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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 Record Record - - Breaking Breaking JTT Camp JTT Camp Page 4 Rangers Support Convoy of Hope Page 3 Appalachian Trail Adventure Page 6 How Long Has It Been? Page 8 Gold Medalists Tackle Rail Trail Projects Page 9 Tomahawk Tomahawk Potomac District Royal Rangers News and Information for Royal Ranger Leaders November-December 2011

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How Long Has It Been? Appalachian Trail Adventure TOMAHAWK Page 4 Page 3 Page 6 Page 8 Page 9 Potomac District Royal Rangers News and Information for Royal Ranger Leaders November-December 2011 July - August 2011

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Page 1: Tomahawk NovDec11b2

TOMAHAWK July - August 2011

RecordRecord--Breaking Breaking

JTT CampJTT Camp Page 4

Rangers Support

Convoy of Hope Page 3

Appalachian Trail Adventure

Page 6

How Long Has It Been?

Page 8

Gold Medalists Tackle

Rail Trail Projects

Page 9

TomahawkTomahawk Potomac District Royal Rangers � News and Information for Royal Ranger Leaders � November-December 2011

Page 2: Tomahawk NovDec11b2

TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 2

POTOMAC DISTRICT

ROYAL RANGERS

www.potomacrangers.org

TOMAHAWK

Potomac District Commander Rev. Bobby Basham

Outreach/Publications Coordinator Newsletter Editor

Gary Wagner

The Tomahawk newsletter is published bi-

monthly as a means of communicating news and information to Royal Ranger leaders throughout the Potomac District. Sectional staffs and outposts are invited to submit articles and photographs that feature activi-ties of Royal Ranger ministries on a local level, or to share ideas and successes. Email

material to [email protected]. Please submit photos as separate jpg image files.

The Tomahawk is distributed via email as an

electronic publication. Email address correc-

tions, or requests to be added to the distri-

bution list, should be forwarded to Potomac

District executive secretary Denise Raduano at [email protected].

Royal Rangers Emblem © 1962 by the national

Royal Rangers Office, The General Council of the Assemblies of God; Springfield, Mo. 65802. The Royal Rangers Emblem may not be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronically, mechanically, photocopies, recording, or otherwise—without prior

written permission from the national Royal Rang-ers Office.

Royal Rangers is a principal ministry of the

Assemblies of God focused on discipling boys for Jesus Christ. We provide Christ-like char-

acter formation and servant leadership development for boys and young men in a

highly relational and fun environment. Our

mission is to evangelize, equip and empower the next generation of Christ-like men and

lifelong servant leaders.

The Potomac District administrative region

of the General Council of the Assemblies of

God takes in Washington, D.C., Maryland,

most of Virginia and northern West Virginia.

Over 100 churches throughout this region currently provide Royal Ranger ministry to

more than 2,500 boys and young men. We use many tools to achieve that goal whether

it be camping, merits or interactive skills, all designed to help develop a boy into a man

while having fun and getting to know God.

We want to develop both men and boys in

mentoring relationships and leadership skills,

and guide them to Jesus Christ. We reach boys, so they may reach another in their

world.

Potomac District

Royal Rangers on Facebook www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=191714004234632

COVER PHOTO: A Ranger hones his fire craft skills during Tidewater North Section’s Fall Advancement

Camp held in October, which provided training in a number of Royal Ranger skill merits.

See it now @ www.potomacrangers.org

In Case You Missed It

Potomac District’s Tomahawk news-

le�er is emailed every two months.

But, if you’re new to the mailing list, or

if you missed a previous edi�on, you

can find it in the archive maintained on

the district’s website for Royal Rangers

at www.potomacrangers.org.

GMA Materials

Important informa�on related

to the Gold Medal of Achieve-

ment is readily available to

Ranger leaders who are work-

ing with boys in their outpost

to reach this important mile-

stone. Download the Com-

mander’s Instruc�on Packet

and GMA Chris�an Service

Project guidelines to ensure

Rangers sa�sfy all applica�on

requirements for the Gold

RRA Applica�on

Applica�on for membership in

the Royal Rangers Alumni is

available at www.potomac

rangers.org. Print and com-

plete your applica�on to mail

in to the Potomac District

office to start your member-

ship today. There’s plenty to

do in Royal Ranger ministry,

and a “seasoned” hand is

some�mes just the right

touch.

