Scouting and the military are a natural fit. I’ve seen it firsthand | Opinion
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America, saying the group has become an organization designed to “attack boy-friendly spaces,” according to documents reviewed by NPR.
“We are surprised and deeply saddened by this news,” said a statement from Scouting America President and CEO Roger Krone, in response to the story. “The Scouting movement has had a strong relationship with our nation’s military going back more than a century.”
It’s just the latest shortsighted attack from the Trump administration on anything it perceives as “woke.”
In this case, they’re cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Scouting is near and dear to my heart. My wife and I held Cub Scout den meetings every week for three years, starting when our older son was in second grade. We then crossed over to Boy Scouts, where I was an assistant scoutmaster with Troop 100 in Boise. Both of my sons did Scouts, and my older son achieved Eagle rank.
My older son went on to the Naval Academy, and when he first got there, he said it was kind of like “Scouting on steroids.” It was more intense, but it was the same basic structure (troop, patrol; fleet, battalion) and had the same codes of honor and service.
The Scout oath, which is said at the beginning of every meeting: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
Sounds familiar.
Here’s the mission statement of the Naval Academy: “To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.”
I have no doubt that being an Eagle Scout helped my son get into the Naval Academy. The service academies love Eagle Scouts. An estimated 10%-20% of the students at military academies are Eagle Scouts, and even more than that are Scouts.
It’s not surprising.
Scouting teaches patriotism, respect for the flag, duty to country and becoming a good citizen. It’s a great feeder program for the military.
Scouts learn how to safely shoot a gun at a shooting range. For many Scouts, it’s the first time ever handling a weapon.
I’ve known several veterans who got their kids into Scouting.
Scouts march in Veterans Day parades and place American flags at veterans’ grave sites on Memorial Day.
Scout uniforms have American flags sewn onto the right shoulder, similar to military uniforms. And despite Hegseth’s leaked memo that Scouting is no longer based on “meritocracy,” Scouts move up through the ranks based on their knowledge and skills, just like soldiers, sailors and Marines.
When Boy Scouts of America decided to allow girls to join, I celebrated. I love the Scouting program so much — building skills, being in the outdoors, learning discipline and team building — of course I wanted more kids to experience that. Admitting girls made Scouting better, not worse.
But according to a draft memo to Congress, Hegseth criticizes Scouting for being “genderless” and for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Heaven forbid we try to make Scouting more diverse, equitable and inclusive to make Scouting available to more people. And I can tell you from firsthand experience, the addition of girls to Scouting did not make it “genderless.”
Girls do everything that the boys do but have their own, separate troop within Troop 100. I’ve had the privilege of teaching the girls such skills as lashings and knots, and I’ve gone on several outings with the girls troop, including a weeklong canoe trip on the Green River. Their presence did not detract one bit.
I know it seems like Hegseth wants to relegate women in the military to typists and nurses, but the U.S. military benefits from including women, and there’s no better training ground than Scouts.
“Scouting is and has always been a nonpartisan organization,” Krone’s statement reads. “For more than a century, we’ve worked with every U.S. presidential administration — Republican and Democrat — focusing on our common goal of building future leaders grounded in integrity, responsibility, and service.”
Hegseth’s memo hasn’t been sent to Congress yet, but Scouting America encourages you to contact your U.S. senators and representatives. Call or email Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson and let them know you don’t support Hegseth’s plan.
Severing ties with Scouting would hurt not only the Scouts but the military, as well.
Scott McIntosh is the opinion editor of the Idaho Statesman. You can email him at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com or call him at 208-377-6202. Sign up for the free weekly email newsletter The Idaho Way.
