Gentlemen,

I am inserting this special page at the last minute, as this morning (Saturday May 11) I had a rather disturbing conversation with the adjutant of the SCV Camp in Richmond, Texas. I called him as I am trying to find a local camp for one of my brothers to go to and become a part of. This man told me that it looks likely that they will have to fold up that camp, due to non-participation.

Let me be blunt. If there is one thing our 4th Brigade Commander, Gary Bray, has taught me, it is that we should consider it unacceptable to let a camp die. I agree with him 100%. There is something very wrong when you have a camp that really needs to be there, geographically, and it is allowed to dry up and die. I will not go into many of the details of that conversation, but I believe their problem is due in large part to lack of recruiting, and lack of enthusiasm. When you consider the fact that we have a camp in Arlington growing like gangbusters, and a camp in Tyler which is well over 100 members, why do we have a camp in Richmond, Texas which may fold up and die? I know that if Gary Bray were the Brigade Commander there, he would not just sit back and let that happen. Now, up here in our area, there is not much we can do for that camp in Richmond, but we can learn a lesson from it.

The health of a local SCV Camp is not only in the hands of a Brigade Commander, but also in the hands of each and every camp member. Our camp here in Rockwall, Texas, is here because it needs to be here, just as with other camps. As members get older, they are less willing to drive long distances to attend meetings and functions. And here in the 4th Brigade, everyone who has been in the SCV for more than a short while can attest to that. So, please remember that it is up to every one of us to pay attention to the health and vitality of our local SCV camp. Make your meetings interesting, and have a wide variety of activities for your men to attend to. It is not always easy, but it is worth the effort.

Thanks,
Daryl Coleman, Commander