[I recall] interviews with longtime publisher and editor of the American Journal, Mr. Harry Foote. One of those interviews pertained to Boy Scouts, and some of the experiences. It was at one of the interviews that I pointed to how scouting played a pivotal part in the battle for Iwo Jima in the Pacific in World War II. It was at this interview that Mr. Foote would point out the way he felt the wind was blowing in the world around us. As I sat at my typewriter these words appeared pertaining my thought about this very disciplined man and publisher:
A man’s life is not measured in how long he lived but what he did.
Did he generally pack a smile, did he go the extra mile
Was he there to answer the call,
Yes he did; he gave his all.
Was he kind and showed respect to the people that he met?
Was his motto to give more then he drew from the company store?
Was the trail he blazed dead end?
Was it clear to comprehend.
Were the footmarks that he left plain and precise to the end?
May the tenderfoot and Eagle and the Volunteers in ranks
Pick up the torch that blazed so brightly and with courage forge ahead.
The stars that shine so brightly point to a better way of life,
We all who knew this Scouter and the trails this Scouter knew
With knapsack and compass, blaze a trail for future youths.
May all the trails before us, give us inspiration great,
for our Country needs a pattern that this Master Scouter made.
Let our packs be full and ready, when the call for help is near
Then put our best foot forward, for the scouting he cherished dear.
Fred Collins
Westbrook
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