Golfing for Rangers

Royal Ranger Alumni members (l. to r.) Don Frey, Gary Groves, Dennie Daniels and Bobby Basham get ready to hit the green during a recent golf fund raiser for Royal Rangers in Front Royal, Va. The event was held to help Rangers raise money for next year’s National Camporama. RRA in Potomac District continues to add to its membership, with Lance Purdy, Darius George and Mark Franks joining the ranks recently.

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 3

By Cmdr. Glenn Hannold

R angers from Outpost 31 at Charlottesville First As-sembly of God participated

in this summer’s Convoy of Hope outreach event held at the Freder-ick County Fairground in Freder-ick, Md. Four Adventure Rangers and two Expedition Rangers from Out-post 31 made their way from Char-lottesville to Frederick for the Con-voy of Hope event on June 18, which was designed to serve needy families in Frederick Coun-ty. The Ranger contingent arrived for the volunteer rally on the even-ing before the event, where they received instruction and heard a motivational message. The group camped in the back-yard of Calvary Assembly of God Friday night. Even though it rained with thunder and lightning while they slept, they awoke to clear skies Saturday morning for a beautiful day. The congregation at Calvary were gracious hosts, providing dinner on Friday evening and a great breakfast at 5 a.m. on Satur-day.

Hannold and his Rangers ar-rived at the event at 7:30 a.m. and were given jobs in the food distri-bution section. For the next three hours, they helped put together 18,000 bags of groceries. The Rangers were specifically responsi-ble for manning the spaghetti noo-dle pallets, making sure that every bag got a package of noodles. For the remainder of the day they packaged other miscellaneous items and assisted families by helping to carry their seven bags of groceries.

By the end of the event at 3 p.m., 5,018 guests had been served, 1,200 shoes and socks and 1,000 backpacks were dis-tributed. In addition, 140 dental screenings were done, 436 family portraits taken, and 475 haircuts given. God enabled 51 churches, 249 non-profits, and 1,856 vol-unteers to come to-gether to pull-off an extraordinary event. The Rangers and their commander drove back to Char-

lottesville tired, but feeling blessed for having a small part in this event. A couple weeks later, at a Council of Achievement for Out-post 31, the Rangers received their green Convoy of Hope merits, having completed all of the re-quirements.

Author Glenn Hannold is Outpost Coordinator for Outpost 31 at Char-lottesville First Assembly.

Rangers Support Convoy of Hope

Bags of groceries are piled high for distribution during the Convoy of Hope outreach in Frederick, Md.

Rangers from Outpost 31 (l. to r.) Justin Welch, John Simpkins, Glenn Hannold and Evan Kiernan work to unpack pallets of spa-ghetti noodles.

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By Cmdr. Mark Brannon Capital VA/MD Sectional Commander

F or the previous three Junior Training Trails (JTT) camps held at Broad Creek Memo-

rial Scout Reservation in White-ford, Md., the leaders and trainees struggled to find more than 11 miles of trails to hike, and the summer heat provided a challenge all its own. The setting for this year’s JTT was the nine-mile section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) between I-70 and Cowall Shelter, an 18-mile round trip. The desire to provide a more challenging hike while re-ducing the risk of heat-related ill-nesses led the JTT leadership team to change the venue to the undu-lating, rocky trails of the AT in western Maryland. Trainees Isaiah Padgett, Todd

Thorp, P.J. Eley and Caleb Bran-non along with junior staffers Ed-die Brown and Isaac Brannon, gathered at the Park ’n Ride on Rt. 40 just outside Myersville and made final preparations before leaving the rendezvous point ac-companied by trail guide Cmdr. Glenn Zior, camp chaplain Cmdr. Paul Eley Sr., and camp command-er Cmdr. Mark Brannon. The patrol headed to Pine Knob Shelter, about half a mile away, for the first class on how to pack a pack. Topics covered the pros and cons of the different types of packs as well as how to best load them. The backpack check failed to reveal any real surprises. With the exception of a few pairs of jeans, a hiking “no-no,” and an extra pair of running shoes, the trainees had packed fairly well. In previous years, the checks had found a 16-inch mag-light

