[Philmont] "Quality" of Staff at A staff camp in 2003

From: H. Rice Brewer, Sr. <hrb@bpsnwa.com>
Date: Tue Oct 16 2007 - 08:42:46 CDT

I hope that your last line was in jest.  To equate one bad back country staff experience to " a case of beer and a bong" is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

Remember, back country staff members are only a few years - if that many - removed from the protective cover of their mothers apron.  They are but young adults trying to find their place in this world.  Sounds as if the problem at Uracca was that they were lacking a slightly older CD who could rein in the typical disdain youth of that age have for some of us older and supposedly wiser folks.  I assure you that once the PTB found out what was going one, it was addressed with possible dismissals.  Mark Anderson simply does not put up with such antics.

Now, don't get me wrong, some do "play" differently in their off time (and generally off property) than do others.  Shoot, when I was on staff, I know I did some things which I regret.  Some of it was stupidity.  Some of it was "stretching the wings".  Some of it was blowing off steam.  However, at no time did our late 1970's off-piste activities even come close to what has been described in what I will generously call journalistic offerings of the past few years.

Rice Brewer
Fort Smith, AR



White, Billy Wayne (GE Indust, ConsInd) wrote:

My son and daughter have both served on staff at Philmont.  I have been on 4 treks and 1 AA.  In 2003 my wife joined me with a crew made up of boys from 3 different troops.  We spent the night early in the trek at Uraaca camp.  I had told my wife and the boys what a good show the staff put on the last time we were there. Of course knowing the staff changes annually you never know what to expect but I expected better than what we got.

 

It was raining, so the "campfire" was held on the porch of the cabin.  Not many attended but the porch was full. The staff as is the case at several of the staffed camps was co-ed.  The staff gave all of us a cup of hot chocolate and that was about all I enjoyed about that "campfire." I was embarrassed by the sexual innuendo and perverted remarks made during the program.  Apparently the staff had an inside joke going on and randomly during the program, one of them would hike his leg and act like he (or she) was farting.  Another one would make some sound and then the staff would all laugh.  There were the usual "out of shape" advisor jokes but laced with 4 letter words that were totally uncalled for.  We were sitting at the end of the porch, blocked in and would have left if not for that. 

 

As we left, I asked the staff if I could speak to them in private.  A big cry was made from several of the staff in unison "Uh oh, an advisor wants to talk with us!" and said loudly enough that everyone could hear. I told them they owed everyone an apology and that they had violated every value Philmont and Scouting stood for. They laughed and made some more off the wall remarks about being afraid of the "big bad advisor."  I told them I was going to report them when I returned to base camp. And I did and was told the situation had been corrected.  So someone else got them the word before I did.

 

As we got to our campsite we assembled for Roses and Thorns and everyone's thorn was going to that program.  Several apologized to my wife for what was said in her presence.  We left the next morning before doing the program which as you all know is a challenge program designed to make a team out of the crew.  Luckily we didn't need it.

 

But that is my only "bad" experience at Philmont.  But with that type of behavior at Philmont from a staffed camp, I can only imagine what they would do with a case of beer and a bong just off of Philmont property.

 

Billy Wayne White

 

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As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
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cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
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Received on Tue Oct 16 08:50:26 2007