Definitely a big tribute to the usefulness of the scouting program. I'm proud to be associated with the group.

That is what I would expect from a group of older Scouts. Either the Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge or the Life Saving Merit Badge must be earned before a scout can reach the Rank of Eagle Scout. First Aid Merit Badge is also required.

The requirements for the Emergency Prep Merit Badge are listed at:

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Emergency_Preparedness

Scouts who have been in the program for a few years, while they are not experts, are really better trained than most adults to deal with something like this.

I have been camping as an adult leader with scouts when the siren went off. When you are sleeping in tents, there are not many places to go. You find the best shelter you can, hunker down and wait for the all clear. There is not much time with a tornado.

My heart goes out to the scouts and their families.

As a former Scoutmaster and now a Chartered Organization Representative, the Scouting program is invaluable in this day and age. There is nothing like mother nature to teach kids whose lives are filled with video games, skate-boarding, an overly-tolerant education system and parents, etc. what life is really like and that there are some rules that cannot be broken or ignored without a harsh penalty. Obviously these boys didn't do anything wrong or tempt fate--sadly, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can bet every one of them will be a better person for having gone through the ordeal though. They will all be a little better prepared, become better adults and leaders, and that will set them apart from others that were never involved in Scouting.

"The mission of Scouts is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law."