Flying through Army aviation history

Troop 50 Scouts and leaders celebrated the Veterans' Day weekend by centering its monthly campout around a visit to the U.S. Army Aviation Museum—which also served as the site of the troop's first out-of-town outing after its founding in 2012.

The U.S. Army Aviation Museum, located at Fort Rucker in Enterprise, Ala., maintains a collection of more than 160 military aircraft, including one of the largest collections of military helicopters in the world. Scouts has the opportunity to browse the approximately 50 beautifully restored, historic and one-of-a-kind aircraft displayed both inside the museum and on its surrounding grounds. Since first opening in 1968, and since moving into its current facility in 1989, its public galleries have offered a retrospective of the Army's involvement in military aviation, as well as provides the the human side of Army Aviation by featuring photo galleries, memorabilia and photo essays that capture the human spirit of the Army's proud aviation heritage.

While most Scouts opted for a self-guided tour (which included visits to the museum's flight simulators and gift shop), a few Scouts dropped in periodically for the museum tour directed by the troop's resident historian, Scoutmaster Andrew Baird. Actual and replica aircraft document the beginning days of Army aviation with the Wright brothers and the early combat aircraft of World War I, up to the highly technological machines such as the AH-64 Apache and the UH-60 Blackhawk flown by Army aviators today.

After touring the museum and enjoying a picnic lunch on the museum's grounds, the troop made its way to its campsite at Blue Springs State Park in nearby Clio, Ala. Scouts had the opportunity to enjoy some downtime after setting up their tents before beginning dinner preparations as the early sunset cast the campsite in darkness by 5:30 p.m. While it was dark, local fire bans due to extreme drought conditions forced the troop to conduct its "campfire" program around a Coleman lantern. Campfire master of ceremonies and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader Louie persevered and provided everyone in attendance a program full of skits, songs, and fellowship.

ASPL Louie serves as master of ceremonies for Saturday evening's "campfire" program.

It's unclear if the fact that the days are getting darker earlier had any impact on how early the Scouts retired for the evening. However, by 10 p.m., most Scouts (and leaders) were settled in for the evening's cooler temperatures, which dropped to roughly 50 degrees.

Sunday morning's devotional service

Scouts were slowly bounding out of their tents by 6:30 a.m. Sunday as they readied breakfast and began packing their gear. Before departing the campsite for the return trip home, the troop gathered for a Sunday devotional service, Chartered Organization Representative and Troop Chaplain Michael Tullier. With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, the scripture readings and discussion centered around being thankful in all circumstances—during the times we find ourselves extremely blessed, as well as the times we are challenged and the valuable lessons we learn during those times.

At the troop's monthly Patrol Leaders Council meeting the following Monday, the troop's youth leaders noted that, while the museum left a little to be desired for some Scouts, everyone enjoyed the campfire program and the campsite location..

For more photos from the campout, visit the troop's online photo album.

Year in Review - 2015

      As many are prone to do at this time of year, we look back at 2015 in the life of Troop 50. The scouts reached new levels for advancement, enjoyed a diverse camping experience, and continued our tradition of service to the community. We also bid farewell to a good leader and friend of the troop who passed away this summer. Through the highs and the lows of the year, the troop worked hard to fulfill our mission to GATHER young men into a quality scouting program, GROW them into servant leaders, and GO into the community in service and fellowship.

The troop at Camp Sequoyah. 

     Our camping program saw a collective 337 nights of camping by the scouts and adult leaders of the troop. These included nights spent underground at Cumberland Caverns, in the international village at SIFAT, aboard the USS Alabama for a shipboard adventure, in the backcountry of Providence Canyon, and in the mountains of North Carolina on our rafting trip. We also spent a great week at Camp Sequoyah for summer camp and on the ski slopes of Gatlinburg in January. One of the most highly rated trips by the patrol leaders' council was the trip to SIFAT. Despite the rain, the experience was eye-opening in multiple ways. The scouts learned about the cultures of various developing countries and learned that having adequate food is not something we should take for granted. It made us appreciate all that we have in our society.

Jason and James Robert work in the rain to
fix a meal with limited resources at SIFAT.

      The year set a record for advancement with a total of forty-four ranks and 118 merit badges earned. We had an 81.5 percent advancement rate this year as twenty-two of our twenty-seven scouts advanced in rank, with several advancing through multiple ranks. Although most of the scouts earned multiple merit badges, Creighton led the way by earning thirteen this year. Liam was close behind with eleven and Nicky earned ten. Our advancement program included the first troop merit badge day in December, a disabilities awareness program on the Auburn campus in April, and various rank requirements that were covered during campouts. We also celebrated the advancement of three more scouts to Eagle as Andrew Stanford, Robert Perry, and Will Pendleton added their names to the troop's Eagle's Nest. The coming year may prove equally prosperous for Eagles as we have three more scouts who are in various stages with their Eagle Projects.

The scouts played wheelchair basketball while
learning about people with disabilities.

      Our commitment to community service included our first joint project with our chartering organization, the Auburn Rotary Club. During Mulch Madness in March, the troop helped spread several cubic yards of mulch around Hickory Dickory Park. We also continued our annual service at the Blast and Cast to benefit veteran's scholarships and the Kevin Bell Memorial Scholarship. Other troop service projects included sorting food at the East Alabama Food Bank during the Saugahatchee District's Scouting for Food program, gathering compost material at SIFAT, picking up trash at Chewacla State Park, a conservation project at Camp Sequoyah, and our annual toy collection for Toys for Tots at Christmas. Several scouts served individually at the District Cub Scout Day Camp and at the National Night Out program sponsored by the Auburn Police Department. With three Eagle projects also among the service opportunities, Troop 50 scouts and leaders collectively contributed 766 hours of service. It was an effort certainly worthy of pride by our scouts.

