Fort Sill, OK and the Boy Scouts
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:20 am
When I was an adult Boy Scout leader one of the most popular activities among our boys was visiting various military installations. About every three years we arranged a week-end trip to Fort Sill, OK which is home of the Army and Marine Corps Artillary schools, and historic Apache and Comanche cemeteries (grave sites of Geronimo and Quanah Parker). All great stuff for boys. 
The army always treated us like royalty, with a Staff Sergeant assigned as host and guide during our visit.
On one of these trips, when we arrived Friday night our sergeant told us the highest ranking Colonel on the post was going to meet us Saturday afternoon to give us a personal guided tour of the National Artillary Museum. It seems the Colonel was an Eagle Scout and a high ranking leader in the BSA in Oklahoma and was excited about our being there.
The next morning while showing the boys the soldier's barracks, soldiers practicing timed drills on field stripping and cleaning machine guns, practicing firing mortars and other activities, the sergeant was very concerned that we stay on schedule. He did not want to be late meeting the Colonel at the museum at 1:00 PM for our tour! After lunch in the "transient mess hall" we walked to the museum. Of course we were all, boys and adult leaders, dressed in full Boy Scout uniforms.
As it neared 1 PM the Sergeant asked the adult scout leaders to wait outside the museum to meet the Colonel, while he took the scouts into the museum auditorium for a short film about the fort and the museum. We soon spotted the Colonel walking toward us. A tall lean man dressed in full Boy Scout uniform including shorts with knee high socks, and a "Smokey Bear" campaign hat.
We greeted him and introduced ourselves. About that time one of the several soldiers lounging on the nearby steps said sarcastically "Aw, don't they look cute. I bet they wish they was real soldiers!" The other soldiers laughed.
Although we all clearly heard this, the Colonel gave no indication. We all ignored them but as we turned to go into the museum the Colonel told us to go on in, that he had something he needed to take care of before he joined us. As we went through the museum doors we heard the Colonel say "Soldier, where is your First Sergeant?"
We went into the auditorium where the film was ending, and the Colonel joined us a few minutes later. He gave us a fantastic tour, explaining the history of all the various artillary pieces on display, from a mule-mounted cannon to the "Atomic Annie". (He said the mule-mounted cannon was a failure. "After it was fired it took about an hour to catch the mule.")
The tour lasted about 2 hours. As we left the museum and were walking across the parking lot we saw a large group of soldiers dressed in BDUs with full packs, standing at attention. They were all thoroughly soaked with sweat. Their sergeant was yelling "I have to be at the colonel's office at oh-eight-hundred Monday morning, and believe me, you will pay for my visit! And you will learn to recognize the colonel, I don't care what he is wearing!"
Ken
The army always treated us like royalty, with a Staff Sergeant assigned as host and guide during our visit.On one of these trips, when we arrived Friday night our sergeant told us the highest ranking Colonel on the post was going to meet us Saturday afternoon to give us a personal guided tour of the National Artillary Museum. It seems the Colonel was an Eagle Scout and a high ranking leader in the BSA in Oklahoma and was excited about our being there.
The next morning while showing the boys the soldier's barracks, soldiers practicing timed drills on field stripping and cleaning machine guns, practicing firing mortars and other activities, the sergeant was very concerned that we stay on schedule. He did not want to be late meeting the Colonel at the museum at 1:00 PM for our tour! After lunch in the "transient mess hall" we walked to the museum. Of course we were all, boys and adult leaders, dressed in full Boy Scout uniforms.
As it neared 1 PM the Sergeant asked the adult scout leaders to wait outside the museum to meet the Colonel, while he took the scouts into the museum auditorium for a short film about the fort and the museum. We soon spotted the Colonel walking toward us. A tall lean man dressed in full Boy Scout uniform including shorts with knee high socks, and a "Smokey Bear" campaign hat.
We greeted him and introduced ourselves. About that time one of the several soldiers lounging on the nearby steps said sarcastically "Aw, don't they look cute. I bet they wish they was real soldiers!" The other soldiers laughed.
Although we all clearly heard this, the Colonel gave no indication. We all ignored them but as we turned to go into the museum the Colonel told us to go on in, that he had something he needed to take care of before he joined us. As we went through the museum doors we heard the Colonel say "Soldier, where is your First Sergeant?"
We went into the auditorium where the film was ending, and the Colonel joined us a few minutes later. He gave us a fantastic tour, explaining the history of all the various artillary pieces on display, from a mule-mounted cannon to the "Atomic Annie". (He said the mule-mounted cannon was a failure. "After it was fired it took about an hour to catch the mule.")
The tour lasted about 2 hours. As we left the museum and were walking across the parking lot we saw a large group of soldiers dressed in BDUs with full packs, standing at attention. They were all thoroughly soaked with sweat. Their sergeant was yelling "I have to be at the colonel's office at oh-eight-hundred Monday morning, and believe me, you will pay for my visit! And you will learn to recognize the colonel, I don't care what he is wearing!"
Ken
Jerry.... what's the difference between the Boy Scouts and the Marines...... the Boy Scouts don't have heavy artillery! 
Good comeback Jerry! Did you hear about the 19 year old girl who borrowed her 14 year old sisters girl scout uniform and went to a Navy ship and sold 5000 boxes of cookies!... this aint no s...! ftd