This chapter glances outward again to show how the postwar internationalization of the BSA worked hand in hand with its militarization. This correlation manifested itself most clearly in the rising presence of U.S. servicemen and their families on the outer frontiers of the Cold War. Starting in the early 1950s, Boy Scout troops sprang up on every major military base in Western Europe and East Asia, giving boys the opportunity to enact both the goodwill and resolve of U.S. intervention. Still, the ideals of a military masculinity and of young ambassadors projecting amity and democracy did not go together easily. Not only did frequent redeployment and the self-contained nature of U.S. military communities hamper intercultural exchange; the celebrated practice of American Scouts earning their badges on the “frontiers of freedom” also bred paternalistic attitudes towards local allies.
Environmental impact of military base closure in the United States: a case study on the closing of Fort Sheridan, Illinois