Operation On-Target

Background

According to Doug Brewer, its founder, the name "Operation On-Target" was chosen at its inception in 1980 because the "purpose of the experience was to get the Scouts on target with the Varsity Scout program, and on target on the peaks with mirrors".

Two main goals are to establish a signal link from the Mexico–US border to the Canada–US border, and to make a link from the Pacific Ocean to at least the continental divide. The event has been annual since 1981. As many as 5,000 scouts have participated in a single year, with participation from Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington, from Puget Sound in Washington to Catalina Island and San Diego in California.

The annual event is held on the third Saturday in July and September. Areas with warmer climates typically see larger turnout on the latter date.

A manual for this event was developed by the Great Salt Lake Council, was later reprinted in one of the Varsity Scout Program Helps books, and became a chapter in the Boy Scouts of America Varsity Team Features Volume II handbook.

Early beginnings

Operation On-Target was foreshadowed by the 1964–1965 "Signal Festival" organized by Glannin A. Cloward, a former U.S. Air Force pilot and World War II veteran. In 1964 Mr. Cloward led a group of 10 Explorer Scouts from Post 156 (Clearfield, Utah) to the top of Mt. Timpanogos; from there they flashed signals (reflected sunlight) down to the inhabitants of Utah Valley using pieces of old mirrors from which Mr. Cloward had created signal mirrors patterned after those carried in military aircraft survival kits. Several dozen local residents, seeing bright flashes from the peak, improvised return signals using household mirrors from locations around the valley approximately 5 to 25 miles away. The following year a peak-to-peak signaling event was attempted between five peaks in northern Utah, but due to bad weather and inadequate planning communication was successful only between two of the five peaks. Mr. Cloward organized similar activities involving one to three scout units multiple times from 1965 to 1979 from various mountain peaks in central and northern Utah. In 1980 Mr. Douglas G. Brewer, Varsity Scout commissioner for the Great Salt Lake Council, and several other Scout Leaders built upon Mr. Cloward's experience to create Operation On-Target as a well coordinated, multi-council, multi-state activity in the nascent Varsity Scouting program.

References

References

1. (2000). "Varsity Team Program Features Volume II". Boy Scouts of America.
2. Associated Press. (July 15, 1983). "Varsity Scouts will attempt flashy world record". The Deseret News.
3. Romney, Richard. (April 1984). "Varsity Scouting On Target". [[Boys' Life]].
4. "What Is Operation On Target?".
5. (24 May 1988). "Varsity Scouts Practicing Their Mirror Messages". Deseret News.
6. (Jul 18, 1987}}{{dead link). "Scouts Join in 'Operation On Target'". Los Angeles Times.
7. (June 1990). "FLASH! 'Operation On Target'". Scouting.
8. Palmer, Douglas D.. (July 18, 1982). "Mountains weren't admiring themselves". The Deseret News.
9. AP. (July 13, 1983). "Scouts to Attempt 1,000 mile Relay". Spokane Chronicle.
10. (June 18, 1982). "Scouts to Signal From Mountains". The Deseret News.
11. (July 14, 1984). "Scouts Plan Mirror Message". The Spokesman-Review.
12. (July 16, 1984). "Flashing mountains reflected Scout's communications skills". The Deseret News.
13. (July 18, 1983). "Scouts try to traverse western states with mirrors". The Spokesman-Review.
14. KZ1O, Dave. (2006-07-15). "99 Hobbies - On Target and BSA". Internet Archive Community Audio.
15. "Scouts Plan Signal Event At Clearfield" Ogden Standard Examiner, July 21, 1965, page 12A
16. Palmer, Douglas. (July 2, 1989). "Scouts to Provide Midday 'Fireworks'". Deseret News.