Doug Marsh Blog- June 2013

http://dmarsh.agblogger.org/2013/06/06/news-june-2013/


District Directors,

Summer has brought several changes in our lives and in our ministries. Many of you are working with churches that are making the transition from Boys Scouts to Royal Rangers. Please remember the guidelines I sent out last week in your communication with them and others.

In this newsletter, we included several different “wins.” Royal Rangers is influencing boys, leaders, families, and community leaders through our training, events, and spiritual services. If you have exciting “wins” happening in your district, please send those to Sandra at rangers@ag.org. We want to share those with the other district directors in the newsletter.

Doug Marsh
National Director

NSSP AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

Attached is the new application for the NSSP Ambassador Program. This is a great opportunity for the young men in your district. We will be sending this same information to all the chartered leaders in your district tomorrow.

This free 12-month adventure offers unparalleled opportunities for one (1) qualified Royal Ranger (16-18 years old) to experience a “chance of a lifetime” program that will include attending amazing events, meeting national shooting sports celebrities, radio and television personalities, traveling, experiencing the camaraderie of fellow ambassadors, and developing career opportunities, which culminates in the receipt of a valuable college scholarship. Past ambassadors have also received a number of significant and in some cases, expensive shooting sports products and services as an added benefit of their ambassador experience.

Application deadline: August 1, 2013

NSSP Ambassador Application

OLD UNIFORMS FOR AFRICA

If you have old uniforms (in good condition and washed) that you would like to donate to Africa, please send them to Royal Rangers International (1644 W. Lloyd St., Ozark, MO 65721). Only Khaki pants, shirts, belts, bolos needed; t-shirts also desired. All sizes accepted. No print materials, no awards, no red Straight Arrow shirts, no yellow kerchiefs, no clip ties needed. Needed by the end of the year.



JUNIOR TRAINING PRODUCTS

With the change in Jr. Training items you will find some of the item numbers have changed. These will be in the new catalog but until then here is the list among with their item numbers.

729545 RR JR TRAINING BALL CAP
729614 DTC PATCH
729612 ATC PATCH
729635 JTC PATCH
729604 AJTC PATCH
729546 ROYAL RANGERS BAC PATCH
729547 ROYAL RANGERS CAC PATCH
729548 ROYAL RANGERS WSAC PATCH
729549 ROYAL RANGERS AAC PATCH
729550 ROYAL RANGERS MAC PATCH
729551 ROYAL RANGERS SAC PATCH
729615 ETC PATCH
729616 ETC BERET SM 55CM WHITE
729617 ETC BERET MD 57CM WHITE
729618 ETC BERET LG 59CM WHITE
729619 ETC BERET XL 61CM WHITE
729643 EJLC BEET 2X 63CM WHITE
729625 JR. ACADEMY PATCH
729867 BRONZE PATROL MEDAL EXCELLENCE
729868 SILVER PATROL MEDAL EXCELLENCE
729870 GOLD PATROL MEDAL EXCELLENCE



WINS

ALABAMA

This email was received after this new leader attended Ranger Basics and Ranger Essentials.

“Sir, just wanted to say thanks for the great training you and your team provided. As my walk in this journey that God has placed me on continues, I am increasingly more and more impressed by the professionalism and genuine Godliness of the men that pour themselves into the Royal Rangers (commanders and young men). I truly consider myself blessed with the opportunities given to me by this ministry.

I spent a great deal of my 30 years in the Army training, and training Soldiers, getting them ready for war and eventually peace. I have also attended many specialty and senior leadership schools, and I would put any one of the instructors I have experience during this past Rangers essentials and basic classes as good or better than the majority of those I had seen on active duty.

Just wanted to pass along my thanks to you for your service in God’s Army. I have always passed on three bible verses to my Soldiers, especially when on a deployment, prior to a combat patrol, or getting ready to do a airborne operation (jump). Deuteronomy 20:8, Nehemiah 4, and Psalm 18:30-42.”

ARKANSAS

This information was provided by their former Royal Rangers leader, who currently lives in Arizona and is still heavily involved in Royal Rangers.

Walter and William Burgess attended Royal Rangers at Crystal Hill Assembly in North Little Rock. Walter earned his Gold Medal of Achievement in 1990. They now lead Power Technology, a company started by their father in 1969. According to Arkansas Business in a Jan 2013 article, Power Technology “designs and makes laser diode products for analytical, biomedical, industrial and machine vision applications for use in products by original equipment manufacturers…Among the commercial applications for Power Technology’s laser-related products are inspecting semiconductors, scanning bar codes and in the biomedical market, aiding surgery procedures, analyzing DNA, and detecting cancer.”

Their former leader shared that both are married with great families.

ILLINOIS

This email was received from a mom who sent her sons and husband to the Illinois Winter Camp.

“To all who made an amazing winter weekend possible. You may never understand how much of a blessing you were to a dad and two little boys. My husband is an over the road truck driver that is not home much, and when he is home, the to do list never ends. To be able to take a weekend away with our two little boys, priceless.

