#9 -- Court Martialed at Girl Scout Camp

2nd in a series of stories, #9 from the "10 Things I've Done" list.

Fourth through sixth grade is the Junior level of Girl Scouts. During the spring of my fourth grade year (1975), my troop went "troop camping" at one of the local GS campgrounds. My mother came along as a chaperone/assistant and my father drove one of the cars and stuck around for the fishing. My younger sister raptures_shadow, and the leader's older daughter, who was probably in junior high (7-9th grade) also came along.

The first afternoon, we were having free time, roaming around the campground, and the Older Daughter got the idea of organizing us younger girls into her own army -- which (insofar as I can remember) mostly consisted of putting us through calisthetics sessions.

This did not sit well with me.

That night my patrol had clean-up duty after dinner, and as we did the dishes in the lodge's kitchen, I discussed rebellion with my cohorts. I don't remember now what that rebellion was supposed to consist of, but it started there. I also, unfortunately, don't remember how it was actually carried out (raptures_shadow, can you fill in any of the details?).

What sticks in my mind is an episode of near-chaos, some of my rebel friends "captured," myself escaping into the forest, and then sneaking around to a ledge above the outdoor chapel where I was being court martialed for mutiny in absentia. I hid among the bushes (rather like Tom Sawyer at my own funeral) and listened as one after another my rebel friends told the story of what happened -- but they kept getting the story wrong.

So I decided to put an end to the foolishness. I jumped down into the chapel and volunteered to tell the true story.

There was a predictable uproar. The only 6th grader in the troop came to escort me to the front of the space, but as she took my arm she whispered, "I can get you out of here if you want."

"Don't be silly," I replied. "I came here deliberately."

So I told the story -- and about that time news came via the few girls not involved that the troop leader and my mother had found out about what was going on (did you have something to do with that, RS?) and they were Very Upset.

So my court martial ended abruptly, and we all scattered to our own devices.

I had thought the whole thing was a silly lark, but evidently some of the girls had been seriously upset by the incident -- and my mother had been scared that the other girls were going to find me guilty and push me down a hill or something.

That night, the leader gave a stern lecture and demanded that those guilty of holding the court martial "appologize to all the girls involved." To my stunned surprise, everyone -- even members of my own rebellion -- apologized to me.

"It's ok," I replied, still thinking the whole incident was being blown out of proportion. "It was fun."

Needless to say, everyone thought I was nuts.