Guest Post: I’m a retired Navy officer. Here’s why Scouting while serving mattered to me.

By Jeffrey L. Johnson

 Jeffrey L. Johnson is Scout Executive/CEO of the Cornhusker Council in Walton, Nebraska. He is a retired U.S. Navy officer and volunteered as Scoutmaster while stationed at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.

Scouting at overseas military installations provides an extraordinary experience for youth and families. It offers a sense of community, stability and belonging often hard to find when living far from home. Scouting also brings together kids from diverse backgrounds and cultures, uniting them through shared values, service and adventure.

I experienced this as an officer in the U.S. Navy stationed in Bahrain.

Serving as Scoutmaster, our troop welcomed kids from countries across world — the U.S., U.K., Russia, Malaysia, South Africa and India, to name a few. We had a kid from the Dominican Republic, whose dad was the veterinarian for the Bahraini royal family’s horses. A couple of Bahraini kids who wanted to be a part of Scouting also joined. Just watching these Scouts learn each other’s culture and traditions was amazing.

The typical troop includes families from different areas of town. This troop had families from all different parts of the world — and all walks of life.

That experience comes with challenges. Scouts on a military base like the one in Bahrain learn how to improvise to overcome them. For example, state parks in Bahrain don’t really exist. Most of the land is owned by the royal family or the government, so it was difficult to get permission to camp there. When we did go out, the Scouts had experiences they likely wouldn’t get anywhere but an overseas military base.

For instance, we organized a kayak trip that took us near villages that were protesting the government. The Scouts were never in any danger, but camping where we could see and hear the protests was intense. It taught the kids to think about different perspectives, as well as how to make the best of a challenging situation.

But Scouting in a military setting doesn’t just benefit Scouts.

In my time in Bahrain, Scouts provided hundreds of hours of community service to the military installation, the Department of Defense Education Activity school and the local community. This fostered a better relationship between the U.S. Navy and the host nation.

I remember one project hosted by a Scouts BSA troop in Dubai that my Bahraini Scouts — as well as troops from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman — participated in. The Scout leader worked with his government contacts to place a coral reef just off the coast in the Persian Gulf. Scouts helped build several geo domes — which were probably 5 or 6 feet tall and weighed 1,000 pounds — and watched them get loaded onto a barge and sent into the gulf. Scouts who were scuba certified went out, observed and provided a little help with the reef placement. This gathering also included an Order of the Arrow induction and ceremony.

Much like food drives in the U.S., Scouts in the region developed a project to help an Islamic charity in one of the poorest cities in the UAE. We ended up with two trucks filled with food, and when we arrived, there was a line of women and children probably five blocks long. We pulled up, and out popped all these kids in their Scouting America uniforms ready to work with the mosque leaders to distribute the food to local families.

Scouting programs at military installations augment the Family Support program, and they’re offered at no cost to the installation. Scouting also provides opportunities for young soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines — many of whom have Scouting backgrounds — to volunteer as adult leaders and young role models to Scouting youth. That supports the local Morale, Welfare and Recreation program.

Scouting offers consistency and connection for our military families — the Scout Oath and Law are the same in the continental U.S. and at overseas military installations. The program teaches resilience, leadership and teamwork and gives youth a chance to explore, learn and serve. But Scouting at military bases also helps parents and leaders build a supportive network within the military community.

Plus, for many of our Scouts, their overseas Scouting experiences become some of their most cherished memories — proof that no matter where duty takes us, Scouting truly makes the world feel a little more like home.