with eight spare D batteries, a camp saw, a folding shovel, a pitch pipe and a metronome! The pitch pipe and metronome belonged to staff Cmdr. Ronnie Bell. Lunch lay just 2.5 miles away at Black Rock Cliffs. We enjoyed pb&j bagels on a cliff 1,200 feet above the valley. We lingered for 45 minutes admiring the inspiring view of western Maryland coun-tryside and Hagerstown miles off in the distance. At Black Rock Spring, we took advantage of the setting to hold a class on water purification, dis-cussing the merits of water filters, steri-pens and iodine tablets. The 3.5 miles of scenic trail just prior to Cowall Shelter is relatively flat. There’s an arduous stretch of ankle rolling, rock-hopping before dropping 500 feet over a half mile prior to crossing Wolfsville Road.

TOMAHAWKTOMAHAWK July - August 2011 4

on the Appalachian Trail

SEE JTT ON PAGE 11

ON TOP OF THE WORLD Enjoying the view of Maryland’s Cumberland Valley from Black Rock Cliffs are (l. to r.) JTT staffer Eddie Brown and Rangers Todd Thorp, Isaiah Padgett, Caleb Brannon and P. J. Eley.

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 5

Camp was established at the tent pad site just north of the shelter as a cold front started moving in. After a satisfying meal of freeze-dried dinners, evening clas-ses on trip planning, map and compass/GPS and tents were held around the campfire. Trainee per-sistence and a limited supply of quasi-dry wood combined for quite an impressive council fire with the camp commander deliv-ering an inspiring devotion to complete the exhausting first day. Reveille came at 6:30 Saturday morning. The air temperature was 40 degrees and it had started to drizzle. We ate a quick breakfast and broke camp. We delayed our departure to hold a few classes at Cowall Shelter. We covered sleep-ing bags, foot care and low-impact

camping. Despite the falling rain and the temperature struggling to climb, we filled our water bottles and started the strenuous climb out of Cowall with spirits high. A Abandoning the original plan to setup camp due to the unrelent-ing cold rain, we paused at Pogo Campsite only long enough to eat lunch. We left in our wakes An-napolis Rocks and the hopes of our planned activity of rock climbing. The backup plan consisted of camping at Pine Knob Shelter, providing a relatively dry environ-ment to complete the remaining classes and allow all to dry out and warm up. Sharing the shelter with two other hikers with similar thoughts of avoiding the rain, we shared a warm meal and fellowship before

completing the remaining four classes on trail first aid, stoves, trail clothing and trail cooking. The sodden day ended with a thought-provoking message and prayer by our chaplain by 8:30 in the evening. Sunday dawned under sullen skies dampening the prospects of a drier final day and an adven-turous rock climbing excursion. With the weather forecast not im-proving, we broke camp and hiked the final half mile back to the Park ‘n Ride to unreservedly conclude the 4th JTT camp in the Potomac District. Graduation was held and four jubilant young men were congrat-ulated for hiking farther (just over 19 miles) and ascending higher (3,000 feet combined) than any Potomac District JTT patrol in his-tory. Though the weather was an uncontrollable factor, the hiking and terrain of South Mountain provided the greatest challenge.

POW WOW PROFILES

A great deal of preparation and hard work goes into every Potomac District Pow Wow to make it a success. Two examples are James Hamburger (left photo) and Sam Wiley (bottom photo center). From Fredericksburg, Va., James has served as the senior sound technician for Pow Wow for the past seven years. Sam, a commander with Outpost 187 at Faith Landmark Minis-tries in Richmond, Va. has served as referee for the Pow Wow’s basketball tournament for two years. Many thanks to these and countless Ranger leaders who support Pow Wow each year.

