Troop 398 News - Apr 21

EAGLE COURT OF HONOR
Troop 398 will convene a special Court of Honor to present the Eagle Award to Andrew White. All members of the Troop 398 family are invited to attend and celebrate Andrew's achievement. We only have a few Eagle C/H's each year. I would especially like to invite our new troop members and their parents to attend – I am certain you will come away with a new appreciation of the Eagle Award. The ceremony will be held at 2:00 PM this Sunday, April 26th, in the Worship Center at St. Mark's. Class A uniform.

SUMMER CAMP PHYSICAL EXAMS
Dr. Beckman will be at the troop meeting on April 27th to give Summer Camp Physicals. Dr. Galloway will be at the troop meeting on May 4th and May 18th.  Anyone who needs a physical must have the new BSA Health Form with Section A completed and signed by a parent before they have the physical exam.

SUMMER CAMP SWIM TESTS
BSA Swim tests will be given at SportsCom by Mr. Doliana from 7:00 to 8:00 PM on the following Thursdays: April 30, May 7, May 21, and May 28.  Pool admission is $2.00 for youths and $3.00 for adults.  All registered members of the troop must attempt the Swim Test so you can be classified as a Swimmer, Beginner or Non-Swimmer. Please sign up for the night you plan to attend.

MAY CAMP OUT
The camp out for May will be May 1-3. We will set up a base camp at Camp Tubbs at Rock Island. On Saturday, we will be canoeing and fishing on the Upper Caney Fork River. The Brownings have offered to let us use the dock which is on their property just a short distance from Camp Tubbs.  This will be a good opportunity for us to work with those of you who are new to canoeing. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board. We are looking forward to another great weekend – ya'll come!

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
The will be a clean up day at Stone's River National Battlefield and/or the Greenway before Memorial Day weekend. Probably morning and early afternoon. A date has not been set as yet.

Also, on May 23rd, the Saturday before Memorial Day you can help place flags at either the Stones River National Cemetery or the Healing Field on Medical Center Parkway. Sign up with Mr. Horne.

MEMORIAL DAY
There will be no troop meeting on Memorial Day, May 25th.

Troop 398 News - April 9

SUMMER CAMP PHYSICAL EXAMS  
Dr. Russ Galloway will be available at this Monday's (Apr 13) Troop meeting to give summer camp physicals. Anyone who needs a physical, should show up with Section A of the new BSA Health Form completed and signed by a parent. Dr. Galloway also will be at the troop meeting on May 4th and May 18th.      

APRIL CAMP OUT  
By popular request, we are backpacking in the Virgin Falls Natural Area near Sparta.  With the heavy rain we've had lately, the falls should be awesome!  The camp site on the banks of the Upper Caney Fork River ranks in my top ten favorite spots. It's a fairly easy downhill hike going in with a moderate uphill coming out … okay, there's a couple of short sorta difficult stretches in there also. We will meet at the Eagle's Nest at 6:30 AM on Sat., Apr.18 and return at 2:00 PM on Sunday, Apr.19. Plan your meals either as an individual or with a buddy or as a patrol. The troop has backpacks and tents are available to loan out. If you have a troop tent or backpack and are not planning to make the trip, please return them for others to use. Make sure you sign up at the troop meeting so we can plan for transportation.     

TROOP MEETING  
Will Ramsey, a Philmont veteran will be providing helpful hints about backpacking this Monday night.  Backpacks and tents will be signed out to those who need them.       

Order of the Arrow Call out/Tap out Ceremony:   
The Wdee Chapter (Trail of Tears District) of  Wa-Hi-Nasa Lodge, Order of the Arrow held their 2009 Call out/ Tap out Ceremony on Saturday, April 4.  This ceremony was for those scouts from Troop 398 and the other district troops, who were elected to the Order of the Arrow by the members of their respective troops, last month.  The Ceremony took place at Camp Boxwell at 7:00 PM around a ceremonial fire. 

Those scouts called out from Troop 398 were: Mike Montalbono, Asher Paxton, Alex Riner, Sidney Roy and Reed Spivey.     
Adult candidates from Troop 398 for 2009 were:  Tom Fowler, Linda Montalbano and Bill Riner.     

OA Spring Ordeal is scheduled for 29-31 May at Camp Boxwell.     

SERVICE OPPORTUNITY  
This is forwarded from the Exchange Club.  If you have time, they need some help.   You may recall I have been pitching The Exchange Club's Healing Field - Flags of Remembrance project over Memorial Day weekend that honors and memorializes military, law enforcement, fire firefighter, heroes, etc. with sponsored flags.   I am now asking for something and it is not money - I am begging for help, assistance, volunteers, community service, etc. as we are probably going to be overwhelmed without some help.   This field located on Medical Center Parkway next to the Belk end of The Avenue ( between Maplegrove and Robert Rose ) will become a field of 1500 3' x 5' American Flags on 8' fiberglass poles. Yes, that is 1500 flags and poles whether we have them sponsored or not.   The rebar will already be installed so the pole will just slip over the top of the rebar.   If I can get 100 people to volunteer around 8:00 AM on that Saturday, only 15 flags per person, we will be finished in less than an hour. If I get 50 people to do 30 flags that will take just over an hour.   The Flags will already be assembled. It will be easy to do, and the flags on the poles are not heavy, just due to size you cannot handle more than three or four at a time.   We prefer ages 13 and up but families are welcomed to come together and enjoy the beauty of watching that field of Flags grow.  Once in place that is going to be an awesome Patriotic sight.  If you can assist, please let me know and I will get more information to you.   WrightDon@Comcast.net   RightDonNews@Gmail.com.  This project is an Americanism Project by The Murfreesboro Noon Exchange Club and proceeds go toward the Exchange Club projects including Americanism ( we are the lead group handing out the small American Flags at the Murfreesboro Christmas Parade each year ), Youth Activities, Community Service, and the Prevention of Child Abuse.     www.MurfreesboroNoonExchangeClub.org www.healingfield.org/murfreesboro  

We are also seeking donated port-a-johns, golf carts, small vans, volunteers the whole weekend to help with the field activities ( selling sponsorship of flags; helping people locate the flag they sponsored with the name of the person on the flag, selling of bottled water, traffic, parking, etc. but nothing strenous ).  Don Wright  RightDonNews@GMail.com  WrightDon@Comcast.net