The 41st President, George H.W. Bush, was still lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda when Troop 1717 of Hartwood, VA held its weekly evening meeting on December 4th at historic Hartwood Presbyterian Church in Aquia District. It was there that Eagle Scout and Senior Patrol Leader Ben Motta asked youth and adult leaders if it was possible to pull together a delegation from the Troop to travel that very night to the U.S. Capitol to honor his service to our Nation.
It was very short notice and a school night, but SPL Motta challenged his fellow Scouts to step up saying that, if they could stay up all night playing video games, they could surely muster enough energy to stay up to honor a President of the United States. In his words, “Patriotism should never sleep.” Five Scouts in addition to Motta volunteered: Eagle Scouts Teddy Durrant and Ethan Crawford and fellow senior Scouts Zach Dankanich, Norman Carter, Jr. and Owen Knight. Leaving with four volunteer Assistant Scoutmasters around midnight, they arrived at the Capital about an hour later in full uniform and stood in line in the cold with other mourners for about an hour. Then, around 2:00 AM, they silently slipped into the Rotunda in single file to stand within mere yards of the body of the 41st President, his flag-draped casket held high upon a catafalque which once held the casket of President Abraham Lincoln.
Little did they know that their visit was captured by a WUSA9 TV reporter and C-Span cameras. After a few moments in silent prayer and reflection, they issued, on command, one last sharp Scout Salute to a President who, like all U.S. Presidents, served as the honorary President of the Boy Scouts of America. Later, they would describe the experience as “sad” and “heavy” but also “powerful” and ‘inspiring.”
They said they felt it important to make the extra effort to honor President Bush, a war hero and member of what’s come to be known as the “Greatest Generation,” who had dedicated his life to service to his Country.
“It was impressive to stand next to the President’s casket and think of all that he had accomplished throughout his life in the service of others,” Ben says. “I think that his example is one that all Scouts aim to follow.”
The Scouts and their leaders returned back home around 4:00 AM to take a short nap before rising again to go to school and work. Said SPL Ben, speaking for all the Scouts: “I was proud to be there, not just as an American, but as a representative of a movement and an ideology that stresses character, service, and loyalty to God, country and family.”
For more on this story, check out the WUSA9 story and video Boy Scouts pay respects to late President George H.W. Bush at https://www.wusa9.com/video/news/boy-scouts-pay-respects-to-late-president-george-hw-bush/65-8362333 or visit the Bryan on Scouting Blog to read Duty to country: Webelos Scout, Boy Scouts salute President George H.W. Bush at https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2018/12/06/duty-to-country-webelos-scout-boy-scouts-salute-president-george-h-w-bush/
The National Capital Area Council (NCAC), Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is happy to announce the 2019 Colonel Garry Lewis, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) Class of Silver Beavers. The Council Court of Honor is set for Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Camp William B. Snyder.
On January 5, 2019, Dominic Gagliardi was awarded not only his Eagle Award but also the Dr. Bernard Harris Super Nova Award.
The following observations from the February 2nd Milkweed for Monarchs Kick-off event were written by Owen M., a Webelos in Pack 1188, and submitted by Brian McDougal. Thank you, Owen, for supporting this important conservation effort, and for your reporting on this event. 
Hi my name is Owen, I am a Webelos Scout. I went to the Milkweed for Monarchs 2019 kickoff event on February 2, 2019. The National Capital Area Conservation Committee held the event in Washington DC at George Washington University. There were a lot of Scouts and Scouters there.
Wow! This years’ Klondike Derby was a fantastic, record-setting success!
The Klondike staff and volunteers developed 36 challenging stations set out across all of the Harpers Ferry KOA. Twelve stations were brand new, another four stations weren’t offered last year, and al-most every station had a new twist on it so returning scouts didn’t have a leg-up on first timers.
To compete in the Klondike, a patrol must manage their time wisely. They have seven program hours and a choice of stations of varying difficulty and pointes. The planning and leadership challenge is to earn as many points as possible, quickly, and move through as many stations as possible.
The 2019 Old Dominion District Klondike Derby welcomed troops, crews, and volunteers from the following districts: Aquia, Baltimore Area Council’s Capitol District, Colonial, Occoquan, Patriot, Patuxent, Piedmont, Po-tomac, Powhatan, Seneca, Washington DC, and Western Shore. Don’t see your district listed? Join us next year: Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 2, 2020. Once again, we will offer discounts for units that leave Saturday night for religious observances!
In 1897 a gold discovery near Klondike, a region of the Yukon territory in northwest Canada, triggered the Klondike Gold Rush, which lasted from 1897 until 1899. Around 100,000 people decided to travel there, but only about 30,000 have been reported to have made it there.
In 1949 Boy Scout Troops from the Northern United States and from Canada started their reenactment of the Klondike Gold Rush to test their winter Scout skills and called it the Klondike Derby. It has since been adapted by Troops all over the United States, especially those with snow in their winters.
On Saturday, January 26, Units from the NCAC Potomac District met at Little Bennett Campgrounds in Germantown Maryland, to compete in the annual Potomac Klondike Derby. Despite most of the snow from the previous week washed away by Thursday’s rain, the freezing temperatures ensured the genuine Klondike winter feel, and most of the Scouts earned their Potomac District Polar Bear Patch for overnight camping below freezing point.