JTT FROM PAGE 5 Hiking farther, ascending higher than any previous Potomac District Junior Training Trails camp

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By Cmdr. Paul Eley

S even commanders and 10 Rangers set out on a 21-mile adventure the last Friday in

June, strapping on packs and lac-ing up their boots as they set out for a memorable two days on the famed Appalachian Trail (AT). Representing seven outposts in the Central Section, and ranging in age from 11 to forty-something, these Royal Rangers had a blessed time enjoying the AT and God’s great creation. They began their hike Friday morning at Ashby Gap, where the AT crosses Rt. 50 in northern Vir-ginia. Hopes were high as they dropped 200 feet in elevation dur-ing the first quarter of a mile and began to follow the first of hun-dreds of “white blazes,” the telltale blaze of the AT. That hope soon turned to sweat, however, as they spent the next few hours climbing to 1,800 feet at Sky Meadows State Park. Once in the park, the Rangers were treated to tremendous views of the park and the meadows. The high eleva-tion point came later in the day when they climbed to over 2,000 feet in elevation on their way to the Manassas Gap shelter, where they spent the first night. At the 10.1 mile mark, the shel-ter came into view and all hikers were extremely happy to see it! Five early arrivers decided to head back up the trail to encourage those still on their way. After set-ting up their tents and relaxing in camp for a short period, Cmdr. Paul Eley, Cmdr. Timothy O’Maley, AR Paul Eley, AR Kolin Johnson, and AR Zach Whitehead

went back up the trail two miles where they cheered and encour-aged those coming in – nothing like a cheer from a motivated group of Rangers to put smiles on tired hik-ers’ faces! The extra miles would have the added bene-fit of helping these five earn the 25- mile patch. Manassas Gap shelter is just that – a shelter with a water source and a privy (outhouse). Tent pads are not available at the shelter, so they lined the trail to the shelter with their tents, forming a gauntlet of Royal Rangers’ tents. Dinner for most of them consisted of meals ready to eat (MREs), donated by Cmdr. Dan Pignaloso.

Rollercoaster Trek The responses on the MREs ranged from “This is awesome!” to “This is gross!” Everyone had something to eat, however, and most of the Rangers were pleasant-ly surprised by the goodies found inside the MREs, including milkshakes, raspberry applesauce, Skittles, and Twizzlers! After dinner, the Rangers filled their water bottles at the shelter,

rested tired and sore muscles, ele-vated their food in the trees to keep it from bears, raccoons and mice, and all went to bed early after a short devotion. Morning came early the next day, and the Rangers were on the trail a few minutes after 7:30 a.m. Once again, the day started with a downhill trail, although this one lasted two-and-a-half miles. Short-ly before 9 a.m., all the Rangers were standing or sitting at the Ma-nassas Gap trailhead, where the trail goes under I-66 and crosses Rt. 55 in Linden, Va. The rest of the day would consist of a short roller coaster of ups and downs: one mile up, one mile down, three miles up, three miles down. One particularly beautiful place was a huge meadow that came at the top of the first mile. After several more miles of hik-

Central Section Rangers Enjoy Appalachian

Trail Adventure

SEE APPALACHIAN ON PAGE 11

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 7

ing they stopped for lunch at the Denton shelter and had a relaxing hour break at the shelter. This shelter was much more advanced than the Manassas Gap shelter: it had a shower, a triple Adirondack chair, bunk beds, and plenty of tent pads. They lingered at this shelter and signed the guestbook, all of them impressed at the shel-ter’s amenities. The high elevation point for day two came about an hour after lunch, at roughly 1,900 feet. The last few miles of the trail found the Rangers hiking along the perime-ter of the National Zoological Park. After 10.9 miles of hiking on day two, the Rangers arrived at Chester Gap, where the AT crosses Rt. 522 in Front Royal, Va. Tired young men lay back on their packs while several com-manders went to retrieve the vehi-cles left at Ashby Gap. By the time the commanders returned with all vehicles, all the Rangers were fin-ished hiking and Cmdr. Julius Wil-liamson from Outpost 361 had ar-rived with two coolers: one filled with ice cold water, the other with ice cold Gatorade! What a treat! The Rangers encountered

ing encounters were those with the through-hikers, of whom many stopped to talk. The through-hikers encountered on the trail had all started in Georgia in early April, and were on their way to Maine, a total journey of 2,185 miles. The most memorable was an older gentleman who start-

ed the hike on April Fool’s Day (April 1). The 2011 Central Section AR/ER event was a great time for all! All 17 Royal Rangers completed the 21-mile hike, with the five mentioned above earning their 25- mile patch. It was tough, it was hot, it was sweaty, and it was tir-ing. Blisters were made and mus-cles were put to the test. And through it all, these Rangers perse-vered, created memories and most importantly, glorified the Lord.

