Done!

I Became a Boy Scout 

Memories of my time as a Boy Scout, aka The Flaming Arrows

While I was in high school, I became a Boy Scout. Being a Boy Scout was an interesting time for me. For some reason, I was impressed with each of the following: Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared. Boy Scout Slogan: Do a Good Turn Daily. Scout Oath: 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. The Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. The Outdoor Code: As an American, I will do my best to: Be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation-minded. I still live this way! 

Once when we attended a camp meeting, someplace in Kembridge, VA, we had all finished eating dinner (Beans and Hot Dogs). After cleaning up, we began horsing around. The theme was always the same—the Victoria and Meherrin Team VS the Kembridge team. Wrestling was the order of the day. Both teams were generally evenly matched. Our Scout Master told us to draw straws and see who would wrestle whom. My luck, I drew Smitty. Smitty was about 5'10 and 185 lbs. When I graduated from college, I was 5'9 "and only about 135 lbs. I barely met the minimum weight requirements to enter the military. What were my chances of beating old Smitty? Not good, I thought, at least not until old Dennis, my third-grade nemesis, came to mind.  

But how was I going to get him into a position that would let me get into the position I wanted to be in so I could gain control? By now, I had begun to appreciate the powers of the mind if used properly. I began to push him just a little. As we both continued to maneuver around, I realized that old Smitty had heard that I was no pushover, so he was careful. That was his biggest mistake. As we continued to feel each other out, I kept pushing him to test him. My moment emerged. I pushed him hard, and he pushed back hard. The moment he pushed back hard, I grabbed hold of both of his arms, dropped down on my back, and placed both my feet into his stomach area and pulled hard, and at the same time, I pushed up with both feet. Smitty went into the air like a rocket and fell about six to eight feet behind me. I had won! Old Dennis and his lesson on the power of positioning had paid off handsomely for me.

Dowdy's Axiom:  Don't count out anything you can learn, whether from an idiot or a wise man. 

I have, even to this day, tried to live up to the things I learned during my Boy Scout days. At that time, I gave little credit to Mom, Dad, or my Uncles. However, as the years have passed, I have come to realize that my Mom, Dad, my Grandmother, and my two uncles were all I, or anyone else, needed for life.

Once, one of my soldiers told me that I was born with a Golden Spoon In My Mouth. I was not born with a golden spoon in my mouth; however, I was born with something that was far more valuable,  I was born with a Golden Spoon in my Heart, My Family!  

A few months after I left the boy scouts, …  

I left the Boy Scouts because it became too difficult to attend meetings. They were held more than 30 miles from my home, and at that time, I had no consistent way to get to the meetings.

My Last trip to Double Bridges to Swim

There were four of us!  Garland D. (GD),  Hankey D. (HD), Ronnie J. (RJ) (all deceased), and me! 

GD was the picture of a man, even in high school. He was big, tall, and powerful. He was about 6'2", weighed about 200 lbs in high school, and was, without a doubt, the fastest runner in my school. One day, we all decided to go swimming in the creek at Double Bridges (DB). It was about 8 miles from my home. As we got closer to the water, we all began to run to see who would be in the water first.  We raced to see who would be the first to jump in. GD was, as I said before, the fastest among us, and he jumped in first. As the second to arrive at the creek bed, I realized that GD was in trouble. None of us could swim, but that should not have been a problem because the creek was never more than three or four feet deep. We had all forgotten (or never considered) that there had been a very strong rainstorm only a few days before, and apparently, the storm had washed away the water in the creek, leaving it more than seven or eight feet deep.  

I was the second to arrive at the water's edge, but I had noticed that GD was in trouble, so I stopped.  RD was right behind me but did not notice that GD was in trouble.  He jumped in.  Now there were two of my best friends about to drown.  RD was close to the water's edge, and I reached him with a tree branch and pulled him out.  But GD was still in the water and much further from the edge; he was about to drown, fighting the water like hell.  

I was more afraid than GD was. He was only concerned with his life. My fear was what I was going to tell his parents and my parents, and what I was going to do. GD's brother was with me at the bank of the creek bed, but he was even a worse swimmer than GD was. It was all up to me! I was fear-struck, perhaps even more so, when I had to face old bad-ass Dennis H. BUT … like the fool I was (as I did with old Dennis H.), … I jumped in. Within seconds, both GD and I were underwater. I am not sure what happened at that point, but I somehow managed to calm myself, turn around, and pull GD to the edge of the bank! God had without a doubt … Stepped in!  

We collected ourselves and began our journey home. Neither of us had ever mentioned that situation until about one or two years before GD's passing. We were talking on the phone, and he reminded me that I had saved him from drowning many years before. I was pleased that he remembered!  He thanked me.  

As for RJ, I had forgotten that I had pulled him out of that same water hole that I had pulled GD from.   During a trip to visit my folks in VA, I stopped by to see RJ!  It was during that visit that RJ reminded me that I had saved his life that same day I saved GD's life, but as I think back, RJ was the kind of guy anyone would do anything for and immediately forget about it. RJ is, without a doubt, a kindred spirit. Great Guy! 

But did I tell you?  It was many years after that situation before I learned how to swim.  Mom often said that God takes care of Fools and Babies.”""

Note: I want to mention a couple of my other childhood friends here, Joseph B. and Lawrence B. 

Old Joe and I were what you might call battling buddies. Wrestling was our game. Of all our attempts, I cannot remember ever winning or losing a match. I only remember liking old Joe B., and I still do. We talked not long ago. Still kicking around in Richmond, VA. Be blessed, old friend!

And then there was Lawrence B. Just contacted him on FB. He is the only one of us who has put a cap on the aging process. He was running a marathon. I also saw him at the last two family reunions that I attended. He remains a warm family member and friend.