Local Girl Scout, Caitlyn Baskins to Serve as Assistant Patrol Leader in Mackinac Island Honor Guard Troop
Caitlyn Baskins and the 2014 Mackinac Island Governor’s Honor Guard Troop #609 folding the flag. Photo courtesy of Baskins Family.
Manchester sophomore and Girl Scout of eleven years, Caitlyn Baskins, has received a great honor. She not only has been selected for her fourth year to serve as a member of the Mackinac Island Governor’s Honor Guard (MIGHG) Troop #609 but she has been selected for the Junior Leadership position of Assistant Patrol Leader. She is the first Manchester Girl Scout to be a member of this troop. Caitlyn, who has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, recently bridged to the level of Ambassador Girl Scout, the highest level of scouting a girl can achieve.
The Mackinac Island Governor’s Honor Guard is a unique scouting program open to Michigan Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. It began in 1929 with a Boy Scout troop of eight Eagle Scouts, one scout being future President Gerald Ford. These first scouts served as honor guards at Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. In 1974, the program was opened to Girl Scouts troops. There are currently thirteen honor guard scout troops in Michigan, six of which are Girl Scout troops. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, these troops serve on the island for one week each and reside at the Scout Barracks located behind Fort Mackinac. The scouts are responsible for raising and lowering the 26 flags on the island and serve as guides at the fort and downtown historic houses. The scouts also serve as guides at the Governor’s Summer Residence when it is open to the public and complete a variety of service projects during their week on the island.
Girl Scout MIGHG Troop #609 is based out of Saginaw, Michigan and is currently in its 37th year of service on the island. Girl Scouts ranging in grade from 6th to 12th, from all over the state apply each year to be a member in one of the Girl Scout Honor Guard troops. They are girl-led with older scouts teaching new scouts how to march, fold flags, perform guide duty and kitchen patrol. The troop has four training weekends before their week of service on the island.
The troop of 56 Girl Scouts is divided into four patrols with 14 scouts in each patrol. The patrols rotate between guide duty, kitchen patrol, service duty and free time. All meal planning and preparation is done by the scouts. Each patrol has a Patrol Leader and an Assistant Patrol Leader who are older scouts. Older scouts that have been in the program for a minimum of two years can apply for these Junior Leadership positions. In her fourth year in the program, Caitlyn, was selected this year for Junior Leadership and will be an Assistant Patrol Leader.
For the last three years, Caitlyn has had unique experience of being one of the musicians that plays the Star Spangled Banner during the raising and lowering of the flags each day. Additionally, she has served as a guide at an entrance to the fort, the downtown Dr. Beaumont Memorial and the Biddle Blacksmith Shop. This year as an Assistant Patrol Leader, she will be responsible for marching the patrol to their posts and for rotating through all of the guide posts to give the other scouts a break during their guide duty.
When asked about the program, Caitlyn said “The Mackinac Island Governors Honor Guard is a one of a kind experience where you make friendships with Girl Scouts from all over the state while you are serving the state of Michigan. We are representing our home state to the many visitors on Mackinac Island from all over the world. It is my most memorable experience as a Girl Scout”.
Caitlyn serving as guide at Biddle House. Photo courtesy of Baskins Family.
Photo courtesy of the Baskins Family.
For three years Caitlyn has played the Star Spangled Banner during the raising and lowering of the flags each day during her week of service on Mackinac Island. Photo courtesy of Baskins Family.
Photo courtesy of the Baskins Family.
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