Author Paul Eley serves as Adventure Ranger commander with Outpost 48 at Highway Assembly of God in Fred-ericksburg, Va.

APPALACHIAN FROM PAGE 10

many people and animals (both domestic and wild) on the trail. In addition to deer, snakes and rab-bits, several dogs on leashes were passed. Perhaps the most interest-

MISSION SUCCESS Rangers and commanders from Central Section gather for a parting group photo after their 21-mile backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. A comfortable stop on the hike (photo below) was the Manassas Gap Shelter.

Mountain meadows were among the varied scenery enjoyed on the Rangers’ two-day hike.

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 8

which we often do not recognize. A common companion to such a home scene is poverty, crime and angry young men. In their mindless search for what they do not even know, these boys turn to drugs, alcohol, crime, sex and violence. What they are searching for is friendship, ac-ceptance, and someone who will love them unconditionally. As Royal Ranger commanders, we have the Answer to their need, and His name is Jesus. In juvenile detention centers across America, boys just like these are held while they await trial or sentencing. These centers are often open to adult volunteers who are allowed to come in on a regular basis and share Christ with these boys. Usually these centers require background checks, but few Royal Ranger commanders would have a problem passing even an FBI check. Some have asked me, “Why Royal Rangers in a prison? It doesn’t make sense.” And if you consider the average outpost meet-ing, with boys working on merits and striving for the next advance-ment, while anticipating the next campout, it doesn’t fit. But if you consider our core values, our pur-pose for being, to Reach, Teach, and Keep boys for Christ, it makes perfect sense. Royal Ranger commanders are

supposed to have a passion for reaching boys for Christ, and they have been trained to do so. It’s a perfect fit. Of course the program feature must be modified; in detention centers we aren’t allowed to teach

How Long Has It Been? By Cmdr. Glenn Sorrentino

H ow long has it been, Commander, since you prayed with a boy to re-

ceive Christ? Weeks? Months? Years? Perhaps never? How long has it been since you, yourself, received salvation through faith in His name? Has it been so long that you have forgot-ten what it’s like to be unsaved? Have you forgotten the fear, the guilt, the loneliness, the hopeless-ness? Have you forgotten the joy of sins forgiven, a new life in Jesus, and a new hope of eternal life with God in Heaven? Has it been too long? Perhaps you have forgotten your First Love. Would you like to be remind-ed? Would you like to live every day in the realization of God’s love for you, as well as His love for the unsaved around you? These questions are raised be-cause as Royal Ranger command-ers, our first priority must be to Reach boys for Jesus. And to do that, we must be within reach of

the unsaved. Jesus never said “Wait for them to come to you.” He said, “Go.” We must go where they are, and contact them in a way that allows us to share the love that is supposed to be driving us as we do. Since its inception in 1962, Royal Rangers has ministered to more than 7 million boys, in all 50 states, and some 80 countries around the world. I did a web search on “Royal Rangers” and got 30 million hits. This ministry is by far the largest outreach to boys in the world. But we are not reaching them all. There are many today in your area who have not heard the true gospel, and who do not know of the love and forgiveness Christ offers, and some of them are dying for lack of that knowledge. Being a teenager today is vast-ly different from what it was like just ten or fifteen years ago. Our schools resemble war zones, with metal detectors at entrances and armed police officers patrolling the property. Drugs, violence and promiscuity are a fact of life even for those in suburbia.

