1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

Pete Hegseth’s recently leaked draft memo claims military support for Scouting America is a National Security threat. He writes “Scouting no longer supports the future of American boys, does not support boy friendly spaces, and is no longer a meritocracy. I am an Eagle Scout, as is my brother and son. The “Secretary of War” is deeply uninformed about Scouting. Over 20 percent of our military academy recruits are Eagle Scouts. They are recruited because they have learned skills that are needed: leadership, perseverance, planning, first aide, and survival skills to name just a few. The future of American Boys is indeed frightening. Many seem rudderless, isolated and falling behind. Scouting provides youth with adults who care for them. I once hosted a funeral for one of the young scouts in our troop whose beloved pet cat had died. This young man had an absent father, and lived in an apartment. What he needed was just a little piece of ground to bury his cat and someone to share his grief. I stood with a shovel in my backyard with someone else’s son while he cried and sang hymns and placed a small carefully wrapped package into the earth. That is Scouting. On a week long hiking trek in the mountains of New Mexico, I witnessed older scouts helping my son plan advanced placement classes so he had the best chance to attend college. I can’t think of a better way to support the future of boys than by providing adults and peers who support them. Scouting believes strongly in experiential learning. Youth learn by developing skills in the outdoors. Youth led troops plan their adventures. Adults make sure the youth are trained and safe, but nature and reality provide most of the feedback. If your menu is pancakes for breakfast and you forget to bring any butter, oil, or syrup your pancakes will be practically inedible and you may be hungry, but you won’t starve. You are more likely to remember what to bring in the future. In my opinion Boys grow in outdoor “boy friendly” spaces. Scouting badges and ranks are earned, not just given. As a youth matures in skills and age the requirements get harder. An Eagle must plan, find funding, and lead a major project as well as earn a wide range of “merit badges.” The suggestion that the youth that earn these distinctions did so not on merit is an insult. First Aide is a Scouting requirement. Using the skills I learned as a Scout I was able to save a neighbor using CPR when he suffered a heart attack. While others looked on, and while the first responders went to the wrong address I saved a neighbor-husband-father. I used skills drilled into me by a Scoutmaster who chose to invest his free time teaching CPR to a skinny teenage boy. Scouting is not a paramilitary organization despite the uniforms. In reality at one level it is a Peace organization that helps world youth understand and appreciate other cultures. Perhaps this is why the Secretary of War wants to end a relationship that has existed for over 100 years. Or perhaps it is the inclusion of girls and women that threatens our National Security? Scouting has included girls and Women for much of its history. As Cub Scouts it was Den Mothers who helped us grow. We learned how to safely handle a knife while we whittled odd sculptures out of soap. We built kites and pine wood derby cars under a woman’s protective gaze. In High School girls were included in Venture Scouting. Females are over half of the world’s population and many girls want the camping and outdoor adventures boys enjoy. The girls that were part of the Venture program of my youth and the Exploring program of my son’s youth were amazing young women. They did not harm the boy’s space but enhanced it. What better way for a young man to learn how to act around girls than planning and sharing outdoor adventures with them? Scouting USA is not unusual in including girls and women. Over 37% of World wide Scouting is coed. Scouting is not perfect by any means but it has a long track record of helping youth grow to be prepared for life’s challenges. I ask you to lend your support to continue the 100 year relationship the Department of War has had with Scouting.