What a Scout is Not....

If you have ever been involved in the Boy Scouts  (Now rebranded as Scouting America) you may remember reciting the Scout Law.  A twelve point list of the character traits Scouting seeks to instill in Youth.    The law begins with the phrase  "A Scout is..." 

 Two years ago, I received a wonderful alumni recognition award from a part of the Scouting America organization I have been involved with for many years. It supports American youth who live overseas with their families, both with U.S. Military and regular civilian expats. For years the focus of the Youth in the program was largely US Military dependents and so there was a very close and cooperative relationship between Scouting and the Department of Defense, supporting the morale and welfare of American families stationed overseas.

Attending a conference in Frankfurt, Germany where I received the alumni award, I was with many members of the military who are involved in the Scouting program. A good number of them were expressing their hope that Donald Trump and the GOP would win the 2024 election. Lamenting how logistical support for Scout programs overseas by the US military MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) division  had in their perception, been reduced under the Obama and Biden Administrations, and expressing their belief that a 2nd Trump administration would reverse that trend.

This past week it was reported by National Public Radio that Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth wants to end the century-old partnership between the U.S. military and Scouting. Pushing for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America, saying the group once known as the Boy Scouts is no longer a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to "attack boy-friendly spaces," according to documents reviewed by NPR.

In a draft memo to Congress, which sources shared with NPR but which has not yet been sent, Hegseth criticizes Scouting for being "genderless" and for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. The NPR Reporting goes on to say the military has provided support to the Scouts for more than 100 years, assistance that was formalized in 1937. But in one memo, Hegseth says, "The organization once endorsed by President Theodore Roosevelt no longer supports the future of American boys."
 

The proposal calls for the Pentagon to no longer provide medical and logistical aid to the National Jamboree, which brings in as many as 20,000 scouts to a remote site in West Virginia. It also states that the military will no longer allow Scout troops to meet at military installations in the U.S. and abroad, where many bases have active Scout programs.

Congress requires the Pentagon to support the scouting program's Jamboree, a gathering of thousands of young scouts held every three or four years. 

The U.S. military lends trucks, ambulances and medical teams, and puts on aviation and skydiving demonstrations, all at no cost to the Scouts. For the military, it's both a training exercise and an opportunity to recruit highly motivated, civic-minded kids.

But the law includes an exemption: the Secretary of Defense can withhold support if he determines providing it would be "detrimental to national security." Drafts of a report to Congress obtained by NPR show Hegseth invoking that clause — accusing Scouting America of fostering "gender confusion."  His memo to the House and Senate Armed Services committees argues the Scouts have strayed from their mission to "cultivate masculine values." 

It also claims that with international conflicts and a tight budget, sending troops, doctors and vehicles to a 10-day youth event would harm national security by diverting resources from border operations and protecting U.S. territory.

Seriously?  Support for the National Scout Jamboree somehow will leave Americas borders wide open to God know what??  Ok then….

 I will for the moment, resist the urge to find those individuals who two years ago were pining for a 2nd Act for Donald Trump and scream at them; “SO? IS THIS WHAT YOU VOTED FOR??” at the top of my lungs. Instead, let’s dispel a few myths that tend to surround this conversation. The biggest actually coming from the Left side of the political spectrum. That Scouting is in cahoots with the military to indoctrinate America’s youth into becoming  brownshirt stormtroopers for Conservative American imperialism.

Uh, No. Not even remotely. And anyone who has ever actually BEEN in Scouting will tell you Scouting is and has always been a nonpartisan organization. 

Over more than a century, Scouting has worked constructively with every U.S. presidential administration — Democratic and Republican — focusing on building future leaders grounded in integrity, responsibility, and community service.   On the right side of this particular campsite the myth is that Scouting is supposed be some sort of he-man training program to “cultivate masculine values”. 

So it is worth taking a look at what Pete Hegseth and his boss consider to be those values. 

 Lets start with Pete “Warrior Ethos” Hegseth.   Pete Hegseth secretly paid a financial settlement to a woman who had accused him of raping her in 2017, But Hegseth's record before becoming a full-time Fox News TV host, in 2017, bears examination:

A trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues, indicates that Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.

In a separate letter of complaint, from 2015  a different former employee described Hegseth being at a bar in the early-morning hours of May 29, 2015, while on an official tour through Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, drunkenly chanting “Kill All Muslims! Kill All Muslims!”

