Red Honor Press has done it again with their latest title, We Are Americans, We Are Scouts. David C. Scott has found and highlighted the words of Theodore Roosevelt that resonate with everything the Scouting movement stands for.

Official Book Description:

We Are Americans, We Are Scouts is a superb collection of thoughtfully selected motivational anecdotes and quotations from Theodore Roosevelt, the first Chief Scout Citizen of the Boy Scouts of America. Using words and stories from Roosevelt’s remarkable and influential life, Mr. Scott masterfully connects the wisdom, wit, and personal moral values of one of America’s greatest presidents to the fundamental principles of Scouting.

Researched and assembled from thousands of pages, letters, documents, and transcripts, Mr. Scott has skillfully arranged the most inspiring life experiences, written words, and sayings of our twenty-sixth president to illustrate the lasting importance of the founding ideals of Scouting in building strong character, being productive citizens, and becoming able leaders. In this incredibly unique book, Mr. Scott’s innovative approach bridges the past to the present and future of Scouting to teach the power of action, the impact of one’s potential, and the meaning of living a good life.

We Are Americans, We Are Scouts is the perfect portable companion and reference book for Scouts, leaders, and speakers. It is for everyone discovering and renewing the spirit of our Scouting traditions. Mr. Scott’s book is an outstanding resource for use in any setting to show and celebrate the significance of our national heritage and the timeless values of Scouting.

I’ll admit I was unaware that there was a Chief Scout Citizen, or that Theodore Roosevelt was a huge supporter youth and the Boy Scouts of America. After reading We Are Americans, We Are Scouts, there is no doubt in my mind that Theodore Roosevelt deserved and had earned the title of Chief Scout Citizen.

Editor David C. Scott walks us through the ideals of Scouting to include the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Being Prepared, Doing a Good Turn, The Outdoor Code, Character Counts, and being a Citizen Leader. At each ideal, We Are Americans, We Are Soldiers provides a short history of the ideal followed by how it related to Theodore Roosevelt’s life and practices, and includes numerous quotations from Theodore Roosevelt’s letters and transcripts.

One story that Scott highlighted was of a speech Theodore Roosevelt gave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was right before the 1912 Presidential Election, and Theodore Roosevelt was going to speak on how his party was improving the lives of Americans when he was shot just prior to taking the stage by a would be assassin. Theodore Roosevelt refused to be examined or cancel his speech and took the stage to deliver his message of support for helping the American people. As Scott stated, “He was not angry or scared that day, he was a proud American who was trying to make his country better through his positive attitude and strong example.”

You can download a sample of We Are Americans, We Are Scouts on the Red Honor Press website.

A hidden gem of We Are Americans, We Are Scouts can be found in the appendices where copies of letters from Theodore Roosevelt to Chief Scout Ernest Thompson and Executive Secretary James E. West have been published. The selected letters dated from 1910 to 1915 show that Theodore Roosevelt was a big proponent of the Scouting movement and applauded the character development that Scouting achieved.

Not only is We Are Americans, We Are Scouts an interesting read, the short stories and quotations would be a tremendous resource for countless Scoutmaster Minutes. It has earned a spot of my Scouting bookshelf, and I’d encourage you to consider adding it to yours as well. At a retail price of only $11.95, it would also make a great gift for a dedicated Scout Leader or Professional Scouter.

According to Dr. Robert Lee Edmonds, Co-founder of Red Honor Press, their company is now an official supplier to the BSA and its titles should be available through the National Supply Division shortly. In the mean time, We Are Americans, We Are Scouts is currently available on Amazon.com.

Check back tomorrow to see how you can win a copy of We Are Americans, We Are Scouts, that has been signed by the book’s editor.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Eagle Honor Co. has introduced a new series of Eagle Scout Honor Rings.

The Eagle Honor Ring features a deeply engraved eagle atop a signet style ring. This historic seal type ring has been worn for hundreds of years and carries family crests and other meaningful symbols. The ring’s sides can be customized to exhibit benchmark occasions including camp brands, service group logos, year, or troop number.

Fittingly enough, the Eagle Honor Ring was created by Master Gemologist Appraiser and award-winning jewelry designer Kirk Root, who had the idea to create a custom ring for his son, Chris. His hope was to have it done in time for Chris’ Eagle Scout Court of Honor.

So father and son began working on the project together, with Chris designing the final eagle, and a unique pine bark motif for the body of the ring that is symbolic of the Lost Pines Boy Scout Camp in Texas which was run by Chris’ great-grandfather, ‘Mr. Mac’, who was their first camp ranger. Chris is now a freshman majoring in business (with a minor in jewelry design) at Texas Tech University. Chris has found a natural calling in his artwork, which has earned him statewide and national awards.

“We weren’t really thinking about this being a commercial venture,” said Kirk, who has been in the jewelry business for nearly 30 years and has two retail stores in Austin. “But the more we worked on it, and showed people Chris’ ring who came into the store who were Eagle Scouts, they would said, ‘Hey, I want one of those.’ We would then pull out a design model and heard, ‘Wow, that’s great. When can you make me one?’ Most people never have had a choice like this.”

The Root family has a rich Scouting heritage. His maternal grandfather was an Eagle Scout. His paternal grandfather, though in Scouts but not an Eagle Scout, was Chris’ mentor, and just wanted to make sure that Chris obtained the rank that he had failed to reach.

“Scouting has been a part of our family on both sides for generations,” said Kirk. “This (ring project) kind of became a natural outgrowth of that.”

The Eagle Honor Ring can be viewed and ordered on the website: www.eaglehonor.com or by calling 1-800-299-5475.

Popularity: 9% [?]