News Release: Virginia Beach Scout Leader Kurt Wentzell Honored as a “Living Legend”

Virginia Beach, Va. – Virginia Beach Scout leader Kurt Wentzell has been recognized as a “Living Legend of Tidewater Council.” He was honored by Scouting America Tidewater Council at its Recognition Banquet on April 29, 2026, at the Khedive Shrine Center in Chesapeake.

The Living Legends of Tidewater Council award recognizes well-known living volunteers who have generously given untold amounts of their time, resources, and talents to the Scouting program. Tidewater Council’s service area encompasses the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, as well as seven northeastern North Carolina counties.

Kurt Wentzell has dedicated more than 40 years to mentoring and guiding youth, not just in Scouting but also in the Church of Christ and in youth sports.

Kurt grew up in a small town in the western mountains of Maine, where the nearest Scout pack or troop was 70 miles away. As a child, he found an old BSA Handbook dated 1958, and with both parents working, he spent much of his time in the woods, teaching himself the skills and ideals of Scouting. At 15, he was a certified Emergency Medical Technician, and at 17, he enlisted in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, earning his Paramedic certification.

His first real interactions with Scouts began when he served as the Camp Health Officer at a summer camp in Ashford, CT, in 1985. While stationed in Philadelphia in 1993, a coworker asked Kurt to bring the ambulance to the base gym for a Cub Scout show-and-tell for the Philadelphia Council. Before the event, he was invited to a Roundtable because the leaders had questions for him.

Soon, he became a den leader for Pack 128, which met on the base. As the Philadelphia Naval Hospital and the Shipyard were downsizing in preparation for closure, he became the Cubmaster and then Scoutmaster for Troop 128. Eventually, unit leaders left for other assignments, and the bases closed.

Years later, in 2006, when his son Ethan joined Pack 998, Kurt once again donned his uniform and became the Wolf den leader. Shortly after, Pack 998 disbanded, and his son joined Pack 362 at Community United Methodist Church. Kurt was a den leader until his son joined Troop 362.

Kurt served as a committee member, assistant Scoutmaster, merit badge counselor, and then committee chair. In 2019, he became Troop 362’s Scoutmaster. Since joining the troop, he has helped 35 Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, as evidenced by the mentor pins on his uniform. He earned an adult Religious Emblem in 2008 and completed his Brotherhood in the Order of the Arrow in 2022.

Kurt takes immense pride in his troop, which is always willing to volunteer for council or district Scouting events or community events, often leading the charge. One of Kurt’s favorite quotes is from Mahatma Gandhi: “A sign of a good leader is not how many followers you have, but how many leaders you create.”

Scouts he has mentored have gone on to attend the Naval Academy, serve in the military, or pursue college degrees or trade certifications.

Kurt works for CACI Federal, Inc. as a Senior Instructor on the Theater Medical Information Program-Maritime. He is the vice president and assistant coach for the Centerville Wrestling Club, a lifetime member of the VFW General MacArthur Memorial Post No. 392, and a member of the Marine Corps League John A. Lejeune Detachment No. 332.

Kurt has been a professional Santa since 2009 and donates all proceeds to Troop 362 to help augment the budget and provide more opportunities for Scouts to attend National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) or summer camp. Often, Kurt wears his cowboy hat and boots while engaging in Scouting activities, helping mentor youth to become good Scouts and citizens in their communities.

He practices servant leadership and always shows up for his Scouts, no matter where they are or what they need. He teaches them to live by the Scout Oath & Law, “Your word is your honor. It’s the only thing you have left when you pass, so live up to your word and do what you say you’re going to do.”