Scoutmaster Podcast 12

And now, to you, Scoutmaster.

Once you decide to become a volunteer leader in scouting, somebody will tell you, well, you know, it's only an hour a week. You soon find out that it can be considerably more. Well, is that time worth it? Is it really worth all the time that you spend working with a scout troop or a cub pack? I think I have an answer for you today. Hey, this is podcast number 12.

Welcome back to the Scoutmasters podcast. This is Clark Green. So, yeah, everybody asks themselves at one point if all the time we're putting into scouting is really going to matter, if it's going to amount to much of anything. Well, I want you to ask two people. I want you to ask Scoutmaster John Sexton, who retired as a Master Sergeant, went to a little town called Alberton, Georgia, set up a scout troop. And one of the young men he worked with, his name was Otha Thornton. Otha joined the troop and then went on to become an Eagle Scout and become a very skilled leader, entered Morehouse College and after graduation joined the United States Army and is about to conclude a 21-year career of very illustrious service as a lieutenant colonel. Now, Colonel Thornton, his leadership skills and the work that he did as a scout laid a foundation for him to serve on the White House communications staff, which put him in the same room as two presidents, and led him to a deployment in Iraq where he had a very key leadership position and a stressful and difficult one, as all of them are on deployment, but managed to find some free time to rededicate back to scouting in helping the Iraqi nationals reestablish their scout movement. So he was able to volunteer some of his time there. So Scoutmaster John Sexton's hour a week has multiplied itself several times over and will continue to go as Lieutenant Colonel Thornton continues to influence lives and a new job he'll have back at his alma mater at Morehouse College. I interviewed the colonel just at Fort Meade, and he's preparing to move pending his retirement. And so you may hear some noise in the background. I think he said that the fellows were there recarpeting the home that he was in. But it's a fascinating interview and also contains some very poignant advice for us as scout leaders. So without further ado, we'll move right to the interview. You're from a town about the size of the town I live in, Elberton, Georgia. Elberton is about 100 miles from Atlanta, Georgia. But like you say, just a nice, quaint town, a place to raise kids. I spent my first four years there as a child, and we moved. And then about eighth grade, we came back to Elberton, where I finished off high school. That's where I call my hometown. You spent some time in scouts in Elberton, did you? Yes. By eighth grade, I began to get involved in the Boy Scouts. And that's where I, again, took part in the troop leadership positions and the service projects, monthly camping. I had a very great scout master, and I've kept in touch with him over the last 25, 30 years. As a matter of fact, I went to see him last week. Okay. Yep. He was a retired Army Master Sergeant that moved to Elberton and started a troop. What was your scout master's name? John Sexton. John Sexton. Uh-huh. Now, that sounds like a scout master and a master sergeant. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That sounds like somebody you better listen to. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Can you tell me what was so important about John Sexton to you as a young man? He was almost like to some guys a father figure, you know. You know, he took a sincere interest in developing young men. And, again, he was a no-nonsense type scout leader. Do you recall any specific merit badge or thing you worked on as scouts that you carried forward into adulthood? Yeah, I would say the series of merit badges that were most important and very critical today are citizenship, the citizenship merit badges, and communications. Because I actually – now I'm assigned to White House Communications. Although I was in Iraq, Tim, I've been with White House Communications for three years. I was a director of human resources for two years, and I also served as a presidential communications officer. So I've actually got to work for two presidents. And just to see the different levels of government and how they work, it's just – it's been great. You know, citizenship in action. Now, do you think at the time when you were working on those badges, do you think you had any understanding of what they would mean to you in the future? It was just interesting to learn about that because when I went to college, my major was actually urban studies, the concentration in management, basically managing cities. So I learned a lot about how groups worked, which, you know, you did requirements on those citizenship merit badges. How states worked with cities and the federal government, all those community-type things. You had to learn in communications, making presentations to people and building presentations. All those things came in hand. So you went on to become an Eagle Scout with the truth. That is correct. Tell me a little bit about that. You know, I'm asking you these questions because I've got about three Scouts who are pushing that 18th birthday. Okay. And I've got one who's scrambling on those last couple of merit badges and things like that. And