Hundreds of Boy Scouts sexually abused came forward

Hundreds of former Boy Scouts come forward with new claims of sexual abuse

USA TODAY
Cara Kelly
April 24, 2019

"I probably would have gotten kicked out" for coming forward at the time, Kimber said.

Kretschmer said he was abused by a Scout leader who was his psychologist through the Air Force base where his dad was stationed. He was a kid with attention issues, he said, which were less understood at the time.

"Nobody would have listened to me," Kretschmer said. "The problem is, then you think, ‘Is it something I did? What was I doing, was it my fault? If I hadn’t done whatever, he wouldn’t have done that.’ It took me years and years to realize it wasn’t that little child’s fault. It was the adult who had control."

More than 200 individuals have come forward with new allegations of sexual abuse by members of the Boy Scouts of America in recent weeks as a trio of law firms seek to uncover unidentified child abusers.

Advised by Tim Kosnoff, an attorney who has litigated more than a thousand cases of sexual misconduct against organizations such as the Scouts and the Mormon church, the group of attorneys said it has identified 150 alleged pedophiles never before publicly accused.

The law firms began running TV and Google ads encouraging victims to sign on as clients for a potential lawsuit after a report in December that Boy Scouts of America – rebranded as Scouts BSA – prepared for a possible Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The volume already gathered could double the number of cases the organization already is facing although a bankruptcy would halt existing and future litigation, the attorneys told USA TODAY.

In a statement about the new allegations, Scouts BSA said, "Any incident of child abuse is one too many, and nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in our Scouting programs."

Kosnoff and his colleagues said a bankruptcy filing would have a chilling effect on victims' ability to expose predators who are a threat to their communities. The number of victims who have signed on since last month is evidence for the Seattle-based attorney that many more have yet to step forward.
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Ex-POW Ron Young speaker at Boy Scout dinner

Former POW to speak at Boy Scout dinner; AmeriServ CEO to be honored

The Tribune Democrat
Mark Pesto
January 20, 2019

The keynote speaker at the 49th annual Harry E. Mangle Memorial Dinner in Johnstown will be a military veteran who flew Apache helicopters in Iraq, survived a stint as a prisoner of war and once appeared on the reality TV show “The Amazing Race.”

That veteran, Ron Young, has a story that will resonate with those who attend the dinner, which is hosted by the Laurel Highland Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Erik Tomalis, chief development officer for the Laurel Highlands Council, said Friday.

“He’s a lifelong Boy Scout,” Tomalis said. “He loves the mission, he loves the military and he loves giving back, so we’re very honored that he’ll be coming in to share his story. I think (Young’s story) connects well with Johnstown … and connects to our Scouting story.”

Young, a Georgia native and Eagle Scout, was deployed with the Army National Guard twice, conducted search-and-rescue flights in the Gulf of Mexico and is currently flying a helicopter for the air medical service provider Air Methods, according to a biography provided by Tomalis.

In March 2003, during the American invasion of Iraq, Young and another pilot were taken prisoner after their helicopter was shot down, according to contemporary news reports. They were held captive with five other American prisoners until they were rescued about three weeks later.

As a speaker, Young “credits the leadership and training he received in the military for his survival,” according to his biography.
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Also a story about Ron Young from 2013 
Iraqi war POWs still cope with aftereffects 10 years later

Photographer Captures Boy Scouts Burning Flag

If I used their title, you'd never read it and you'd miss how the flag is respected instead of just being thrown away.

U.S. Flags Retired In Vernon Ceremony
EGP News
By Nancy Martinez,
EGP Staff Writer

Members of Boy Scouts of America Troop 419 held a special

flag retirement ceremony June 25 at Vernon Fire Station 1.

(EGP photo by Nancy Martinez)

There were hundreds of them: U.S. flags battered by years of exposure to sun and pollution, a far cry from the vibrant red, white and blue of their “Old Glory” days.

Last week, the Vernon Chamber of Commerce hosted a ceremony to retire faded and torn flags they had collected from area businesses and the homes of individuals that were in danger of being discarded in trash bins, a disrespectful end to the best-known symbol of U.S. independence, the red, white and blue American flag.

This Saturday, people all across the country will display the flag as part of their Fourth of July celebration. Many will have no clue that there’s an etiquette that goes with flying and caring for Old Glory and for disposing of the flag when it falls into disrepair.

Boy Scout Troop 419 led last Thursday’s flag ceremony at Vernon Fire Station 1. The troop is located in Vernon but none of its members actually live in the city. Some of the younger Cub Scouts attend Vernon Elementary; most live in the bordering cities of Cudahy, Maywood and Huntington Park. They meet at the Vernon Fire Station.
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Eagle Scout Project Inspired by Homeless Veterans

Inspired by Homeless Veterans in His Own Family, This Boy Scout Helps Give Those in His Community a Fresh Start
National Swell
by Jenny Shank
September 3, 2014

As part of his Eagle Scout project, Robert Decker collects supplies to make transition housing more homey.

The challenge facing 17-year-old Boy Scout Robert Decker: Finding a service project that benefitted his Egg Harbor Township, N.J. community.

To earn the Eagle Rank that he’s been working for years to attain, Decker decided that he wanted to make a difference in the lives of veterans struggling with homelessness.

He Tells Devin Loring of the Press of Atlantic City that he was inspired in this mission because his grandfather and several great uncles served in World War II, and some of his uncles experienced homelessness after they returned from war.

