No Lone Rangers in Order of the Arrow
Last week I wrote about my struggle between going to a Lone Ranger event or staying for a special Boy Scout honor my son was receiving. I opted to stay with my son and have no regrets.
As the owner emeritus of the Lone Ranger Fan Club, I would have loved to have been at the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum for the Lone Ranger Fan Day last Saturday when they unveiled a new Lone Ranger museum collection. As fun as that would have been, nothing there could top what I felt when Wesley was tapped out for induction into the Order of the Arrow.
The Order of the Arrow is an honor camper fraternity. You have to be selected by your peers to join. Wesley had no clue until his name was called that he was selected. We managed to keep it a secret from him for a couple months. He will have is ordeal in March, at which time he will formally become a member.
My induction into the Order of the Arrow about 25 to 30 years ago was very unique. I was tapped out at a Scout Show, but missed the ordeal and never did anything else about it. Fast-forward a couple of years and I was working as a mountain man at the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in Red Feather Lakes, Colo. I did that job for three of my four years on camp staff and loved it.
One of the really cool things each week was the Order of the Arrow tap-out ceremony. It featured a big Indian dance by the OA dance team. I volunteered to bang the drum and did so with pleasure. It wasn’t until sometime in my final year that it occurred to anyone that I was not in the Order of the Arrow. To rectify that, they made me an honorary member with full membership privileges. My service as a drummer served as my ordeal.
What’s unusual about that is that I have never heard of anyone else becoming an honorary member. I never did a formal ordeal and never participated in any other OA activities. I still proudly wear my Kola Lodge OA patch on my Scout shirt, but that’s been the extent of it.
For those of you who don’t understand Scoutspeak, the Order of the Arrow is a program of the Boy Scouts of America and follows a Native American theme. Members belong to a local lodge.
This is how the BSA describes OA: “For more than 90 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America’s youth.”
Camping is a big part of Scouting. It not only teaches basic cooking and survival skills, it also helps the boys learn about the environment and the importance of protecting it. The native people were the best stewards of the land this country ever had. They provide the perfect role model for teaching these skills and values to the young men.
Through Scouting and, more specifically the Order of the Arrow, the boys learn about Indian ways and traditions. They learn the history and heritage of the native peoples and develop a respect for who they were and how they cared for Mother Nature.
There just are not that many organizations that teach those values and skills outside of Scouting. In an age when the thing is to go green, and the environment is a top concern, these are valuable lessons the boys are learning and putting into practice.
Now Wesley will have a chance to develop these skills and gain this knowledge that will help him as he moves into manhood. It’s exciting as a father to be there as he takes this first step. I know the things he learns in the Boy Scouts will carry him far. There is little that makes a dad more proud than to see his child not only follow in his footsteps, but to blaze his own trail.
If I had gone to the Lone Ranger event like I wanted to, I would have missed this first step and might not have had the chance to help him on his journey.
Welcome to the brotherhood, my son. I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes you.
As the owner emeritus of the Lone Ranger Fan Club, I would have loved to have been at the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum for the Lone Ranger Fan Day last Saturday when they unveiled a new Lone Ranger museum collection. As fun as that would have been, nothing there could top what I felt when Wesley was tapped out for induction into the Order of the Arrow.
The Order of the Arrow is an honor camper fraternity. You have to be selected by your peers to join. Wesley had no clue until his name was called that he was selected. We managed to keep it a secret from him for a couple months. He will have is ordeal in March, at which time he will formally become a member.
My induction into the Order of the Arrow about 25 to 30 years ago was very unique. I was tapped out at a Scout Show, but missed the ordeal and never did anything else about it. Fast-forward a couple of years and I was working as a mountain man at the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in Red Feather Lakes, Colo. I did that job for three of my four years on camp staff and loved it.
One of the really cool things each week was the Order of the Arrow tap-out ceremony. It featured a big Indian dance by the OA dance team. I volunteered to bang the drum and did so with pleasure. It wasn’t until sometime in my final year that it occurred to anyone that I was not in the Order of the Arrow. To rectify that, they made me an honorary member with full membership privileges. My service as a drummer served as my ordeal.
What’s unusual about that is that I have never heard of anyone else becoming an honorary member. I never did a formal ordeal and never participated in any other OA activities. I still proudly wear my Kola Lodge OA patch on my Scout shirt, but that’s been the extent of it.
For those of you who don’t understand Scoutspeak, the Order of the Arrow is a program of the Boy Scouts of America and follows a Native American theme. Members belong to a local lodge.
This is how the BSA describes OA: “For more than 90 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America’s youth.”
Camping is a big part of Scouting. It not only teaches basic cooking and survival skills, it also helps the boys learn about the environment and the importance of protecting it. The native people were the best stewards of the land this country ever had. They provide the perfect role model for teaching these skills and values to the young men.
Through Scouting and, more specifically the Order of the Arrow, the boys learn about Indian ways and traditions. They learn the history and heritage of the native peoples and develop a respect for who they were and how they cared for Mother Nature.
There just are not that many organizations that teach those values and skills outside of Scouting. In an age when the thing is to go green, and the environment is a top concern, these are valuable lessons the boys are learning and putting into practice.
Now Wesley will have a chance to develop these skills and gain this knowledge that will help him as he moves into manhood. It’s exciting as a father to be there as he takes this first step. I know the things he learns in the Boy Scouts will carry him far. There is little that makes a dad more proud than to see his child not only follow in his footsteps, but to blaze his own trail.
If I had gone to the Lone Ranger event like I wanted to, I would have missed this first step and might not have had the chance to help him on his journey.
Welcome to the brotherhood, my son. I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes you.
posted by Joe Southern | 11:05 AM
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