I wonder if you remember that time. I don't know. How old were you when you became an Eagle Scout? I finished all my requirements at 17. Nice. Well, you – Mr. Saxon wasn't going to have it any other way. Absolutely. Which youth leadership positions did you hold? Most of my time in the troop, I was a patrol leader or assistant patrol leader. And I actually served at the state troop as described during the – I think it was 85 Jamboree. So you went on after becoming an Eagle Scout, went on to Morehouse. I graduated from Morehouse. And then I enlisted in the military for Officer Candidate School. And that, I will tell you, when I enlisted in the military, I saw the importance of Eagle Scout because it is very well respected. And, you know, as we go through the conversation, I can almost, to the assignment, talk to you about the opportunities that Eagle Scout opened up to. All the way up to work on the President's – on Officer's President. And now I've heard stories about, you know, you show up at your induction. The sergeant asks who is an Eagle Scout and puts them right at the head of the group. Is that – I've heard stories about that. Is that reasonably accurate? I can vouch for that. You automatically get another rank. And then opportunities open up for you. I was in Hawaii for four years. I was an infantry officer over there. So all those outdoor skills and things you learn, orienteering, compass reading, all that stuff was a big help as an infantry officer. The company command called us in his office and he said, hey, the troop on post, they just had a lot of folks who rotate out and we need some assistance. Can you all help us out? And it was like, not a problem. You got it. So me and Keith Natick was his name. And we began, you know, working and we kept things going. And about four months, five months until the tour, the base commander called us in. And he said, hey, y'all are doing great work with the scout troops. He said, you two let me know where you – talk to your wives and let me know where you want to go next assignment, choice of assignment. From there, I went to Michigan Tech University where I became very, very involved. My son was a Cub Scout. And I actually was the day camp director for two years. I was there for three years. I ran the camp for two years. From Michigan, they sent me to Europe. We were very, very active there. And we actually – my son and I, we traveled around to international camp outs. We went to Switzerland every year for the Klondike. We went to the Baden-Powell camp in East England last year there. So it was a wonderful scouting opportunity. So when I got back to the States at Fort Meade, we got back involved with the troop here. And this troop is very, very active also. And I spent about, you know, a year just helping out where I could. Then I became the Eagle Scout advisor after my second year here and did that for two years. I mean, I'm just saying there's so many opportunities like that for Eagle Scouts. I find this to be a very important thing. The fellows that become Eagle Scouts, even the guys that have been in the scout troop for several years before they head off to college, it seems they get to school and they find their feet a lot quicker than some of their peers. Yes. The critical skill is that planning. And, you know, setting goals. So that's the beautiful thing about earning the Eagle Scout and the skill set that you bring from it. You identify your goals. Because I'll give you an example. In college, again, the Eagle Scouts, it was a couple of my classes like, where's the college catalog? What is the program to meet the requirements? And that's what we did. And we went in and got in and out in four years. So at one point in your military career, you are attached to the White House. I'm assigned there. I'm assigned to White House Communications. Tell me a little bit about the White House Communications Agency. They call it the voice of the president. We basically work with the White House staff and the Secret Service to ensure that the president can communicate instantaneously anywhere in the world. We basically go ahead of the president, check the communications in the area, and bring whatever necessary equipment we need to ensure that he can communicate. Sounds like you get to travel a lot and work very closely with the president and his staff. I've met both presidents, but we protocol for people that work around the president's military. If they talk to us, we can talk to them. I see. But again, usually when the president is, whenever you see the president, he has his advisors around and they're talking business. You went from this little town in Elberton, you became an Eagle Scout, threw Morehouse into the military, ended up in the same room with the president of the United States. That's pretty remarkable. My first event I did for President Bush, October 1st, 2007. And that's where it hit me. I was standing there with the military aide, with the football, and that's the nuclear case. And I said, this is a long ways from Elberton, Georgia. I think everybody that gets in that room has got to be thinking about everything that put them there. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. There are a lot of Eagle Scouts in the White House Military Office. And the reason for that, when we go through the screening process, it's a very stringent selection process. But once you get it, it's like, wow, you get it. And then you have to maintain to stay there. You were the Human Resources Chief of Plans and Operations for the United States Forces in Iraq. I was basically Senior Vice President of Human Resources, you know, personnel operations. All essential personnel services, you know, troops getting their mail on time. Then I had casualty operations. That was probably the toughest area that I had to run. And basically, from the time a soldier went down, we were responsible for the reporting and tracking until the case was resolved. So, you got back to the States in the medical system. Yeah, I can't imagine how stressful and difficult it would be to be responsible for making sure people are informed, I assume. Yeah, that's zero defect. You cannot make a mistake. At least during my watch, there were no errors in that area. And for me, that was full circle because I actually served as a casualty manager. I actually did casualty notifications. I had to knock on, you know, five soldiers and doors that were killed in battle. And I've had to do casualty assistance also, helping families through the process. That is very, very tough. You know, you're there with the chaplain in your dress uniform and holding back tears. And as you see the reaction, again, you have to hold it back. It does impact you when you think about another human being and, you know, someone's son, someone's daughter. And it's tough. Well, you have a very good understanding then of what it is to lay it all on the line. Oh, yeah. The real meaning of service in this country then. I'm very touched by that. That is really something. When you were in Iraq, you know, in your free time, I don't know how much free time a person would have when they are in Iraq and have the responsibilities you have. Somehow you found a way to put your scout leader hat back on. Can you tell me a little bit about that? Sure. Sure. Well, when I arrived in Iraq, the scouting program over there had just started back up because they were decertified. And so they were trying to stand them back up. So they set some councils up under the Ministry of Education. And scouts on post, the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, sponsored a troop. So that was a troop. That was the Victory Base Council. Every Saturday, we would drive out to the scouting area, you know, do events for the kids. I helped teach archery while I was there. I helped with chess. But every Saturday, they would do an event. The Iraqi Special Operations Forces were great because they were the sponsors. But it was just a great experience. And we wanted to make sure that those kids saw things and got opportunities that we have. And a lot of Iraqi kids were not privileged to. And it was important for us in the scouting program over there to show those kids who have seen violence most of their lives, the human side of us as soldiers. To see U.S. soldiers, you know, lay down their weapons and go forward to help them and teach and assist and just see the human side. But it really, I think it's really going to make a difference. And we sort of looked at it, too, is we're hopefully making a positive impact on the future leaders of Iraq. You know, they will say that the Americans were good people and they came in and they just, you know, helped us. And that's what we're looking at, hopefully, the impact that we will make on those young scouters, girls and boys there. It's very hard for us. Well, I'll say it's very hard for me living in relative security and comfort most of my life to picture what it would be like to be in a war zone, much less to be a child there. You know, the services and things that we take for granted, they may not have. You know, we were talking one day and with one of the Iraqi interpreters, I was listening to his frustration with, you know, hey, I need to get my daughter to the to the medical facility. And, you know, I can't move around in a vehicle like I need to and those type of things. So the work that you did and the attitude of the children, how how would it have been all that much different had you been working with your group of scouts there at Fort Meade? You know what? The beautiful thing about kids around the world, kids are kids. Kids understand fun. They had fun. And the same thing our scouts do over here, they did there. I mean, you had some you had some little rascals. What I've learned from experiencing 22 countries in the world is that people are people. If you talk to the average person, they just want love, security. You know, I'm saying to be able to take care of themselves. That's the average person. The average person just wants to be able to have safety, security and love at home. The average person. So 21 years of service and you're getting ready to retire. Any thoughts about that? It's been great. I mean, I can look back fondly over the military and say it was great. I'm glad I did it. And I'm looking forward to, you know, continuing in service. So thinking back to Mr. Sexton, your scout master and the things that you've worked with and been able to do as a scout leader. If you were given the opportunity to say some generally encouraging things to scout leaders, what would you? I will tell you. And I mean, I know this is a this is a tough and sensitive area, but I'm just being sincere with you. Race was a big issue when I was