Davidsonville Boy Scout Troop 454 traveled to New York City to act as ushers at the dedication of the Navy ship USS New York last month. The ship is one of three San Antonio Class Landing Platform Dock ships built and named in honor of the victims and survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks. The other two, the USS Arlington, named for the county where the Pentagon is located, and the USS Somerset, named for the county in Pennsylvania where the fourth plane crashed into the ground, are under construction by Northrop Grumman in Louisiana.
The USS New York is noteworthy because 7.5 tons of wreckage from the World Trade Center's twin towers were used to construct the hull of the ship.
The dedication was by special invitation only, and included survivors and families of the victims of the 9/11 tragedy.
Troop 454's participation came about through a connection with Boy Scout Troop 40 of Hopewell Junction, N.Y. The boys from that troop had received a flag that they were asked to retire. Boy Scouts across the country are congressionally sanctioned to retire flags. But this flag had special significance because it had flown over the wreckage of the World Trade Center in the months following the attacks.
The boys from New York decided not to retire the flag at all. They wanted to bring it to Washington and give it to the Navy so that it could have a ceremonial place onboard the USS New York.
This was all back in 2006, while the ship was under construction. At that time, the new captain, Commander Curt Jones, had been named, but was awaiting completion of the vessel's construction.
So the Scouts from New York contacted Jay Stefany, the Davidsonville troop leader. Jay invited the boys and their leaders from New York down to overnight at the Davidsonville Family Recreation Center, where the troop meets. That way they'd have a free place to camp while they toured Washington.
When the boys came down, they made fast friends, and both troops traveled to the Navy Yard in Washington,the Pentagon and to Arlington National Cemetery.
Then the New York troop invited 454 to come to New York at the time of the dedication and the flag transfer ceremony to Commander Jones.
That took more three years.
But on Nov. 7, the Davidsonville boys were able to go to New York for the dedication. They got a special behind-the-scenes tour of the ship, got to meet not only the captain, but also other dignitaries like Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York Gov. David Paterson.
They also took some time to visit the sites around Manhattan.
"It was really fun. We went down to the ship at Pier 88, we were given programs to hand out and ushering duties for people with tickets. I learned a lot about naval ships and about the Navy," Patrick Owens, 16, said.
Twenty-two boys and 19 adults traveled from Maryland to New York.
Jimmy Hogevoll, 14, is interested in a Navy career. He was excited to go, but didn't realize the impact the trip would have on him until he got there.
"It was a memorable experience, and I really liked getting to see the newest ship, getting to see the tower and the instruments," he said.
The ship left New York for Norfolk, Va., its home port, on Nov. 12.
A much younger troop of Boy Scouts in the area were recently honored to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Scouting by presenting the colors at the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 18. Pack 249 of Edgewater read the official Boy Scouts of America centennial script to open the meeting.
Readers were fourth-grade boys who attend Central and Edgewater Elementary schools: Sam Bachhuber, Zachary Alexander and Kyle Lilley. The flag bearers were: Christopher Crosby, Matthew Beauman and Jared Mundie.
The boys who assisted the flag carriers in the procession were first-grader Blake Wanner, second-grader Amir Conwell and third-grader Max Alexander.
The South County Showstoppers is a group of dancers from the South County Senior Center in Edgewater. They perform at locations around Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore throughout the year, but in November and December, demand for their performances peaks.
Dance director Joanne DeWilde said that usually they gladly take contributions if offered, but they don't charge a fee for their appearances.
"We put it in the bank, and if we need it for something in the show, we invest in that," Joanne said.
But this year they decided to take whatever contributions they received in November and December and hand it over to the South County Assistance Network, a food pantry that serves south county's less fortunate.
The group received $100 from the Crofton Area Retired Persons, which is affiliated with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Parish, for a November performance, and gave it to SCAN just before Thanksgiving.
They have three remaining shows: at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at Ginger Cove, 4000 River Crescent Drive; at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at Sunrise Senior Living, 41 W. Mckinsey Road in Severna Park; and Dec. 29 at Regency Park Assisted Living on Route 3 in Gambrills.
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