suing to remain in the Scouts. It's good to get some good news, especially when expecting bad.
Shalom.
That Liberty Bond poster is one of my favorites! I have a copy of it hanging in my library.
Not yet. I don't expect it will be. Unless many things change I think the BSA will dissolve before it removes G-d, or before it removes the promise to "keep myself ... morally straight."
Shalom.
It's on account of they know how to lead.
Shalom.
I use to do the same thing in my troop if you can believe it, and that was in the early `70`s while Vietnam was still on when liberals and the press treated our military as the enemy and the commies as the victims like they do today with terrorists. We also use to march every year in the memorial day parade all of which blew me away with pride. Some of the best times I ever had was in the Scouts although I admit we ue to do some nutty stuff. Every year we use to have this thing called the "Blue nose" trip in which we would go upstate New York in the winter and camp out in the freezing snow and freeze ourselves half to death lol! I remember one morning waking up and not being able to dress because my clothes and boots were all frozen solid, this is back when they used the lame canvas tents that use to leak like crazy.
My 16 year old just earned Life Scout.
Great article.
Boy Scouts is a tremendous organization. I quit as a Webelo (to my regret) I am now Asst. Cubmaster, Wolf Den Leader, Webelo Asst. Den Leader, have a Wolf and Webelo II and even conned my wife into being the Pack Treasurer.
This organization does so much toward turning boys into men.
Bye the way, anyone what to buys some delicious Cub Scout Popcorn?
Coleus: nice post
Sandrat -- thanx for the ping.
Correct. Eagle Scouts leave USMC boot camp as a PFC. My son had enough AP credits to be a college sophomore when he entered USMC boot camp, but he hadn't taken those credits to a college counselor to convert them to college credits. Had he done that, he too would have finished boot camp as a PFC. He's an LCPL now and has finished his BS in Business Administration. My nephew just made Eagle in January and is attending UC Davis as of this week.
My son was advancding so quickly when he started scouts that he was awarded Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class at the same Court of Honor. His scoutmaster counseled him to slow down and mature. Bad move. He had no desire to be slowed down by a scoutmaster. He left scouts and applied that energy to AP classes and graduating with a 4.33 GPA. He could have easily made Eagle.
An Eagle award also makes a difference when applying for admission to West Point or one of the other service academies.
I agree. I made Eagle in April 1972. I was 15 and still riding my old 3-speed bicycle for transportation. As a high school sophomore, I was plenty busy with marching band practices and tons of homework. Eventually, I ditched the band for chemistry. That was necessary as I was a senior the next year and needed it to get into UCSD. My son had the same challenges. He was active in the marching band from 7th grade until his senior year. That eats lots of time. The scouts take a back seat very quickly.
How are the merit badges coming?
It's not just Cub Scout popcorn. Boy Scouts sell it too. We're at about $350 right now for our sales.
I'll bet you could've bought some fancy pants in 1926 for $6.
And the Boys all learned something special too.
Be sure to make all the recommended training POW WOW, Roundtable, Trainer Training, (you need to be trained and retrained at each Den Leder level and so does the Boy Scout who is the Den Chief) Committee level, District level you go to and just when you think you might be done there's Youth Protection annually and Safe Scouting and let's not forget WoodBadge. Don't be scared it's fun.
Every Scout Deserves a Trained Leader.
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