there. I was the first African-American to make Eagle Scout in the Northeast Georgia Council. And there were not a lot of African-American shouting in my town. But again, as I moved closer to earning it, there were people that, you know, that can't, you know, shouldn't happen and things like that. But Mr. Sexton took a stand. You know, these are young men. I'm not into race. I'm into providing the opportunities and development to these young men. What happened there? I mean, I can't imagine going along and you're doing good and things are working out. And then all of a sudden somebody hits you with something like that. I hold no heart feelings or anything like that. But I mean, like a senior patrolling saying it will be over his dead body before a N becomes a senior patrolling here. I addressed that with the scoutmaster and he did, you know, talk to one. And I got good support. But, you know, some of the key people that should have been supporting did not. But that wasn't a problem to me because the focus was earning it and then, you know, and proceeding on. And that worked out. And I think that scoutmasters need to be situationally aware of racism, classism, because our boys, they mimic or they model after those leaders that influence them. Scoutmasters have a lot of influence. And I'll tell you, I'll even get more specific for scoutmasters. Take politics. I think they need to be situationally aware of when they're around the boys, the messages that they are sending. And that's so important. And like I said, America is a beautiful place and we have the right to vote and express our opinions. But, again, as adults and scoutmasters and assistant scoutmasters, you never know what a young man is thinking or how you are influencing his mind or ideas about things based upon your conversations or your experiences. So you've got to be very mindful of that, I think, as leaders. We're always encouraged to be nonsectarian in matters of religion and politics. But you're telling me that as an African-American young man, that the thing that influenced your ability to succeed and to achieve was somebody who believed in you for no other reason than you had the drive to be able to succeed. One of the things I haven't told you, also, I'm actually oldest of seven. And my father left home when I was 13. Left my mom with seven kids. And of that seven, two eagles and one life and one star. So that was a big part of not only your life, but the life of some of your brothers. And so a big part of your family from that little scout troop and from Mr. Sexton and your family to the White House and to being in Iraq and having these tremendous responsibilities and being able to serve your country for the past 20 years. I feel so privileged. I tell people I feel so privileged to be an American. You can do and be anything you want to in America. And our scouts need to know that. And scouting, I think, instills that. So the message is, I'll borrow one of Dr. King's lines, that the content of a person's character is the most important part of any consideration we should make in relating to them. That is absolutely correct. Well, in a career over 20 years, and how many countries did you say? Did I hear you say 22? 22. Seven? 22 countries. Those universal things that you learned as becoming an Eagle Scout and a youth leader in your troop, you found have had pretty good application just about anywhere you go. Absolutely. Thank you. No, no. A scout is trustworthy. You know, and working with an interpreter, you know, saying, OK, here's what we will do. Here's what we need you to do. And if you do this, we're going to come through on our part. And I got word back, you know, after a couple of months working with him, hey, we like Thornton because he says what he's going to do and he's going to do it. You know, kind, you know, courteous, all those things and living and dealing with people really makes a difference and really propels you forward. And, you know, back to the Scoutmasters, they have to live that because that's what the Scouts see. And not taking away tough love, because Mr. Sexton, he demonstrates some tough love with me, but I appreciate it. Yeah, every once in a while, that's the job a Scoutmaster needs to do. It certainly has been an honor to be able to speak with you and wish you continued success in your new role at Morehouse College. I appreciate what you're doing, you know, with the podcasting and getting the message out because that is so important. All right. Thank you so much, sir. Okay. Bye-bye.

Thanks for listening. We went a little over time. So I owe you the second installment on Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama. That'll be in the next podcast, podcast number 13. You can contact me, Clark Green, at ClarkGreen, C-L-A-R-K-E-G-R-E-E-N, at gmail.com. The Scoutmaster blog and the Scoutmaster podcast are not official publications of the Boy Scouts of America, nor are they endorsed or sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. They're just a way to try and lend a hand to Scout leaders and perhaps have a bit of fun along the way. Follow us on Facebook at Scoutmaster blog and Scoutmaster blog on Twitter. And so, Robert, can you say something for the nice folks? Good luck to you and good camping. Well, thank you very much. We'll talk to you next time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.