Troop members sort food at the East Alabama Food Bank. 

      Along with the highlights this year we also faced the sorrow of losing a strong supporter of the troop when John Cottier passed away suddenly at the end of June. John was officially an assistant scoutmaster with the troop but he was one who worked behind the scenes taking photos, helping set up for events, and encouraging the efforts of all around him. The troop attended his funeral as a unit, honoring his memory and helping to celebrate his life. We will long be blessed by his example to us.

John tells the scouts about archeology efforts at Horseshoe Bend National Battlefield. 

      Another milestone was reached this year with the May election of Louie as senior patrol leader of the troop. Louie was the first SPL to have joined the troop from a Cub Scout pack and have advanced through the ranks to this position. All of our previous senior patrol leaders had joined the troop when it was founded in 2012 by transferring from other troops. This point marked a transition in the life of the troop. As part of this transition, we held our first Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops training in the spring. In recognition of the fine work of the previous SPL, the scouts honored Andrew Stanford as the first recipient of the James J. Baird, Jr. Honor Scout Award at the June Court of Honor. The award was based on criteria such as advancement and participation as well as a peer ranking by his fellow scouts.

Louie poses with his SPL neckerchief slide. 

Andrew, upon receiving the James J. Baird, Jr. Honor Scout Award,
along with members of the Baird family. 

     Our final event of 2015 was the Court of Honor and Christmas Party on December 14. Over eighty scouts and family members attended to honor the hard work of the troop. We awarded twenty-five merit badges and fifteen rank advancements. New youth leadership was sworn into office as Nicky took the reigns as the new SPL with Josh as his assistant. Everett and Jason assumed their roles as the patrol leaders of the new Eagle and Mountaineer patrols with Joe and Ethan as their assistants, respectively. A new program staff was created to plan and provide instruction at the troop meetings. Louie will head this new endeavor as the lead troop guide with Creighton as his assistant and Michael as the new lead instructor. More photos from the event are found in the online photo gallery.

New youth leadership is sworn in at the Court of Honor. 

      Following a raucous game of dirty Santa, which included some very nice gifts this year, we loaded up the collected toys and headed for Auburn Fire Station 1. The Toys for Tots collection by the Auburn Public Safety Department has become an annual service project for the troop. It was a fitting way to cap off the year.

The troop stands with members of the Auburn Fire Department
in support of the annual Toys for Tots service project. 

      Not only does the troop have much to be proud of, we have much to look forward to in 2016. Our scouts have worked hard to make this an excellent program. The strong commitment of our parents and adult volunteers have also made this possible, along with the support of the Auburn Rotary Club and the First Presbyterian Church. Everyone working together for the good of the troop is what makes this work.



   

In Memory of a Fine Man

      Troop 50 celebrated the life and contributions of a leader, Scout parent, and friend as we said farewell to John Cottier, who passed away unexpectedly last week. Professor Cottier was a well respected and beloved archaeologist at the university, a Vietnam veteran, an Eagle Scout, and a dedicated Scouting volunteer. He will be missed by all who knew him.

John points out various archaeological sites to the Scouts at the
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in April 2014.

      John grew up in Auburn, earned his Eagle rank in 1957 with Troop 11, and graduated from Auburn University in 1964. He received his masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Alabama and the University of Missouri, respectively. Called by the U.S. Army to serve in Vietnam during the late 1960s, he attained the rank of Captain in the armor branch and was awarded the Bronze Star for valor in combat. With a humility typical of John, he never revealed, even to his family, how he earned his medal.

      In his professional career, John accomplished a great deal. As an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work; he was a dedicated teacher and researcher. His field school in archaeology trained many students over the years and his research covered many Alabama historical sites such as Fort Mitchell, the Ebert Canebrake Site, and the Old Federal Road. One of the many tributes to John and his work came from one of his colleagues, Jessica Crawford, the Southeastern Region Director of the Archaeological Conservancy. The article is found online at the Archeological Conservancy website. Another great tribute to John was published in the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman.

Troop 50 Scouts and leaders line up prior to the service for Dr. Cottier.

      As a Scouter, John was a dedicated volunteer. He served as a Cub Scout den leader for both of his sons. As a den leader with Pack 29, he started as a Tiger Cub leader and followed his den through their Wolf, Bear, and Webelo years. Several current Troop 50 Scouts found their own dedication to Scouting under John's tutelage. Upon transitioning to Troop 50, John registered as an assistant scoutmaster but health concerns kept him from participating as fully as he would have liked. Still, he was a hard worker and always looking to contribute in any way that he could. A number of the photos in our online photo gallery were taken by John and just three weeks ago, he met the boys upon the troop's return from Camp Sequoyah with a big "Welcome Home" sign. On Monday, the Scouts returned the honor as we lined up behind his family at the funeral service. Troop Committee Chairman, and former Pack 29 Cubmaster, Rob Stanford spoke eloquently about John's commitment to Scouting. He noted that the two things that best defined John were how humble he was, never seeking credit for his contributions, and how hard working he was. He was often the first to arrive at Scouting events and the last to leave. His hard work and humility will be missed in every endeavor of which he was a part.

             

Dr. John W. Cottier, 1940 - 2015

     

      Memorial donations for John may be made to the Forward in Faith Campaign at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 1100 North College Street, Auburn, AL 36830 or to the John W. Cottier Memorial Scholarship for Archaeology, Allocation code: 60001365, Gift processing, 317 South College Street, Auburn, AL 36849.