[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 10, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL BOY SCOUTS DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this past Monday, February 
8, is recognized by many as National Boy Scouts Day, marking the 
incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America 106 years ago.
  I have spent close to four decades as a scoutmaster, Juniata Valley 
Boy Scout Council executive board member and council president, and as 
a scouting dad. My wife and I are scouting parents, with three sons we 
are very proud of who are Eagle Scouts today.
  In my own scouting experience, I was honored to become one of just 
2,000 people, since 1969, to receive the national Distinguished Eagle 
Scout Award.
  It was my experience in scouting that first sparked my interest in 
public service--in the vein of the Boy Scout promise, which urges us, 
in part, to do our duty to God, to our country, and in the service of 
other people.
  Scouting got its start around the turn of the last century, thanks to 
the efforts of British Army Officer Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-
Powell.
  As Scouting history has it, in 1909, a Chicago businessman, a 
publisher, William D. Boyce, who actually grew up in western 
Pennsylvania, lost his way in a dense fog in London.

                              {time}  1045

  A young boy came to his aid, guiding Mr. Boyce to his destination. 
And in the end, when Mr. Boyce offered that young boy a tip, a coin, 
the boy refused the tip offered by Mr. Boyce stating: Sir, I am a 
Scout, and Scouts do not take rewards for doing good turns.
  Well, that young boy was a Scout. We don't know his identity today, 
but he certainly has changed our country. That single act of 
volunteerism gave birth to what became the Boy Scouts of America, 
incorporated in 1910.
  In 2013, there were more than 2.6 million members of the Boy Scouts 
of America. The program today serves not just boys, but also girls in 
our Scouting Venturing program.
  In a time which has, in many ways, been highlighted by a decline of 
volunteerism and criticism of perhaps our younger newest generations, I 
know that our Nation's future is in good hands with those who live and 
dedicate themselves to the Scout Oath or the Scout Promise, which they 
state at the beginning of every meeting and they end with. The words 
since that time are:
  ``On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country 
and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep 
myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.''
  Scouting prepares youth to be productive and successful members of 
the workforce. The program introduces our youth to countless career 
opportunities, including the STEM fields.
  As a Scout Master for almost three decades, I have seen these 11-
year-old youths, until the time they become 18 and go on into life, the 
career paths they were exposed to for the first time--whether it was 
medicine, or teaching, or professional fire fighting, or across the 
board--through the Scouting experience. What employer would not benefit 
from an employee with practical exposure from an organization that 
emphasizes values, service, and leadership?
  Scouting fosters the values that make communities strong and 
preferred for families to set down roots and to contribute.
  Scouting offers the world's finest leadership training for adults and 
youth, leadership training that can be generalized to any occupations, 
including the United States House of Representatives.
  As frequently said, ``Scouting is outing.'' Scouting is the youth 
leadership program that is grounded, not just in values, but in the 
beauty and the nature of the outdoors, building appreciation and 
respect for God's creation and for active lives, for being physically 
active, that is so desperately needed today.
  Now it is my hope that this wonderful organization continues to 
contribute to the lives of young men and young ladies for generations 
to come.

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