Volunteering for Scouts

Photo By 1st Sgt. Daryl Madrid | Bill Condon, Boy Scout Committee chairman, Senior Airman David Rollins, 474th ECES/BEEF, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Leonard point to a range while out with Boy Scouts from Troop 435 participating in a three-day, two-night camping and hiking trip to North Toro Cay, Feb. 28, 2015, at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daryl T. Madrid / Released)  

GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA

04.10.2015

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Madrid 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

U.S. NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer some of your down time while deployed here. If you are looking for an opportunity and were a Boy Scout, have children in scouting or just want to help, then maybe GTMO Boy Scout Troop 435 is for you.

GTMO Troop 435 meets each Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Scout Hut near the Vilamar housing area. This is a fully-functional, fully-staffed Scout troop with dedicated leaders and young men who are serious about the scouting program here.

However, the troop would not function properly without the selfless acts of the volunteers who give so much of their time and knowledge to help teach, mentor and strengthen these young Scouts.

“I enjoy volunteering with the Boy Scouts. It gives me a chance to share my knowledge with the boys,” said Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Leonard.

Leonard, an Eagle Scout himself, has been involved with the Boy Scout troop here for about 23 months, sharing his knowledge and assisting on camping and hiking trips.

Senior Airman David Rollins, with the Base Engineering Emergency Force, has been involved with scouting now for about 20 years, including being an active Boy Scout and a scout master at his home station in Texas, and has been working with the local troop for about three months.

“They could always use more volunteers, we’ve got plenty of help, if you don’t know what you’re doing come on out and learn with the boys, and if you know what you’re doing come teach the rest of us a skill,” Rollins said.

Service members who volunteer aren’t the only ones volunteering their time to the troop. There are civilian volunteers as well. Bill Condon, the Boy Scout committee chairman and a civilian spouse here, has a son in the troop and volunteers his time.

“With the nature of how people rotate in and out so quickly, you know there’s always someone either coming or going. So, there’s always a need for people to help out with the scouts,” Condon said.

The Scouts need volunteers who can share their knowledge of scouting, especially those willing to be merit badge counselors, helping the boys progress and earn rank on their way to becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest rank obtained by a Boy Scout.

“We get a lot of people to help out that are deployed here or here for a short PCS tour, but we always need help,” Condon said.

Before a person can become a Boy Scout volunteer, they must take the online Youth Protection training course offered by the Boy Scouts of America. This course instructs adult volunteers on how to help keep the Boy Scout youth safe from abuse, how to recognize the signs of abuse and how to report suspected abuse.

• Date Taken: 04.10.2015
• Date Posted: 04.16.2015 14:43
• Story ID: 160204
• Location: GUANTANAMO BAY, CU