The epidemic of fatherless-ness in our society is

causing fallout

8

SEE PRAYER ON PAGE 11

TOMAHAWK July - August 2011

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 9

By Cmdr. Paul Eley

W hat happens when you combine two Royal Rangers commanders,

one TeenGirls sponsor and three TeenGirls members, two Expedi-tion Rangers, three Adventure Rangers, and one Discovery Rang-er? If you were in King George on the first Saturday in July, it result-ed in the completion of a Gold Medal of Achievement (GMA) ser-vice project. Five benches were placed on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) in King George, Va. The DRHT runs nearly 15 miles, starting in King George and fol-lowing an abandoned railroad right of way. The trail ends near Hwy. 301 in Dahlgren, Va. Adventure Ranger Paul Eley, Jr. from Outpost 48 at Highway As-sembly of God in Fredericksburg, Va., recruited family and friends from the church that resulted in the eclectic combination noted above. Paul’s service project in-volved building benches for the trail from a design that he and his father created. They spent several days building the benches from pressure-treated 2x4s and 1x6s. Once they had an open week-end, the recruiting began and 14 souls braved ticks, bees and horse flies. The prize for most ticks went to a fellow Adventure Ranger, Daniel Jarrell, who checked in with eight removed ticks on the trail and nine that got removed at home! They began the project early in the morning, placing the benches at the trailhead (mile 0.0), at mile 1.1, at mile 2.25, at mile 6.25, and at mile 7.25. Six hours after setting out, the project was completed. The benches were buried eight

to 10 inches into the ground, with concrete, dirt, and rocks. Paul’s favorite part of the project was building the benches, but he also enjoyed a treat on the trail that was a blessing from the Lord: wild raspberries and wild blackberries. Though the work party had to hike eight miles to complete the instal-lation, they found hundreds of bushes of the wild berries and re-

freshed themselves as they walked along the trail. Paul got his idea to do the bench project while he was helping a fellow Ranger in his outpost on a previous service project. Expedi-tion Ranger Jonathan Cross “discovered” the DRHT for Outpost 48, and his project was to place mile and half-mile markers on the trail, beginning with mile 8.5 and ending with mile 14.5. Jona-than worked with his dad, Cmdr. Paul Cross,

to router and paint in the numbers and lines on the pressure treated 6x6s as seen in the photos. Jonathan completed his service project last November with the help of seven other Royal Rangers. This project also required a lot of lot of hiking. However the Novem-ber weather was a lot cooler than

Gold Medal projects benefit rural Rail Trail

Rangers and TeenGirls helpers pause after installing one of five benches on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail as the GMA project conceived by Paul Eley Jr., shown below pre-paring lumber for the benches .

SEE RAIL TRAIL ON PAGE 11

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 10

The 16-mile Dahlgren Railroad Her-

itage Trail (DRHT) is a proposed rail trail

following the route of the old Dahlgren

Branch line, stretching across the com-

munity of King George County in Virgin-

ia, near the historic town of Fredericks-

burg. The DRHT preserves open space,

serves as an ac�ve wildlife corridor, and

is open for non-motorized uses such as

cycling, jogging, walking, and skiing. The

property abounds with wildlife: song

birds, turtles, muskrats, deer, foxes,

eagles, hawks, beaver and water birds

are all common sights.

The DRHT is currently a private,

"permit-required" trail. Access to and

use of the trail is prohibited without a

valid DRHT Recrea�onal Use Permit,

which can be downloaded from the

Internet at h�p://www.friendsdrht.org/

DRHT_PermitApp.htm.

early July! Another bonus was no ticks, no horse flies, and no bees! On the other hand, there were also no wild berries. Jonathan’s favorite part of the project was when he dropped one marker into a hole that had water (and dirt) in it. When the airborne 6x6 contacted the muddy water, an eruption of muddy water flew up and got all over his dad, who hap-pened to be looking down into the hole at the time! Needless to say, that wasn’t Cmdr. Cross’ favorite part of the event. The most memorable part of the project was when he and his dad were preparing the mile markers and Jonathan got a deep splinter in his hand. To this day, he remem-bers that “it hurt so bad!” Both GMA projects have added nicely to the trail. Davey Jones, DRHT representative had this to say about the projects, “Out-standing job! I think we can agree that this is money well spent and

that you or the other Royal Rang-ers should proceed with plans to install [more benches] from [miles] 8 to 14…Thanks again for conceiv-ing of the project and carrying it out.” Outpost 48 is blessed and excit-ed to help out in the community, and as you can see there are more projects there waiting for a few young men who need to complete a GMA service project. Outpost 48

looks forward to com-pleting more projects and trail maintenance for the trail, even if it isn’t for a service pro-ject – we want to give back and want to be a blessing to others. Interested in find-ing out more about the DRHT? Google “DHRT” and before you know it, you’ll be the outpost hiking along under decidu-ous and coniferous tree coverage, picking wild berries from the side of the trail, catch-

ing a glimpse of a giant white-tail buck, or pulling that mean old tick off your ankle! See you on the trail!

