It was a great weekend!!!!

And here I am with my favorite two things from the weekend:

The shirt is the new item to support Scouting in Iraq - a program at Victory Base Complex Baghdad.

I am holding something very special to me that has a bit of history re how it got into my hands.
Last year I met a cadet who had hoped to get one of the patches to show support for scouting in Iraq but they were all sold out. At the time we were chatting he was waiting to see if one of the Boy Scouts at the camporee who said he had one to trade was coming back with it. I told the cadet that since I am in the habit of buying things like that in 'mommy and me' sets that he was welcome to mine. So as we walked back to my tent site we chatted about a great assortment of things from his training and background to a number of silly things and information I was familiar with. We also spoke at length about things that could be improved in aspects of the camporee (when I was still working I was involved in corporate training so that kind of conversation comes easily to me - and since our group was a first time attendee I thought our experience could be useful).

When I fished out the patch and gave it to the cadet he gave me some 'brass' in exchange which at the time I neither expected nor appreciated - a flag for the uniform and a National Defense Service Medal. (I am still a bit brain dead after the weekend - I will find the items here and post a pic later).

This year - as I was coming back from a "meeting" - the cadet assigned to our troop saw me and brought over another cadet who I (honestly) did not recognize at first -- it was the fella in the patch story from last year! Now we had exchanged a couple of emails over the year but nothing recently. (here is where I get all weepy and extremely flattered) Seems he was looking to see if our troop was back this year and was I with them!!!!

We chatted a bit (well actually I was running my mouth re stuff all the stuff since we met and apologizing for things I had hope to do/send him but couldn't since having the MS flare last June). He starts reaching for something in one of his pockets telling me he had something he was waiting for the right situation - the West Point insignia used on the cadet dress helmets! I thought I would cry! So I hugged him and thanked him for his thoughtfulness, we joked how the boys will be surprised re my luck getting 'brass' again this year and more hugs from me. All too soon he had to go back to his tasks at the Camporee. I had hoped to see him later on but did not get to but I will make sure to write more this year!!

Here are some pictures I found of the insignia - first two involve the hat/helmet it goes on and the other is just a nice picture of it done as a patch.