Settummanque

Mike Walton (otherwise known to Scouters on and off the Internet as “settummanque (set-tum-man-quay), the blackeagle”) has had a long and quite exciting life – in and out of Scouting. The son of a professional beautician and a second-generation Army soldier, Mike has been involved in various youth programs since age 8. One of the first regular contributors to the Scouts-L youth programs discussion list in 1990, Walton continues to offer advice, support and information to Scouters around the world.

He is the webmaster of the Leaders’ Online and the Badge and Uniform sites, as the webmaster of his own personal site called “The Tree” and two military-related websites. Walton is also the author of Patches and Pins…, Kid Zero, Buttercup Barbie and other short stories; and Eagle Feathers; an anthology of short stories with six other authors called “Brewed Awakenings”; and five unpublished books which outline and describe the varied Scouting experiences that Walton and other Scouters have had over the years and the popular “EagleTips” series of information written by Scouters for Scouters working with youth toward the Eagle Scout Award.

He has served as a Scouter at the Pack, Troop, Team, Post and Ship levels, as a member of several District and Council-level operating committees; as a volunteer serving two Regional Areas, two Regions and on three National-level committees and have participated or served on staff of every National Jamboree between 1973 and 2013.  Additionally Mike served for almost four years as a Paraprofessional Executive working with rural and inner-city communities in nine local Councils in western West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, northeastern Tennessee, and the eastern half of Kentucky.

He has been blessed with service overseas as a Lone Boy Scout as well as a unit Scout and later Scouter within the worldwide Direct Service Council; and as a Scout and later Scouter within the Transatlantic Council in Europe. Walton was selected and served twice as a contingent leader for several European Scouting camping programs and served as the Transatlantic Council’s contingent leader for the 1985 National Scout Jamboree. For these efforts, the Transatlantic Council has honored Walton with the title “sekkettummanque”, which in the language of the Delaware Indian, means “blackeagle”, a true testament to Walton’s Scouting experiences and support of European camping programs. Walton shortened the title to “settummanque” (removing the two “k”s and an “e”) to meet the 15-character limitation for student electronic mail account names at his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University.

A Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national camping honorary, Walton frequently talks with parents of Scouts about the importance of Scouting in contemporary American society. Walton enlightens families and organizations with stories featuring his and others’ Scouting adventures and “things to bring from the program” and is a popular public speaker.

Mike Walton has earned the Arrow of Light, Eagle with five palms, and is one of the first Exploring Achievement Award recipients. He is also the holder of the William T. Hornaday gold medal; the Heroism Award; the Youth Leadership in America Award; the God and Country youth religious award and several adult religious emblems including the Bronze Pelican Award from the Catholic Church and the God and Service Award from the Protestant church.

Training recognitions for Mike include the Den Leaders and Den Leaders’ Coaches’ Training Awards and the Cub Scouter Award; the Scouters’ Training Award as a Cub Scouter, Boy Scouter, Exploring leader and Sea Exploring leader; the Scouters’ Key Award as an Explorer Advisor, Scoutmaster and Commissioner; the Scoutmaster Award of Merit; Commissioner Award of Merit; and other training recognitions.

Walton is the recipient of the Spurgeon, Bronze Big Horn, Silver Big Horn and Silver Scouter Exploring service awards; received the Division and later District Award of Merit from two separate Districts; is a Silver Beaver holder from the USA and has received similar service awards from the British, Netherlands, Iraqi, El Salvador and a German Scout Association.

Mike is also a Wood Badge and Sea Badge holder and is a former National Camping School and National Exploring Instructor graduate and regional leader of the Intercamp Scouters’ Club.

Walton also holds awards from several military professional associations, from another scouting group, and from the United States Army or its reserve components for leadership, service and personal achievement. Among those military awards are the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and four Meritorious Service Medals.

Walton, a parent to thirteen children, currently lives in the South Lake Minnetonka area of Minnesota but hails from Rose Terrace Community, Fort Knox, Kentucky. After close to 30 years between the active, Guard and Reserve components; as an enlisted man and later officer; operating in a series of successful assignments which has taken him literally around the world twice as a member of America’s Army — Colonel Walton retired from the United States Army Reserve at the same location he entered enlisted service: his home town, Fort Knox — in 2010.

He was one of the Army Reserve’s most senior contingency Public Affairs officers, having seen deployments during his career to several countries in Africa, the Far East, Central and Southern Europe, and Central America; Bosnia, Sardinia, Hungary; and provided public affairs assistance to military and civilian commands resolving the aftermaths of hurricanes in Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. He has been deployed three times to Southwest Asia, supporting Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

His most recent overseas tour was to serve as Public Affairs Planner and Operator as well as part of the web development and enhancement team for the United States European Command based in southern Germany.

Walton currently works with the United States Air Force as a part of the Public Affairs team supporting the Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio.