Unfettered Letters

Thank you to Scout troop

Congratulations to Troop 162 of the Boy Scouts of America who provided us with an excellent reminder of patriotism on Veterans Day with the demonstration of the 800 American flags near Johnson Drive and I-35.

It matters not as a veteran whether your service was World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm or Iraq. Veterans surrendered a part of their lives so that you and I might live in a free land and where we can worship in the manner of our choice.

We all should remember that freedom is not free, and it appears to me that veterans are the ones who have paid the price for our freedom.

A classic reminder of the service provided by veterans was the flag demonstration. We all owe the scout troop a thank you for their timely reminder.

Benton T. Munday

Prairie Village

Remembering Jimmy Bartle Taylor

I was saddened to read of Jimmy Bartle Taylor’s passing in The Star (7/6, Local, “Scouts lose a friend: Jimmy Bartle Taylor, 83”).

I was fortunate to initially make her acquaintance back in the 1980s, when I hosted a historical reunion of 1930s campers from Camp Osceola at our home. Our Council’s Boy Scout camp was renamed the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in honor of her father

Jimmy attended and was the absolute life of the party. Although almost 60 years had passed since she had seen many of the Depression-era Boy Scouts, she knew each “camper” by name and had a great story to tell about each of them.

Her excitement and vitality that day were something that I saw many times in recent years. Whether she was talking about her parents, the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, American patriotism or any of her other interests, she always expressed life to the fullest. She will be greatly missed by her friends and family in Kansas City and all over our country.

Andy Dubill
Overland Park

Boy Scouts

The tragic news last week from the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Iowa saddened us all.

As a mother of three boys preparing for their annual summer stay at the Bartle Scout Reservation, the news hit especially close to home.

I couldn’t help think that if that tornado struck another area where many boys were together — say a baseball or soccer complex, or even another non-scouting camp — the tragedy could have been even worse.

From verbal and written accounts, we hear how these boys worked as a team, following the directions of their adult and Scout leaders, drawing on the skills they had learned over years of scouting and staying true to the principles in the Scout oath and law.

Would another group of boys acted in the same manner? Merit badges and rank advancements earned in Scouting aren’t just decorations on a sash. They represent skills a Scout learns young and carries with him throughout life.

The young men at Little Sioux represented Scouting at its best.

Patti Cokingtin
Trailhead District, Heart of America Boy Scout Council
Leawood

Boy Scouts prepared for worst

News people have reported the tragedy at the Iowa Boy Scout Camp (6/12, A-1, “Killer twister flattens campsite”). It is a tragedy, but few recognize that the Scouts, in the aftermath of the storm, rendered medical aid and rescue assistance to their own before the professional rescuers from local and state agencies arrived.

The Scouts did what Scouts do. They were prepared. They knew how and what to do to provide aid and comfort to their comrades. They should be hailed as heroes for a job well done.

Several years ago a national TV news reporter was interviewing a young Scout after a freak spring snowstorm stranded his troop camping in the mountains of eastern Tennessee for about a week. Asked how they survived the ordeal, the Scout replied in deadpan sincerity, “Sir, we are Scouts. We knew what to do. There were no problems.”

The Boy Scouts provide today’s young men valuable lessons and experience for their future and that of our country. The ideals of the Boy Scouts make a useful yardstick in today’s world for anyone young or old.

If you are curious as to what those standards are, ask a Scout to repeat the Scout Law.

G.W. Mc Donald Jr.
Fairway

Join the Boy Scouts

Boy Scouts of America is a great organization that teaches boys responsibility, survival skills and discipline.

I introduced one of my friends into the scouting program, and because of the skills he learned, he was able to save the life of his brother, who suffered a very serious and deep gash.

Scouting is not something that only geeks do. I encourage all boys interested in scouts to go for it. You get to go on campouts, summer camps and a weeklong camping experience.

Even if you’re not the outdoor type, there are plenty of other things to do.

Scouting saved my friend’s life. Why not join?

Austin Lanning
Overland Park

Always an Eagle Scout

I read the article that Joe Posnanski wrote on Chan Gailey (1/20, C-1, “Substance over style for Chan”). I found the article to be interesting about our new offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. I would like to add only one correction to this and that Mr. Posnanski mentioned Chan’s past in the fact he “was” an Eagle Scout.

As the proud father of an Eagle Scout, Chan is and always will be an Eagle Scout. This rank that is earned by a young man, and he carries it for the rest of his life.

I wish to welcome Chan to the area and the best of luck with his position as a Kansas City Chiefs coach. I applaud his accomplishments he has made throughout his career and I admire his ability to earn the highest rank a Boy Scout can earn, that of an Eagle Scout. Good luck coach Gailey.

Proud parent of an Eagle Scout.

Leo Berroteran
Raytown

Fund helps Scouts

I was pleased to read the article on my brother, Richard Sanderson, in Thursday’s FYI section (4/12, “One more service badge; Boy Scout leader returns the favor, mentors teens at detention center”). I wish the reporter would have included information on the fund my brother has started to help send Scouts from Troop 167 to the H. Roe Bartle Scout Camp each summer. They “earn” the right to go and his fund pays their way.

If anyone is interested in helping, contact the Truman Heartland Community Foundation, 300 N. Osage, Independence, MO 64050, (816) 836-8189. The “Scouts in Need Fund” could use their help. It also helps the Boy Scouts in Kenya mentioned in the article.

Alan Mauch
Parkville

Only accusations

In regard to the removal of Rev. Sylvester Hoppe’s name from a chapel at Camp Geiger (9/28, Metro), I was sad to see that the Boy Scouts of America have decided to ignore the major tenet of American justice: that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Hoppe contributed to the Boy Scout movement for more than 75 years, and at no time during his service in scouting were any allegations of abuse made against him.

Disproving an allegation of abuse is inherently impossible. But David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, and the other rabid zealots who comprise that organization’s body are able to condemn and convict a priest solely on the word of the accused, and they revel in this.

The courts require that guilt be established beyond reasonable doubt. A priest should be tried by the same standard. And the Boy Scouts of America, if they are to live up to their creed, should insist upon it.

Michael E. Benson
Lone Jack