This blog is about my life and the things that I have experienced. However, I am now going to tell about something my brother Loyd had to endure because it feels like something that could have happened to me.
I did not continue with Boy Scouts after finishing up with Cub Scouts in the fifth grade. I did get involved with the Law Enforcement Explorers, which is a branch of the Boy Scouts of America, but I didn't feel like I was cut out to be an actual Boy Scout.
Loyd did stay with Boy Scouts. He was hoping to become an Eagle Scout like the boy across the street we were friends with. Loyd actually went so far as to plan his big Eagle Scout project. Loyd worked hard to earn his badges. One of the most important ones that he had to acquire was the Order of the Arrow. I think this was supposed to lead to the next steps toward him becoming an Eagle Scout.
In order to earn the Order of the Arrow, he had to spend a weekend at the Boy Scout camp, which was located about an hour and a half from Artesia. There were certain things he was supposed to take and he packed accordingly. The ritual required to earn the badge appeared to consist of constant hazing between Friday night and Sunday morning by the counselors, who were scouts of a higher rank.
But that was nothing compared to what happened when it was over. The participants completed all their tasks Sunday morning and were told they would receive their Order of the Arrow badge at the ceremony, which was scheduled in one hour. They were able to just goof off and have fun for the next hour. Loyd went off into the woods by himself. He sat down in the grass and just conked out from exhaustion.
He woke up a couple of hours later. He rushed over the camp. Everyone appeared to be gone except for the counselors. He apologized for being late and missing the ceremony.
"Yeah, we wondered why we had an extra badge to hand out."
"Well, can you go ahead and give me the badge?"
"No, we can't do that. You'll have to come back next year and do all this over again."
"Why? I already did everything to earn the badge this weekend!"
"Because the Boy Scout rules say we can only give out the badge at the Order of the Arrow ceremony, and you weren't at the ceremony."
"But I was dead tired from everything that happened."
"I'm sorry, but you were supposed to be at the ceremony."
"Well, I thought the ceremony was going to be at 3:00."
"No, 3:00 is the time we have to leave the camp. The ceremony was scheduled at 11:00 and we told you to come back in an hour."
"NO! I told my parents to show up and pick me up at 3:00! You mean I have to wait here for three hours?"
"Not unless you can get a ride."
It was at this point that Loyd made a collect call to the house. Mom and Dad had already left because they wanted to spend some time in the forest before picking up Loyd. I was home, so I got the call.
"Fayd! Have Mom and Dad left yet?"
"Yeah, they left awhile ago. They're going to get you at 3:00."
"Well, I need you to drive up here and get me right now!"
"I'm not going to do that! Wait for Mom and Dad. They'll be there in three hours."
"Well, I'm just going to find another way home."
"No, Loyd! You'd better wait for Mom and Dad or they're going to get mad!"
He hung up the phone. About an hour and a half later, he showed up at the house. There was one person at the camp who hadn't left yet and was on their way to Artesia to give him a ride. He told me about everything that happened to him during the camp. Now, all he had to do was wait for our parents to arrive.
At 4:30, Mom and Dad came home. The first thing they asked was "WHERE'S LOYD?" They yelled at him for an hour. They were mad because he should have known when it was going to be over and that he should have waited for them to come get him. I don't think he ever got a chance to tell them about all the hazing and how he didn't get his badge.
Loyd stopped being a Boy Scout after that, and that was really a shame because he really needed that sense of accomplishment in his life at that point. I'm pretty certain that counselor was lying when he brought up the "Boy Scout Rules." It's likely that the counselor hadn't gotten enough hazing out of his system and decided to just be a jerk.
This is the thing that gets me: The counselors should have at least taken some kind of roll call at the ceremony. If they had, they would have realized that Loyd was missing and should have gone out looking for him. He was in the forest where bad things could happen and the fact that they didn't even bother to worry about his absence would have made them liable if something did go wrong. If he had broken his leg and they just stranded him there, they would have had to pay a lot more than the cost of a badge.
I think that if Loyd had waited for Mom and Dad to show up, Dad probably would have gotten it in his head that he could have sued the Boy Scouts. The lawsuit likely never would have gone to court and they would have just given Loyd the Order of the Arrow badge as a settlement. This would have helped Loyd continue on his path to being an Eagle Scout.
A few years ago, I suggested to Loyd that he write a letter to the Boy Scouts of America, tell them what happened and they would probably give him his badge. He didn't want to bother with that.
It certainly makes me glad I didn't go on to become a Boy Scout.
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