Happy Thanksgiving!

  

As families come together near and far to celebrate with food and fellowship while counting their many blessings, we would like to take this opportunity, too, to wish our Pack 1910 family a Happy Thanksgiving.

The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the culmination of a successful partnership and harvest between different groups of people and was a further testimony that people of all creeds can live in harmony.

So, this Thanksgiving, we give thanks to children of all beliefs who have joined into the brotherhood and sisterhood of Scouting for the purpose of the greater good. We are united in a common purpose to be a different breed of person... the leaders of the future.

Thankful are we for the opportunities presented to us through the Scouting movement and the ability to serve our chartered organization, our community, our family, our unit and our country.

Thankful are we for the opportunity to Do A Good Turn Daily by acts of selfless service to those in our family, school and community.

Thankful are we for the blessings of leaders and volunteers who give of their time and their many talents to lead these Scouts with purpose.

Thankful are we for the bright-eyed enthusiasm as we witness young boys and girls take on greater responsibilities and meet challenges they didn't know they could overcome.

Thankful are we for the freedom afforded to all Americans and for those who are willing to fight for it... whatever the cost.

Thankful are we to not get everything we want, but to continue to be grateful for what we have.

Thankful are we for the partnership with nature and the outdoors as we learn to live in harmony with our earth and protect it for the generations that will follow.

Thankful are we for the gift of a merciful and gracious God that hears our prayers. Oh great Scoutmaster of all, please be with all of our Pack families until we can join together again.

Until that time... Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

Launch Day was a Blast!

Three cheers that the weather FINALLY cooperated with us to have our launch!  Thank you to our amazing families for coming out and grabbing photos for us.  Thank you, too, to our awesome volunteers who jumped in and helped... Sam Perry, Trish Chell, Marshall Farris, Suzie Donskey to name a few.  We appreciate you!

And a huge thanks to Dallas Area Rocket Society.  Their enthusiasm, expertise and insight is such a blessing to our Cub Scouts and we are so thankful for them.

Here are a few photos from the launch.  A link was sent out to our Pack families to share your photos. If you you have more to share, please upload those.  We do an annual slide show at our Blue & Gold and would love to incorporate all the photos we can of the past year.

 

 

 

Scout Salute to our Veterans

  

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Today we pay homage and give thanks to all of those who have served this great nation of ours from the United States Navy to the United States Army to the United States Air Force to the United States Marine Corps to the United States Coast Guard and each branch of reserves.

Scouting has a history rich in military service as well.  Robert Baden-Powell, the father of Boy Scouts, was a British officer with a long military career.  Much he learned along the way in his military career directly correlated with how he established scouting.  As it stands, many of our current military academies are home to a considerable amount of Scouts - over 1/3 of the cadets at West Point were involved in scouts and 16% are eagles; over 20% of the Air Force cadets were in scouting and 12% are Eagles; and 25% of the Naval Academy midshipmen were in Scouts and 11% are Eagle Scouts.  Though it's not the only way, it's definitely a great path to being a part of something much bigger than yourself.

So, today, we humbly give thanks to those who have signed their name on the line and said, "Whatever it takes... I'm here for America."  Those are the kind of courageous men and women we honor today.

Some interesting facts from History.com about veterans:


The brave men and women who serve and protect the U.S. come from all walks of life; they are parents, children and grandparents. They are friends, neighbors and coworkers, and an important part of their communities. Here are some facts about the current veteran population of the United States.

There are approximately 21 million military veterans in the United States.

• 16.1 million living veterans served during at least one war.

• 5.2 million veterans served in peacetime.

• 2 million veterans are women.

• 7 million veterans served during the Vietnam War era (1964-1975).

• 5.5 million veterans served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present).

• Of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II (1941-1945), about 620,000 are still alive.

• 2 million veterans served during the Korean War (1950-1953).

• 6 million veterans served in peacetime.

• As of 2014, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.

• As of 2014, 3 states have more than 1 million veterans in among their population: California (1.8 million), Florida (1.6 million), Texas (1.7 million).

• The VA health care system had 54 hospitals in 1930, since then it has expanded to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 live-in care facilities for injured or disabled vets.

We remember your sacrifice. We honor your patriotism. To quote President Coolidge, "The Nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.”

You are all invited tonight at 7pm to the North Texas Field of Honor at Keller Town Hall for a flag retirement ceremony conducted by Troop 32.   Dress for the weather. 

Join the Pit Crew

 

It's time to commit to the pit crew!  We need lots of hands on deck to make this event a success!  Sign up now.