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"He basically built my character," said Johnson, 41, an Air Force lieutenant colonel in Oklahoma City. "He's a very moral, responsible man. He just lives all the Scouting principles he teaches. I know it sounds corny, but in Jim's case, it's true."

Salamon is now godfather to Johnson's two young children.

Friendship, authority

Parents say Salamon walks that tightrope between friend and authority figure. He'll joke with Scouts one minute, put them in their place the next if they need it

"We live in a society of positive reinforcement," said Steve Musick, the troop treasurer and the father of a 13-year-old Scout, Isaac. "Jim's not afraid to let them know what he thinks. He'll kick them in the pants a little, figuratively speaking."

Scouting is rife with rules, and Salamon follows them closely -- for the most part. But he also has an independent streak forged in the Navy, where, he said, he was always taught to seek the possible.

That's why he carried a rifle with him when he took a group of Scouts camping in rural Alaska.

"The Boy Scouts of America would freak if they knew I was carrying a weapon," he said. "But what if you ran into a bear or a moose or something? I'm not going to use a rule to not do something that would keep them safe."

This attitude has created a certain image for Salamon. A former Boy Scouts administrator once branded his troop "maverick." But his Scouts say Salamon is very safety-conscious and makes a point of involving parents and other adult volunteers on trips.

Andrew Chase, now 21, became an Eagle Scout several years ago under Salamon's tutelage. He went to New Mexico three times and Alaska once while a part of Troop 451, and now helps out as an adult volunteer.

"It's incredible what he's put into this troop," said Chase, a student at Western Carolina University. "You're not going to find another Scoutmaster in the country like Jim."

The troop's adventures are documented on its Web site, www.Troop451Durham.org.

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