I wanted to share about our 9 yr. old boy that has cerebral palsy and also other medical issues that make life quite challenging for him and us. He is blessed to be able to do most things every little boy can do, but his struggles are far from being like most little boys. He was so touched by the praise and worship and blessed by the messages. My husband doesn’t get to go to church with us much, so during praise and worship to see his special needs son, sold out, worshiping God with raised hands and head a rockin, humbles a Dad’s heart. That night after the message the speaker asked if anyone needed prayer for healing. For the first time our son realized his need to go the God he believes in to heal him. He turned to his dad and said, ‘Dad will you go with me?’ My husband replied, ‘I’m right here buddy, but this is something you have to do on your own.’ He went forward on his own and prayed. A proud Dad moment. His prayer was for God to heal his legs. (Daily our son struggles with his disabilities and doesn’t think anyone understands his pain.) God heard his pain. For the next morning everyone watched a DVD about a boy with cerebral palsy, that wanted to run a mile in cross country . The boy’s disabilities where even more severe than our son’s. For the first time our son seen there was someone like him. Someone who struggled doing something that seems to come so effortlessly to others. Someone who fell a lot. Someone who had to get back up and try again. My son shared with me, ‘Mom he was like me! God allowed him to run! The people at the race cheered, encouraged and even ran with him. It was amazing! God allowed him to finish the race!’

So, I want to thank you for being men that cheered, encouraged and ran with my son’s and husband. My son always tells me, he was made to run. He says that when he runs, he is free. There is FREEDOM in Jesus. That day he learned his need to run to Jesus.”

Lot of military talk...

I can't give away my khakis! I still wear them! Oh wait, thats not allowed anymore...

sreidelberger wrote:I can't give away my khakis! I still wear them! Oh wait, thats not allowed anymore...

I guess that our Outpost didn't get that memo.

(You'll get my khakis when you pry them off my Cold, Dead, Body.)

sreidelberger wrote:I can't give away my khakis! I still wear them! Oh wait, thats not allowed anymore...

Not true!
you can still wear them. you are just supposed to convert them to the new patch placement.

Its true Khakis are still there just a revamped layout is required. I am miffed that GPH offers gabardine khakis in a separate order form on the national web site uniform section but nothing is mentioned on the GPH site or in the last catalog that is supposed to include everything. If you can place a third party order through GPH for the nice dress khakis then it should be listed in the printed and online catalogs. 

Unless they are quietly discouraging use of the all khaki uniform by listing a pdf order form in a place where most wouldn't be looking to find it. Then nixing it from both versions of the catalog.

I've been thinking seriously about converting my khaki's back to RRv1.0

But first I'll have to find more service stars...

sreidelberger wrote:I've been thinking seriously about converting my khaki's back to RRv1.0

But first I'll have to find more service stars...

Good luck on finding those stars and stripes.

they seem to command a good price on ebay

Is there a link somewhere that would show what the old uniform looked like for those of us that haven't been in it that long? (I was as a young kid, but don't remember specifics)

I didn't know you were in Royal Rangers as a boy. Which group?

The look of the class b was close to what we call the Dress Uniform today. Back then there was no flag patch until after 9/11. Advancement stripes on right arm and patrol guide ranks on left arm.

RRCmdrBennett wrote:I didn't know you were in Royal Rangers as a boy. Which group?

I was in Straight Arrows at Penn FL 11. We moved to SC when I was 7, so would I still have been a Straight Arrow at that point or Buckaroo?

Then I was in Trail Blazers for a short time at a church we were at, but then decided to start going to Youth Church instead of RR. That's why my opinion is that youth services should be on a separate night as RR if at all possible. We will absolutely have them on different nights if/when we start a youth group.

RRCmdrBennett wrote:
The look of the class b was close to what we call the Dress Uniform today. Back then there was no flag patch until after 9/11. Advancement stripes on right arm and patrol guide ranks on left arm.

Gotcha.

I read a random forum thread about the RR uniform with the flag patch on it. The debate was if the flag should be under another patch or not.

The olde forums prior to RC1.0 had a very lengthy topic on the debate. Did you read the part when Doug's admin proposed integrating the flag into the geo patch on the right shoulder?  

At 7 you would have been a Buckaroo. Str Arrows was 5-6, Buckaroos 7-8, Pioneers 9-11, TB 12-14, and air/sea/trail rangers was 15-17 yr olds.

The chevrons didn't come in till you entered Trailblazers. Pioneers had 4 rating pins worn over left pocket 1/2" above flap. When you move up to TB's you continue to wear your highest Pioneer rating 1/2" above your left pocket flap or above your advanced awards.

Under JB's time only TB's and AST Rangers could earn advanced awards. Only exception was for Pioneers who had achieved the Master Rating Flintlock pin prior to turning 12. Under Ken Hunt Pioneers could earn AA's at anytime during the climb to Flintlock. I'm not sure if any AA's were required to reach Pioneer master rating or if they were superfluous like RK Achievement badges are to the GTA.

Hunt also took out the 3 inner patches and made one that was called Explorer. As well renamed AST Rangers to Challengers. Challengers became more bible schoolish. Marriott renamed it Expedition with tracts for Air, sea, trail, and high action with the ability to propose new tracts. Doug did away with tracts and made the advancement system complete and consistent with DR and AR.

You can see a pattern with the HS group starts with specific outdoor foci air, sea, and trail, then disappears, comes back, then disapears again. You would think sea rangers would fit the philosophy of RR2.0 but nat'l rejected all of the sea ranger merits. You still got sailing, boating, canoeing, etc but sea rangers had a whole slew of maritime related badges.