In the mid 1960s while I was going to school at North Waco
Junior High School (NJHS) in Waco, Texas I walked to and from North Waco from
my house located just blocks away at 2701 Herring Ave.
In those days no one seem to worry about us kids being
snatched, up-ducted, seized or that we would run away from home. Seemed to me
like I walked to and from school without my sister, not sure if she walked or
if my parents took her, we did go to the same schools.
One day while walking from school to my house I noticed a
sign for the BSA in front of what looked like an old shack. This shack was
adjacent to the Richer Catholic High School football stadium and the BSA Troop
#262 was sponsored by the Catholic Church.
I had been walking by this location for weeks and had not
noticed the BSA sign, I had just started the seventh grade at NJHS so this was
a new route for me to walk, previously I walked a different direction to and
from my house to North Waco Elementary School.
The BSA sign indicated the troop met at 6:00 PM on Mondays,
I was just finished with football practice and it was 5:45 PM so I walked over
to the shack and started taking to some of the boys who were there. The Troop
Scout Master (TSM) suggested I tell my parents about the BSA and if they agreed
to letting me join the BSA I should bring back the forms he gave me to the
meeting they were having that day
.
As I was about to leave the BSA meeting shack my father who
was on his way home from work drove by, saw me and pulled into the parking area
to see what I was doing. Dad met the TSM and they got along right away, it was
then and only then I found out my Father had been in the BSA when he was a kid,
he had never talked about it.
Dad signed the papers for me to join since I was interested
and told me come straight home after the meeting. It did not get dark till late
that day so I was not walking home in the dark.
I stayed for the BSA meeting, learned a little about being a
member of the BSA and how Troop #262 operated. We formed up in lines or
patrols, each patrol had a patrol leader, the meeting started with all of
saying the pledge of allegiance and then saying the scout oath. There was a
large poster of the BSA oath on the front wall so it was easy for me to say it
along with the other.
It was then I learned the BSA had ranks and I was starting
off at the bottom as what was called a Tender Foot Scout. Once the Allegiance
and the Oath were said, the TSM welcome several of us new BSA Tender Foots, and
then turned the meeting over to a BSA Life Scout who talked and gave out
information to the Patrol Leaders and then we all broke into small training
groups to study up on BSA skills.
In my days in the BSA the rank structure was Tender Foot,
Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, Eagle and of course the TSM.
After an hour of learning about BSA skills we all went
outside to play character building games like dodge ball, red rover red rove,
and steal the flag. What a great night it was and I was hooked and stayed in
the BSA for the next six years.
Since I enjoyed the BSA I rose quickly in the ranks to Eagle
Scout with Three Oak Leaf Clusters. Later while in the U.S. Army I would serve
as an Assistant Scout Leader and Merit Badge Counselor.
Once I retired from the U.S. Army I would volunteer as a
Merit Badge Counselor when needed while living in New Mexico, Texas and
Virginia.
I have written and will write more stories of the life and
times of me in the BSA.
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