My wife and I left Michigan in our motor home to go to Fort Bragg NC to pick up our grandson's truck while he was deployed to Iraq for the next year. Rather then just returning back to Michigan we decided to go to Myrtle Beach SC for 4 days to relax and do some metal detecting on the beach.

The MXT was doing a good job finding coins and a silver anklet and other items. A man approached me and asked if I could help to find one of the boy scout leaders gold wedding band that he had lost at their campsite, they had been hunting for several hours with the help of several hundred boy scouts and girl scouts but had no luck. There were 38 boy scout troops and several girl scouts troops involved in their annual Beach Sweep camp out. They would patrol the beach picking up trash and the scouts involved would get a special badge. I offered my help and went to their campsite and was approached by a scout master that just had got married and lost his ring. I told him I would do my best and try to find the ring. I put the MXT in operation, digging over 30 pull tabs with several girl scouts who had their fingers in the hole trying to find what the pin pointer was telling was there. This went on for about a hour when I got another hit for 5 cents, pull tab or ring that was 5" deep. It was really getting dark but with the help of a led head light strapped to my head and several flashlights I took a 3" plug and put the pin pointer in the hole, it was sounding off. With the help of several girl scouts with their fingers searching through the soil, when one of the girls yelled I see it, sure enough there it was the scout masters ring. A big cheer went up in the camping area and a happy just married scout leader was sure relieved. He wanted to pay me but I told him the joy in his face was enough and being a old boy scout I was just carrying out the boy scout oath that I took 50 years ago. Then they made me a honorary member of the Beach Sweep with my own Merit Badge. What a honor and I felt like a million dollars and that badge will take a special place in my collection. I feel sure I peaked the interest of several young boys and girls in metal detecting.

Jim H.