Scouting, Volume 54, Number 8, October 1966 Page: 8
36 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Brig. Gen. John Wright, wearing honorary neckerchief,
watches first An Khe Boy Scouts play a new game.
Scouts named their first troop after Song Ba River
where they camp and swim.
en!
? «sf
I
* * ' , ii
U. S. Army photo
W
ITH THE HELP OF FORMER SCOUTS in the U.S.
Armed Forces, Scouting came to An Khe early this year.
South Vietnamese officials were surprised that anyone
was interested in such activity with "so many Vietcong
around."
These first Scouts ever in this remote provincial capital
in the central highlands were selected on the basis of
character, scholarship, and enthusiasm and trained as a
cadre of patrol leaders in mid-March. At last report 3
months later, their ranks had expanded to two Scout
troops, two Cub packs, and a Rover crew.
Sparking this establishment of Scouting was Brig. Gen.
John M. Wright, Jr., assistant commander of the 1st Air
Cavalry Division, a former Eagle Scout, and a member
of our National Council. As soon as minimum security
was established in An Khe, he saw Scouting as part of
the Army's Civic Action programs. Assisting him was
Capt. Donald M. Savage, former Scout and father of
two Scouts.
"The units organized are definitely part of the Viet-
namese Boy Scout Association and not the Boy Scouts of
America," General Wright asserted. "We are attempting
only to assist the Vietnamese and not impose our meth-
ods on them. Unfortunately the war had restricted their
program to Saigon and a few other populous centers."
Captain Savage started the ball rolling by a conference
with national Scout officials in Saigon and with Scouters
in nearby Qui Nhon. Lt. Troung Le Xuan of the Viet-
namese Army and a Scouter was assigned as liaison offi-
cer to the 1st Air Cavalry Division and served as first
Scoutmaster.
The patrol leaders' cadre was trained at a 2-day en-
campment in such skills as tent pitching, knot tying, songs
Scoufmo Comes
and games, and personal hygiene. Each boy received a
blue beret, a red neckerchief, and a bar of soap.
General Wright said of the new Scouts, "They are
refugees, mostly from North Vietnam. They live in mud
huts. Their families cook on mud stoves. They live the
lives basically of their ancestors. Their survival depends
on the knowledge of those skills that we consider Scout-
ing skills—cooking, camping, first aid, pioneering.
"What lifts them above these primitive ways are the
touches of today's improvements brought to them by
Vietnamese Wood Badge trained Scouters.
"The important prerequisite for belonging to a Scout
unit in An Khe is attendance at school. No school, no
Scouting, and it works three ways—for the school, for
Scouting, and for the boys."
Schoolmaster Thin Huyn Huan who became Scout-
master told how well it works. Two ragged shoeshine
boys asked him how they could join. He replied they
would first have to enroll in school. Next Monday both
lads reported ready for their first schooling.
In mid-April the new troop, now numbering 32 boys,
camped overnight with 83 Scouts and leaders from Qui
Nhon.
At the end of April impressive ceremonies marked the
charter presentation. Several national Vietnamese Boy
Scout Association officials were flown in from Saigon.
Neighboring district chiefs were invited. Seventy Scouts
came by helicopter from Pleiku, but 40 from Qui Nhon
were unable to participate this time because military
activity interfered with transportation.
From An Khe and its refugee camps, 400 spectators
came to the campfire and Scouting demonstrations when
the "Song Ba Troop" received its charter. The Scouts
8
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 54, Number 8, October 1966, periodical, October 1966; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth331774/m1/12/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.