Hello Scouts and Parents,
Tonight, a plane load of World War 2 veterans and heroes, some with walkers and some in wheel chairs returned from a trip to Washington DC. They were in Washington to see the WW2 memorial built in their honor.
Troop 8 had the extreme privilege of representing the Boy Scouts at the welcome home ceremony at Charlotte Douglas Airport. Over 20 troop 8 scouts in uniform formed a tribute line with American Flags to welcome these heroes back home.
To say it was emotional is an understatement. The scouts performed flawlessly and as scoutmaster I was very proud. The scouts were videotaped by one of the news organizations, the boys were also thanked by former Senator Dole who was acting as a guide on the trip.
After the welcoming, numerous veterans and family members sought me out to says thanks for the boys being there. Most by the time they talked to me were emotionally spent.
To the scouts and parents who came tonight with their sons a heart felt thank you.
This was a service well done.
Mark Spisak
Scoutmaster Troop 8
Click Here to see Troop 8 participate in the Honor Flight return!
Hello Scouts and Scout Parents,
Here is a link to watch the video story behind the Honor flight the troop rendered honor guard service for last night. The scouts who attended may recognize some of these heroes.
To find out about the honor flight click here
Yours in Scouting
Mark Spisak
By Connor Nielsen, Troop Scribe
The Troop 8 PLC met Monday, October 12. The first thing we talked about was the October Backpacking trip at South Mountain State Park. Only 15 scouts went so we divided it up into two treks. The older scout patrol went on a 12-mile loop and the new scout patrol and troop guides went on a 7-mile loop, stopping at South Mountain’s beautiful waterfalls. What made this trip different from other backpackers is that the two patrols camped at different campsites five miles from each other. Overall, it was a fun trip.
In start, stop, and continue the SPL for the trip, Brian Mulholland, emphasized that communication of this kind of trips is vital. He brought along walkie talkies and said that they would have been good to have. It was also mentioned that the leaders of the troop needed to have more control of their group. We needed to stay together more and work on hiking skills, but we did have good backpacking skills!
We talked about the November trip, too. Some of the older scouts said that they remembered the Guilford Courthouse trip a couple years ago, and it was agreed that we should do another battlefield trip. The two options that were brought up were Kings Mountain Battlefield or Cowpens Battlefield. If that doesn’t work out, then we will go to Camp Grimes for basic camping and backpacking.
One of the major things we talked about at the PLC was the meeting plans and instruction. We have five meetings before the next campout so there were lots of ideas for instruction. On October 19th we will practice tent setup with buddies. We might throw in some surprises like blindfolding, too, so be prepared. We will also do cleaning water purifiers because that was an issue on the trip and cold weather first-aid because it’s getting chilly! On October 26th, the instruction will be cold-weather clothes and supplies for cold-weather camping. The next meeting (November 2nd) will be bear bags and stuffing envelopes for Christmas tree sales. Hopefully, we will have a fun game involving bear bags. For the 9th and 16th, we will have instruction on the history of the battlefield and Leave No Trace. Additionally at the PLC, Mr. Spisak talked about the importance of leadership in the troop and how they should know their jobs well.