February 10, 2005

Just Like Riding a Bike.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Jim @ 8:38 pm

Boy Scout Emblem.jpgIt is often said that once you learn to ride a bike, you remember it always. Of course, that is true. I can’t imagine anyone “forgetting” how to ride a bike. That got me to thinking about what other things I learned as a boy that have stayed with me for these many years. That, in turn, got me to thinking about the Boy Scouts.

Yes, I was a Boy Scout, and I have never regretted a single minute of it. I learned a boatload of things that I remember to this day, some of which still come in very handy, and other things that are still there in case I ever need them.

Here is a smattering of them:

First Aid: The Boy Scouts taught me how t deal with: burns, snake bites, sprains, broken bones (making a splint, turning a neckerchief into an ankle brace), fashioning a stretcher from tree limbs and a blanket. The Scouts taught to recognize and treat shock, arterial bleeding, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and poison ivy. Many years later when I would be again taught first aid, courtesy of Uncle Sam, the only “new” thing I learned was how to treat a sucking chest wound. The Boy Scouts never taught us that one.

Knots: We learned to tie knots, and we learned to tie them fast. Tying knots correctly and quickly was one of the main events in competitions that were regularly held between troops. As a result, to this day, I can tie a bowline faster than anyone I know. I can also tie a: clove hitch, timber hitch, angler’s knot, slip knot, square knot (not a granny), a sheetbend, a half hitch, two half hitches, and a sheepshank. This is a skill that I don’t need very often, but when the occasion arises, I am ready.

Life Saving and Survival: I still remember how to do CPR, how to save a drowning person, and how to deal with someone who has fallen through thin ice. I was taught how to build a fire and how to keep matches dry and, failing that, how to start a fire with flint and steel or a stick and bow.

Intangible Things: I learned a clutch of intangible things that would save me a good deal of angst many years later in the Army. For example, I learned the fundamentals of drill (an Army story worth telling another day). I learned flag etiquette, and how to stand at attention, to stand at “parade rest” and to stand “at ease.” I learned how to form up and “dress right,” I learned how to execute a right face, left face and about face. I learned what it was like to stand inspection and to shut up when told to do so.

I wonder if the Boy Scouts still learn that stuff. I hope so.

14 Comments »

  1. I was in the Boy Sprouts before joining the Navy; Navy doesn’t teach sucking chest wounds, but they did teach shipboard firefighting, which the Scouts didn’t. I think I was one of two guys in our Recruit Training platoon that didn’t (at some point) have to tie a square knot around his “unit” and go around asking everyone else in the barracks if it was, in fact, a square knot. Jeez, the memories that come back…

    Comment by DMerriman — February 10, 2005 @ 9:10 pm

  2. That’s some good stuff to know. I’ll bet you can’t tie a bowline faster than I can, though. That’s my favorite knot. The sheetbend is a good sailor’s knot, too. We’ll have to settle that bet after a few shots of home made wine.

    Comment by Dash — February 10, 2005 @ 9:50 pm

  3. Dash,

    Speed knot tying after some Georgia wine? We could sell tickets to that comedic event.

    Comment by Jim - Parkway Rest Stop — February 11, 2005 @ 1:22 am

  4. Now, I’d buy a ticket to see that!

    Comment by Michele — February 11, 2005 @ 7:11 am

  5. I don’t know why, but after reading your list of skills, an image of you in a Superman suit popped into my head. A knot-tying Superman. Really.

    Comment by Shamrock — February 11, 2005 @ 9:26 am

  6. YEs, they still learn that stuff.

    Comment by Fausta — February 11, 2005 @ 10:29 am

  7. I have been known to leap tall buildings with a single bound.

    Comment by Jim - Parkway Rest Stop — February 11, 2005 @ 4:23 pm

  8. A legend in his own mind! Okay, you’re on. A speed knot contest. Just like in trick shooting in pool. The challenger drinks a shot, ties a knot of his choice and the other player has to drink a shot and beat his time tying the knot. After about four or five shots and knots, we should have a clear winner. Ha.

    Comment by Dash — February 12, 2005 @ 12:04 am

  9. knots

    I read this post and I started thinking about tying knots. I never was a Boy Scout, but I…

    Trackback by Gut Rumbles — February 12, 2005 @ 12:39 pm

  10. knots

    I read this post and I started thinking about tying knots. I never was a Boy Scout, but I…

    Trackback by Gut Rumbles — February 12, 2005 @ 12:40 pm

  11. knots

    I read this post and I started thinking about tying knots. I never was a Boy Scout, but I’ve…

    Trackback by Gut Rumbles — February 12, 2005 @ 12:46 pm

  12. Shots and knots? Hell, I could wind up hanging myself.

    Comment by Jim - Parkway Rest Stop — February 12, 2005 @ 12:47 pm

  13. I am still in the Boy Scouts at the ripe old age of 48. As a high school teacher I would like to use my knot tying on a few students but I suppose the administration would frown on that sort of thing.

    Don

    Comment by Don — February 12, 2005 @ 1:58 pm

  14. Onbe thing I learned in cub scouts was how to run back and forth between two big kids, chasing my cap.

    Comment by Liberal Larry — February 16, 2005 @ 12:57 pm

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