On 12 July, 2001, I was stationed with Troop 44 at Gold Lake, CA, under the command of SPL Cameron T. Fan. I was ordered to lead a patrol of new recruits out for a night recon and astrometrical viewing, and to return to base at 0800 the next morning. Scout 1st Class Michael Bauld took point in Canoe 1 with Scout 2nd Class Brendon Lim, while I took rear guard with several Tenderfoots (yes, the plural form of Tenderfoot is not Tenderfeet, that just sounds stupid). We left base in a standard line formation, guarding the middle canoe containing Scoutmaster William T. Bauld, Esq, and our GPS and communications equipment. At 2130 we approached the unnamed atoll. S1C Bauld made first landing, while Canoe 2 covered the beach head with suppression splashes from their dual aluminum paddles.
The rest of the mission was completely uneventful, but when I list out our ranks and troop positions it makes it sound like we probably had night vision googles and M4s straped on our backs. Which we would have, if given a choice. Being in the scouts for seven years makes me think that given the opportunity, I could pull a Bear Grylls and survive in the wilderness with nothing more than a waterbottle and a knife. And there's some truth to it. We got a lot of good training and preparation that would have served us well if ANY of the kids I knew in the scouts had gone into the army. I like mentioning that an Eagle Scout that enlists in the US armed forces is given an automatic promotion to E2 grade upon graduating from basic training. Also one time we waterboarded a kid for failing a uniform inspection.
Kidding...
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