Author Paul Eley serves as Adventure Ranger commander with Outpost 48 at Highway Assembly of God in Fred-ericksburg, Va.

RAIL TRAIL FROM PAGE 10

Jonathan Cross places the 8.5 mile marker on the rail trail, one of several he made for a six-mile stretch of the trail as his GMA project. Jonathan and his Ranger team who helped with the project pause for a group photo at the last marker they installed.

Dahlgren Railroad Heritage

Trail

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 11

WATER CANNON FUN Tidewater North Section held its Fall Advancement Camp on Oct. 14-15 at the Heavenly Waters Camp in Ivor, Va. The weather was great with sunny days, light winds and cool nights! 120 attended from eight outposts. Discovery and Adventure Rangers Leadership 101 merit classes, fire craft, tool craft, camping, wilderness survival and Dutch oven cooking merits were offered. The fun activity chosen this year was a food fight. God moved mightily at the Saturday evening council fire where many boys raised their hands responding to the altar call for Jesus PTL! Many thanks to Cmdr. Steve Guinsler, the outpost commanders, all the instructors and those who labored on the grounds to make the advancement camp a great success.

Bus to Camporama

Departure from Hagerstown, Md. convenient to northern sections in Potomac District

Potomac District has secured a coach bus for transportation to next July’s National Camporama. The bus will leave from Bethel Assembly of God in Hagerstown, Md., on Sunday, July 8 at 9 a.m. and return on Saturday, July 14, at approximately 3 p.m. Passengers will be able to park personal vehi-cles in the church’s parking lot. The charter bus will hold 47 people. The fare is $250 per person. This is does not include any food; passengers will have to bring their own food for the trip or spending money for breaks on the way to and from Camporama. An application for the bus will be available soon. A non-refundable $100 deposit per person is due to the district office by Jan. 2. If the bus is cancelled due to lack of interest, all deposits will be refunded. The decision on whether or not to use the bus will be made in February. The bus fare is in addition to the Camporama registration fee and district surcharge. For questions, contact Denise Raduano at the district of-fice at (410) 781-6376, Cmdr. Cliff Jewell at (703) 475-4422 or Cmdr. Jerry Sinden at (301) 620-0034.

GMA Service Project Replaced

Beginning Jan. 1, 2013, the ser-vice project will no longer be ac-cepted as part of the requirements for the Gold Medal of Achieve-ment. After this date, Rangers will be required to complete the “Capstone Project” which is the first part of the FIRE Institute.

the Cut ‘n’ Chop course, or fire craft or rope craft. Camping is not allowed, either. But we can teach the character-building aspects embodied in the Royal Ranger emblem. We can play games and allow them to have some fun, which they seldom do. We can offer them hope. We can show them the love they did not get from their natural father. A vast majority of boys in detention centers do not have a father living at home. We can tell

DISTRICT NEWS & INFORMATION DISTRICT NEWS & INFORMATION

them that God loves them and desires a relationship with them. And we can invite them to re-ceive Christ. Will you go? “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim free-dom for the prisoners and recov-ery of sight for the blind, to re-lease the oppressed, and to pro-claim the year of the Lord’s fa-vor” (Luke 4:18,19 NIV).

Author Cmdr. Glenn Sorrentino serves with Outpost 158 at Harvest Assembly of God in Chesapeake Va.

PRAYER FROM PAGE 10

Starting a Royal Ranger Detention Center Ministry

The January-February 2012 edition of the Tomahawk will feature a follow-up report by Cmdr. Glenn Sorrentino that will provide insight from experience—and a how-to approach for launching a successful Royal Ranger ministry to boys in juvenile detention centers.

