Every Scout learns and practices serving others as a core part of the ethos of Scouting BSA. The Cub Scouts and adult leaders of Pack 197 of Aquia District lived this spirit of community service in two events last November. They serve as a great example for the rest of us!
Four Cub Scouts and two adult leaders from Pack 197, sponsored by Ferry Farms Baptist Church, honored our Nation’s Veterans by performing a flag ceremony during an annual Veterans Day breakfast celebration at Ferry Farm Elementary School on November 9, 2023. This was a great example of what Scouts mean when the say in the BSA Scout’s Promise: “On my Honor, I will Do My Best, to do my Duty to God & my Country…”
After the flags were clipped to the halyards (the ropes used to hoist flags), Eli, a Wolf Scout, presented the American flag, while Bear Scout, John, presented the Virginia state flag to those assembled around the flagpoles. Bear Scout Gabriel then hoisted the American and Virginia flags up the flagpole while LeRoy led the Scouts and assembled Veterans in the Pledge of Allegiance. Joining their Scouts were Mr. John Ridout – Bear Den Leader – and Mr. Adrian West – Pack Treasurer and a U.S. Army 
Veteran who served in Afghanistan.
The Cub Scouts and their leaders were proud and humbled to participate in a ceremony honoring our Veterans for their service to our Nation.
The next mid-November event demonstrated that Scouting is for the whole Family!
Ferry Farm Baptist Church, the chartering organization of Pack 197, participates in a program called “Operations Christmas Child” that gathers and sends boxes of supplies to children in need in foreign countries. The Church leaders asked the Pack to participate.
Pack 197 Scouts, Scouting families and adult leaders eagerly gathered donations to buy and fill 11 shoebox size
containers with toys, school supplies, hygiene supplies, and clothing as a part of Operation Christmas Child. What they did made a difference for children they’ll never meet – this is the Scout Spirit of selfless service in action!
Time for your family to join in the fun and spirit of Scouting? To join BSA, please go to www.beascout.org to find a BSA Scout unit near you – Cub Scouting serves families with children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade; Scouts BSA serves families with children ages 11-18. There are BSA programs for families with older Youths, ages 14 – 20, including Venturing, Exploring or Sea Scouting.
The mission of the BSA is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Aquia District includes Stafford County and Marine Corps Base Quantico. For more information on Scouting in Stafford/Fredericksburg area, including how to donate, join or volunteer, contact Kristy Freeman, Aquia District Executive, at Kristy.Freeman@Scouting.org or (540)287-3866
I started my scouting career in either 2011 or 2012, went all through cub scouts (pack 956) then I joined troop 956 where I became an Eagle Scout. I met my friend (Kent when I was in second grade. He is a year younger than me, so he started a year later than I did. We did not interact much, as people in different grades did not interact with each other much (I also don’t think I would’ve had time, my den at its climax had 22 people). In our brief interactions together, we did become friends around 2013. We developed a basic friendship during the pinewood derbys, then when he came to my troop my patrol was very small (4 people) so we merged patrols. We were hanging out as patrol mates for quite a while, but then that time increased, due to the addition of a girl troop joining us. His mom was, and is, the scoutmaster of the girls troop. With my dad being the ASM who was about to be the scoutmaster for the boys troop we ended up hanging out a lot. 
We really got a tighter friendship when we went to Pamlico Sea Base, a council high adventure. During this time, we were all sleeping in close quarters, riding jet skis, driving boats, and fishing. It was really nice to just be able to hangout with my friends but specifically Kent as we both have similar interests in aquatic activities. Earlier this year my troop merged with another troop (Troop 950) in which we had to create new patrols. My patrol was the same group of people, but we wanted to change our name a little. We went from the Underdog Patrol to the Kent Patrol, when we were naming the patrol the entire Barbenheimer craze was sweeping the country, and we were inspired when our SPL said “If you have extra time you can have a patrol song.” We all were thinking about how we could have our song be 