Newspapers / The Roanoke Beacon and … / Feb. 12, 1942, edition 1 / Page 3
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Week Youth Organization Adds To Numbers Foi War Duty Trained Boy Power Is Asset to Country In Times of Stress War Effort by Boys Dem onstrates Worth of Scout Movement to All Thirty or more Washington Coun ty Boy Scouts have joined others in the nation in adopting a keynote for their activities during 1942 inspired by the recognition of the need for a strong citizenry to back up the na tion's defense efforts. It is “Strong for America” Tire active practice of the motto of the Boy Scouts, “Be Prepared,” insures this. In orer to be “Strong for America'' the Boy Scouts take the postion that they must be strong in Leaders, Strong in Numbers, Strong in Will, Strong for the Sake of America and Strong in Skill. But while many American citizens are learning new skills as members of present day home defense units the Boy Scouts are cashing in on thirty-one years of emergency serv ice experience. For three decades the Boy Scouts have not only learned most of these skills but have used them repeatedly, rendering emergen cy service in national and sectional catastrophes. The reason in back of the learning of these skills, such as first aid, knot tying, signaling and such subjects by Boy Scouts is the motto emblazoned across the badge, “Be Prepared.” This motto has always been literally interpreted by Scout leaders every where. Never in Scout training is it presumed that certain emergencies will not arise. Leaders train the boys with the firm belief that “Be Pre pared” means being prepared for anything and that means to them being "Strong for America.” Thus it was when help was urgent ly needed in Ohio and Indiana in 1913 because of the Spring floods Boy Scouts rendered first aid and assisted the regular agencies in their rescue and rehabilitation work. Ev ery year Boy Scouts in various sec tions of the country render aid in local emergencies. But in 1921 the public again heard of their deeds when the Knickerbocker Theatre burned in Washington, D. C., and when floods in Pueblo, Colo, and San Antonio, Tex., caused widespread damage and homelessness. Motto “Be Prepared” Their service in such catastrophes added to the experience and the rep utation of the Boy Scouts. In 1916 Congress granted a Federal Charter to the organization on the basis of their service record. The nation had accepted the truth of the motto, "Be Prepared.’’ America had come to de pend on the Boy Scouts. In the years following, they again and again justified this trust. In 1926, for ex ample, they did outstanding work in the Florida hurricane and the Ark ansas flood. On the heels of these stirring events came the flood dis asters in 1927 in Mississippi and Ver mont. In the same year St. Louis was struck by a tornado and called upon the Scouts of that area. In 1938 they showed remarkable dis cipline and ability in serving hurri cane-stricken New England. Throughout the country Boy Scout service has run the gamut from train wrecks to finding lost children, as well as in major catastrophes. Service to the community and the nation is not confined to heroic la bors during catastrophes. The rec ords abound in what seems prosaic jobs performed by Boy Scouts, but which have been of inestimable value to the nation. These prosaic jobs indicate, however, that in living up to the motto "Be Prepared” the Boy Scouts are ready to render a great variety of services to their country. In 1917 and 1918 responsibility for many important nation-wide proj ects was given to the Boy Scouts. They demonstrated* that boy power trained and organized for service was of tremendous value to the na tion. 1917-18 Service Enviable Called in to sell Liberty Loan Bonds in the five Liberty Loans, the Boy Scouts placed 2,350,977 for a total value of $554,859,262. They sold $52, 000,000 worth of War Savings Stamps. From this they jumped to the ferreting out of sorely-needed walnut trees to use for gun stocks. They located and tagged 20,000,00c board feet of this rare wood through out the country. It must be remembered that these great sendees rendered the country by the Boy Scouts were done by dif ferent generations of boys. It was the Scout training, the strict adher ence to the motto, as well as the Scout oath and Law which gave each new generation of Scouts that same spirit and ability to be useful. Thus when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a "National Call to Service" in 1934 the Boy Scouts re sponded by collecting in three weeks 1,812,283 items of clothing, house hold furnishings, foodstuffs and sup plies for distressed and needy fam ilies. Service of this and other na tures found the Boy Scouts always ready. Not satisfied with the fine record of thirty years of service, the Boy Scouts of America, at the insistence of Dr, James E. West, the Chief Scout Executive, studied it's future ;ervice possibilities in 1940. From his study grew a potent challenging jrogram of preparedness for Scouts of almost boundless possibilities. Specifically it is the Emergency Ser vice Corps and generally it means intense training for all Scouts in the ^ypes of service which they may be called upon to give. "Be Prepared" was to be more than ever a motto to be lived. Emergency Service Training Ample proof had been shown in the record of Scout service through j years that the Scout program has within itself the training in resource fulness and the technique which makes for skillful service in the many and varied demands that emergencies bring up. Emergencies require such abilities as are basically good Scouting which conditions in fered for sale in the State, dividual Scouts to meet the need of .he times and to fit them to meet hat need when necessary as indi /idual Scouts or as members of a Patrol or Troop; To train Patrols in affective teamwork when needed through Patrol projects: to train Patrols to coordinate smoothly and efficiently when working together as a Troop. The Emergency Service program w'as enthusiastically adopted by the Scout Troops from coast to coast. While learning new skills Scouts hold themselves ready for immediate ac tion. The Emergency Troop Plan was praised by President Franklin