So apparently misogyny , bigotry racism and drunkenness are core "values" for Hegseth.  

Then we have Pete's boss.  Donald Trump  who incidentally as  President of the United States is also the honorary President of Scouting America.    Over the years Presidents have spoken at the National Scout Jamboree in that capacity,  both in person, or by pre-recorded video.   In 2017, when it was Donald Trump's turn to address thousands of America's young people gathered in West Virginia what did he have to say? Trump spent several minutes rambling about trophy wives,  his electoral victory and attacking  his predecessor.

Apparently values like civic duty, helping others,  and being a good citizen were not important enough to find their way into Trump's remarks. 

 

I am not going to post any of the video from that speech, you can find it online yourself if you want to relive the rantings of narcissistic sociopath. It was beyond embarrassing. It was an insult to everything Scouting is supposed to stand for.  So we have two individuals, Both accused rapists, both people who revel in racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and endless self aggrandizement, and one, (Hegseth), with a history of being drunk at work. Both now claiming that Scouting doesn't embody American values.

Scouting's relationship with the Department of Defense has been beneficial to both organizations and to the country as a whole. Scouting has long been a part of military recruiting efforts. As many as 20 percent of cadets and midshipmen at the service academies are Eagle Scouts, according to statistics from Scouting America. Moreover, enlistees who've earned Eagle get advanced military rank and better pay. That practice would end. 

The potential impact is causing friction at the Pentagon. In the Navy for example, up to a third of the Navy's officers in training,  have some scouting background  Passive support to Scouting America through access to military installations and educational opportunities aboard military installations serve as a crucial recruiting and community engagement tool for all branches of the military. 

 

But more that that.  The partnership between the US Military and Scouting overseas has played a crucial role in supporting the  families of  American Service personnel deployed all over the world.  With Far East Scouting Council and the Transatlantic Council providing programs and services that support the morale and welfare of Americans posted overseas. Something I know first hand.  Having been an active volunteer in both organizations.  

Anyone who grew up a "military brat" or was an America Expat as a kid,  or a  military spouse of a soldier deployed overseas knows the stress of that life.  Constantly having to move from one duty station to another.  Sometimes uprooting your family every 18 months.  Having to get resettled in a new place, make new friends,  integrate to a new community and school is challenging under the best of circumstances.  Throw in having to do this in an entirely different country and culture,  and connections to home become even more important. 

 In many American expat communities both military and civilian Scouting provides that link and helps ease those transitions for American citizens and their families  posted overseas. the MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) partnership between Scouting and the Department of Defense has been a critical component of that mission. 

 

Scouting has always been a major part of  my own life,  and when I was an American student living and studying in Germany in the 1980s   I was able to maintain my connection to Scouting through the Transatlantic Council. Helping to deliver Scouting programs  and even working at a Scout Summer Camp during the Summer all through college.   Providing both outdoor adventure and leadership / character development programs for American youth living all over the world.

The Current Scouting America executive for Transatlantic Council, Joshua Dick summed the issue up very well saying; 

 " Transatlantic Council’s ties to our military community run deep. For decades, our programs have supported the children of U.S. service members, providing stability, leadership development, and a sense of belonging. We are here to support our Scouts, their families, and the communities they are part of. We are profoundly grateful for your continued support, flexibility, and commitment during uncertain times. Your dedication enables our Scouts to learn, grow, and thrive – no matter where they are in the world.

In moments like these, our Scouting values matter more than ever. We encourage all members of our community to remain engaged, support one another, and continue demonstrating active citizenship in their daily lives. Keep supporting your units, lifting up your fellow volunteers, and, above all, continuing to deliver strong, meaningful programs for our youth."

The core mission of Scouting is not to create "Trump Youth" living out some  desperate fantasy of  an American "Alpha Male Ethos" . The mission of Scouting is and has always been to build character in youth.  With a clear focus on three things:  Duty to God,  Duty to Country and Duty to Self.  In that order.

With their fabricated war on "woke"  Hegseth and Trump are  sad, flawed  small minded bigots who are  terrified of America's diversity.  From attempts to rewrite the history of the Civil War to literally justify slavery,  to removing references to African American soldiers from US  Military  memorials overseas, and now an attack on Scouting as some sort of threat to America's masculinity,  Trump,  Hegseth and  the entire Trump 2.0 Administration  have provided a clear example of  everything that a Scout is not.