Mr. Boiles began his Scouting career in North St. Louis County,in the old Great Northwest District as a member of Troop 383 which is sponsored by St. Peter’s United Church of Christ and where as a 17 year old, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. As long as anyone can remember,he has claimed that he was following the footsteps of Arthur Eldred, who as a 17 year old in 1912 earned the honor of being the BSA’s First Eagle Scout. According to his family however, it was because Mr Boiles was a lazy kid. Viewed from the standpoint of countless other Scouts who earned their Eagle award as 17 year olds, most would take Mr. Boiles' side on this.
After a year of college, Mr. Boiles left home to go off to fight the Cold-War as a U.S. Marine. As a young enlisted man, he found himself halfway across the world in the Japanese Prefect of Okinawa; and a few months into his tour of duty on that small island, found himself assigned to temporary duty as the Nature Director for the Far East Council’s summer camp at Camp Ryukyu. Mr. Boiles says that it was there on Okinawa, while sitting with his fellow staffers around a campfire made from broken up shipping pallets and drinking “C-Ration” coffee where he first realized how large and diverse that the Scouting Movement is… for there in that collection of Camp Staffers, were a small, but diverse group of U.S.Marines and Sailors (normally at odds with one another), as well as a couple of Japanese Nationals representing the Japanese Scouting Association(whose forefathers lived through the Battle of Okinawa just 34 years before) and yet all shared a common code; the Scout Promise… and through that common code, they shared an uncommon brotherhood.
That Scouting is a World Brotherhood has never been a question for any of his Scouts. As Scoutmaster, Mr. Boiles reminds us of this constantly; we are part of the World Brotherhood of Scouting, and that brotherhood invites and welcomes everyone to become Messengers of Peace.
You're cordially invited to follow his blog at: gracetroop576.wordpress.com