Scout Troop 103 Williamsburg, Virginia

Hello, I'm Jim Etchberger, Scoutmaster of Troop 103. I would like to take a moment to share with you some information about myself and my beliefs about the value of scouting.

I have been involved with Troop 103 for over 35 years now. Having grown up in Williamsburg, and having an older brother in the Troop, it was natural to join 103 and I did so in 1971. I followed in my brothers footsteps and worked my way up through the ranks and earned my Eagle Scout in 1974. We were the first brothers to become Eagle Scouts in the Troop. I continued to work in the Troop for the next few years and was selected as an Assistant Scoutmaster in 1977.

My primary focus as Assistant Scoutmaster was to begin the High Adventure Program for our Troop. The first big item was to help get the Troop going backpacking. Those first trips were real learning experiences. Since then, we have developed a High Adventure program that can rival any, to help keep the interest of our older scouts and to give younger scouts trips and experiences to look forward to in their scouting career. 

I was an Assistant Scoutmaster for 27 years under two very special individuals, Jimmy Fuller and Dave Nunn. I became the Scoutmaster in 2004 and the footsteps to follow in this position are tough. My Scoutmaster, Mr. Fuller, was a great guy. He taught all of us to pull together for a common goal. He also taught us we are all equal and to be judged on our actions and deeds. Mr. Nunn was the best. With his leadership and guidance, a young assistant scoutmaster was able to help his troop grow into an even better troop with more to offer a scout than most other Troops. I feel that they prepared me well for the job as Scoutmaster and look forward to the task.

I think our scouts are the best.  I have had some of my most memorable experiences in Scouting. Being an Eagle Scout, I recognized the hard work and dedication it takes to get there. My goal is to give every Scout the opportunity to achieve it. I feel that our troop will continue to grow stronger and our scouts will always strive to do their best.

    Yours in Scouting,
                                                Jim Etchberger