Decker contacted Jaime Kazmarck, a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Northfield, N.J., to inquire about how he could help homeless soldiers. Kazmarck is a coordinator with HUD-VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing), a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the VA to help homeless veterans transition off the streets. The program provides vouchers for rent payments to veterans and supports them with case management and counseling.
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Army Major brings Boy Scouts to Afghanistan

Army Major Creates Boy Scouts Troops for Children in Afghanistan
People Magazine
Cathy Free
July 31, 2014

Arriving in Afghanistan in 2010, U.S. Army Maj. Glenn Battschinger, homesick for his two Eagle Scout sons, knew right away how to make a difference.

"There were hundreds of children who swarmed myself and the other soldiers coming and going from the base," he tells PEOPLE. "The kids wanted attention and needed something to do."

Battschinger pictured them in uniforms, tying knots and carving wood, just like his sons, Gregory, 17, and Cedric, 15, did back home in Mays Landing, New Jersey.

One week later, after receiving the go-ahead from leaders of three villages surrounding the Finley-Shields Army Operating Base, Battschinger gathered 40 Afghan boys in an orange orchard outside the base for Qasabah Troop No. 1's first Boy Scout meeting.

After the kids were taught the Boy Scout pledge, Battschinger and several volunteers gave them each a 3-foot strand of parachute cord for knot-tying that doubled as a neckerchief.

"The boys were quick learners," recalls Battschinger, 52, a civil affairs team commander who conducted the meetings every Saturday on his own time.
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6 Boy Scouts, 2 troop leaders missing in Arkansas National Forest

UPDATE 9:38

Missing Boy Scout troop found in Arkansas national forest
May 3rd, 2011



A Boy Scout troop from Lafayette, Louisiana, which was missing after a weekend camping trip in an Arkansas national forest, was found safe on Tuesday, officials said.

The campsite of troop No. 162 in the Ouachita National Forest was spotted by a National Guard helicopter, said Jerry Elizandro, spokesman for the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency.

The scouts were being transferred by helicopter to a command post, said Art Hawkins, scout executive for the Evangeline Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. All the boys are fine, he said. Officials hope to find out what happened from the scout master later, he said.

Hawkins said Monday officials were confident the troop was safe, saying the scout master with the troop was very experienced and serves as a backpacking trainer. The average age of the youths is 14, he said.

Arkansas State Police were prevented from conducting an aerial search on Monday because of the weather, Hawkins said. A lack of cell service in the area was also hampering search efforts, he said.

The area being searched was near the scene of a fatal flood last year. Twenty people died in flash floods during the summer.
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6 Boy Scouts, 2 troop leaders missing in Arkansas National Forest
By Rick Martin, CNN
May 2, 2011 10:08 p.m. EDT

Arkansas authorities are searching the Ouachita National Forest for a missing Boy Scout troop from Louisiana.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Search continues for Louisiana Boy Scout troop
Weather has prevented air search
Location has no mobile phone service

(CNN) -- A Boy Scout troop from Lafayette, Louisiana, is missing after camping this weekend in a national forest in Arkansas.

Arkansas emergency official Tommy Jackson said the search by the Montgomery County Sheriff's office for Troop No. 162 continues in the Ouachita National Forest.

"We're very confident the kids and adults are safe," scout executive Art Hawkins of the Evangeline Area Council of Lafayette said. "The Scout master with them is very experienced and serves as a backpacking trainer. The average age of the youth is 14 and they are the more experienced hikers of his organization."

Arkansas State Police have tried to conduct an aerial search, but due to the weather have not been able to, Hawkins said.

Arkansas authorities describe their search as being near the scene of 2010's fatal camp flood where 20 people died in flash floods during the summer.

"We're dealing with all kinds of floods in the state," Jackson said. There's no cell service in the area and it's hampering search efforts, he said.
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6 Boy Scouts, 2 troop leaders missing

Thief steals Boy Scouts' trailer, camping gear from church parking lot

Report: Thief steals Boy Scouts' trailer, camping gear

A thief stole a trailer full of camping supplies from some Orlando Boy Scouts, according to WFTV.com.The trailer was parked behind a locked gate at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church at Semoran Boulevard and Curry Ford Road, according to WFTV.com.To read the story, click here.

Linked from Orlando Sentinel

Update on Boy Scouts after tornado

Twister kills 4 Scouts
Boy Scouts dived under picnic tables and were buried under a collapsed chimney when a tornado hit their camp in western Iowa, survivors said today. The tornado killed three 13-year-old Scouts and a 14-year-old staff member who also was a Scout, said Lloyd Roitstein, with the Boy Scouts. developing story
Injured Scout: 'We're OK. We're alive'
iReport.com: Send, view storm images
KETV: 'Tragic day for Scouting'

Tornado hits Boy Scout Camp, kills 4 in Iowa

4 killed as tornado hits Iowa Boy Scout camp
An official says 100 Scouts were at the Iowa camp for leadership training

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC staff and news service reports
updated 3 minutes ago
LITTLE SIOUX, Iowa - A tornado struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa on Wednesday, leaving four Scouts dead and dozens of people injured, a Scouts spokeswoman said.

A dispatch operator with the Harrison County Sheriff's Office said first responders were at the camp site and more were en route to the camp, located about one hour north of Omaha.

Arli Hasbrouck, a spokeswoman for the Boy Scouts of America's Mid-American Council in Omaha, confirmed for the Des Moines Register that four Scouts were killed in the tornado, but she had no numbers of how many were injured.

"That's all we know at this point," she told the Register. "We've got lots of Scouters on their way to help."

Terry Landsvork, a meteorologist in Valley, Neb., said law enforcement officials had called the weather service Wednesday evening and reported the deaths and injuries at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Iowa's Loess Hills.

"Last we heard, hospitals in Omaha had an alert for 40 inbound injuries," Landsvork said.

David Hunt, chairman of the Mid-America Boy Scout Council's Goldenrod District, which covers several eastern Nebraska counties, said the camp was hosting a leadership development course for boys.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25107608