D Roosevelt who said in a letter to Dr. West, that . . at no time in its history has our country had greater need for this kind of serious work and preparation.” The President followed this ex pression of faith in the Boy Scouts with the first call for service to the nation in April, 1941, when he re quested the aid of the Boy Scouts as special messengers for the Treasury Department in distributing 1,600,000 posters announcing the sale of U. S. Defense Bonds. Wth a thoroughness characteristic, the Scouts placed these posters in prominent places simultaneously in every city, town and hamlet of the nation. Helped Collect Aluminum The memory of that service was still warm in the nation's heart when a second call to the Scouts was How Japanese Sneak Raid Hit Hawaii Base Official U. S. Navy Photo trol planes, Catalina type (PBY), are shown wrecked on Ford island at Pearl the Japanese sneak raid of December 7. Harbor, Hawaii, after (Central Press) sounded for Nation-wide Service. Fioella La Guardia, as Director of the Office of Citizen Defense appeal ed to the Boy Scouts, among others, to come to the assistance of the na tion by collecting from every home in the United States old and discard ed aluminum-ware for the use in united defense industries. In effect this was a grand mo bilization, as was the poster distribu tion effort. In quick time Patrols and Troops were organized for the work and the collection started. This mobilization presented its difficulties since many of the 48.000 Troops and Packs do not hold regular meetings during the summer. Thousands of Scouts were in camps and others were on vacation trips with parents. Many adult leaders were busy on de fense jobs or were away with thfeir families. Aiding Defense Groups Despite all the handicaps, because of round organization and previous experience in nation-wide projects gratifying reports came in from ev ery section of the country. The in structions moved from the National Office with dispatch, were complete in every detail. Many Scout Execu tives reported that the information released oy tne tsoy scouts oi Am erica was the first received in their cities and that local defense groups got into action upon receipt of the Boy Scout material. In many cases adult Scout leaders were placed in key postions. In some places newspapers frankly stated that but for the Scouts the collection would have been a “flop.” Dr. West received reports indicating that Scouts did a very creditable job in a very splendid manner, and in many communities all on their own because no other agency took the initiative. The intensity of the campaign would suggest a serious undertaking and the Scouts were In dead earnest about getting in as much as they could in the allotted time. But many humorous situations arose which gave a light touch to this project. In one town boys calling for old pots and pans had a pan of water poured on them from an upper win dow. Did this discourage them? Not at all. Onward trudged the wet Scouts to the next call where the man of the house asked them to wait until he finished his coffee. This done, he handed his aluminum per colator, grounds and all, to the de lighted boys. The hottest two days of the sum mer indirectly slowed up the alumi num collection in Detroit and the Boy Scouts did their job more slowly. People kept Insisting on treating the boys to cold lemonade and ice cream. Some of the Scouts are said to have collected almost equal amounts of aluminum and refreshments. Despite this the Boy Scouts collected 70 tons of the sorely-needed metal in this city. From every side came stones of the outstanding work the Boy Scouts did in collecting aluminum. They def initely established themselves in the eyes of the Government and the peo ple as dependable in an emergency. Thus have the Boy Scouts always acquitted themselves and they prob ably adways will. The reason for this is the literal interpretation given the Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared.” The constant effort to “be prepared” and the adherence to the Scout Oath and Law is a practical guarantee of such dependability. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1917 Making a Soldier of Sugar AS we have sent men abroad to /\ America—as we have sent money-as we have A j )fte() steel, with other commodities into hght so we must make a soldier of sugar. Nutriment for the nations at war is as vital A ew ^sugar'trnow caTed°upon to play a heroic part, to SSUSSteof our Allies—whose strength ,s ours. To wrap up sugar in the American flag, so 1 u * , 1 . •. • firrHt hecomes a duty ot WORLD WAR I 1917 The United States Government restrict ed the use of sugar in World War I. The response of The Coca-Cola Com pany was expressed in the newsDaDer VJl tv It will be borne cheerfully by every mousey, cerwirf Industries rialJhtavSy-anfes^cTally^n *e ^i^IsinthU £%A LX.f Ame, ie« great and small, Amer.can capital from Wall ,he remotest country bank, is with the Gov t every step of the way. The U. S. means Us of us, are in the fight with everything we have, ^of everything we ch^B it a privilege to com f end of conservation we"£le<^ou advertisement reproduced at the left. The Coca-Cola Company ATLANTA. GA. You trust its quality WORLD WAR II 1942 History repeats itself in World War II. Sugar has been called to war again. Our government has restricted the use of sugar for all. Naturally, that includes Coca-Cola. You’ll continue to find Coca-Cola around the corner from any where, though we regret that you won’t be able to enjoy the pause that refreshes as often as you might like. Our volume has been re duced. But this we pledge: the character of Coca-Cola will be unimpaired. The American people can continue to trust its quality. As in 1917, we count upon the patience of dealers everywhere. Conserving sugar is another step toward Victory. Whatever any of us may have, or may not have, Victory we must have above all else! THE COCA-COLA COMPANY BOTUED UNDER AUTHORITY Of THE COCA-COtA COMPANY »Y Plymouth, N. C. COCA-COLA BOTTLING WORKS Phone 227-6
The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.)
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Feb. 12, 1942, edition 1
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