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TOMAHAWK July - August 2011 12

Potomac District Royal Rangers on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=191714004234632

EXECUTIVE STAFF Rev. Bobby Basham - District Commander

166 Serviceberry Ct. Stephens City, VA 22655 [email protected] (540) 869-8432

Homer Kitchen - Deputy District Commander

8614 Apple Harvest Dr. Gerrardstown, WV 25420 [email protected] (304) 229-5793

Tracy Groves - Deputy District Commander/ Productions Coordinator

2340 Liberty Rd. Eldersburg, MD 21784 [email protected] (410) 781-4906

Bill Chestnut - FCF Chapter President 346 Reservoir Rd. Perryville, MD 21903 [email protected] (410) 378-3735

Phil Georg - Training Coordinator

111 East H St. Brunswick, MD 21716 [email protected] (301) 834-9871

Bob Blessing - Junior Training Coordinator 302 Stiemly Ave. Glen Burnie, MD 21060 [email protected] (410) 760-9330

Rick Vogt - Productions Coordinator

918 Firefly Run Pasadena, MD 21122 [email protected] (410) 439-3507

Chris Basham - Assistant Productions Coordinator 166 Serviceberry Ct. Stephens City, VA 22655 (540) 869-8432

Cliff Jewell - Public Relations/GMA Coordinator

P. O. Box 3404 Manassas, VA 20109 [email protected] (703) 475-4422

Gary Wagner - Publications/Outreach Coordinator

3905 Swanson Ct. Fredericksburg, VA 22408 [email protected] (540) 898-7415

Mike Cocolin - Missions Coordinator 8413 Elvaton Rd. Millersville, MD 21108 [email protected] (410) 315-8433

Gary Groves - RR Alumni President

2326 Liberty Rd. Eldersburg, MD 21784 [email protected] (410) 781-0236

Linda Cocolin - Health Officer 8413 Elvaton Rd. Millersville, MD 21108 [email protected] (410) 315-8433

Seth Van de Ven - Special Aide de Camp

3202 Amberley Lane Fairfax, VA 22031 [email protected] (703) 560-5886

Tyler Mazer - Junior Training Aide de Camp 99 Shenandoah View Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 [email protected] (304) 876-1875

Jordan Pfeiffer - Junior Aide de Camp

10100 Grape Myrtle Ct. Manassas, VA 20100 [email protected] (703) 330-1616

Isaac Brannon - Junior Aide de Camp P. O. Box 390 Owings, MD 20736 [email protected] (410) 257-9446

Dale Eger - Junior Aide de Camp

8213 WB & A Rd. Sever, MD 21144 [email protected] (410) 551-3454

Don Frey - Staff Advisor 8 Jericho St. Falling Waters, WV 25419 [email protected] (304) 274-2268

Sam Linn - Staff Advisor

1687 McCoys Ford Rd. Front Royal, VA 22630 [email protected] (540) 635-7497

SECTIONAL COMMANDERS

Mark Brannon - Capital Virginia Section P. O. Box 390 Owings, MD 20736 [email protected] (410) 257-9446

Mark Brannon - Capital Maryland Section P. O. Box 390 Owings, MD 20736 [email protected] (410) 257-9446

Ken O’Maley - Central Section 11042 Settletown Place Rixeyville, VA 22737 [email protected] (540) 937-6139

POTOMAC DISTRICT ROYAL RANGERSPOTOMAC DISTRICT ROYAL RANGERS

STAFFSTAFF

Marvin Boswell - Southern Section

P. O. Box 35 Rockville, VA 23146 [email protected] (804) 749-8397

Phil Vieth - Tidewater North Section 200 Treis Trail Yorktown, VA 23693 [email protected] (757) 766-8351

Roger Riendeau - Tidewater South Section 7719 Doris Dr. Norfolk, VA 23505 [email protected] (757) 440-8432

Ken Black - Eastern Section

P. O. Box 58 Manchester, MD 21102 [email protected] (410) 239-2645

Robert “Buzz” Gregory - Eastern Shore Section

9260 Hickory Mill Rd. Salisbury, MD 21801 [email protected] (410) 742-0415

Jerry Sinden - Northeast Section

1805 Milstream Dr. Frederick, MD 21702 [email protected] (301) 620-0034

Northwest Section

Jerry Sinden (Acting)

Andy McKenzie - North Central Section

16415 Brice Hollow Rd. SE Cumberland, MD 21502 [email protected] (301) 759-9454

Western Section

Andy McKenzie (Acting)