TROOP 172 HISTORY By: Bernard F. Coombes (January 2008)

Boy Scout Troop 172, founded in 1961 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is chartered to St. Jude Catholic Church. The troop, which includes a venture unit, is the longest, continually functioning, non-school ministry in the parish.

For more than 45 years, Troop 172 has offered a full program of Scouting activities to, not only young men of the parish, but also to those of other faiths. For many years, the troop has met regularly on Sunday afternoons in deference to Scouts with heavy academic loads and leaders whose jobs require them to travel extensively.

To minimize costs and time spent traveling, meetings are generally held every two weeks and last longer. After meeting for 40+ years in various parish venues, a capital campaign that built a Family Life Center in 2005 included a room dedicated to parish Scouting units.

Throughout its history, the troop has maintained a full schedule of camping, other outdoor activities, and service projects. Trips have included regular troop-only campouts, district and council camporees, and individual participation in National and World Scout Jamborees. The troop has several times offered high adventure excursions to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and to the Florida Sea Base.

Service projects are rendered to the parish, community, and nation. Among those are beautification of parish grounds, periodic trash pickup along two miles of State Highway 153, and placement of flags on graves of military veterans in Chattanooga National Cemetery.

With abundant adult leadership, an hour of each meeting is set aside to offer advancement opportunities, a major fruit of which is that the troop has had more than 70 Eagle Scouts. Taking membership into account, that performance is approximately five times higher than the national average. But, even those who don't achieve Scouting's highest rank still acquire useful skills.

All twelve points of the Scout Law are emphasized. With regard to A Scout is Reverent, Mass is either provided on campouts or Scouts are returned home in time to attend a scheduled Mass at church. Over time, many have earned their Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII religious awards, and adult leaders have likewise attained Bronze Pelican and St. George emblems.

A unique aspect of troop history is that eight former Scoutmasters with a total of 36 years in that role (dating back to 1970) remain actively involved in the troop. They include Bernard Coombes, Thom Coombes (T-172 Eagle Scout, 1973), Richard Buhrman, Steve Campbell, Len Reidinger, Gary Flerchinger, Warren Diegel, and Greg Kniedler. With that kind of commitment, Troop 172 will continue to "do its duty to God and country, help other people at all times, and keep its Scouts physically fit, mentally awake, and morally straight" for years to come.