It is a pair of tales that were originally presented in the local Order of the Arrow lodge's quarterly newsletter, The Servant, and relate experiences of yours truly at national Scouting events I attended those summers.
The first one, since it predates the trip to China and is not contradicted by anything that has happened in story, can absolutely be considered canon for Boy Scouts ½! The second... well, I suppose you'll have to view it as an alternate history of what I'd have been up to in the summer of '97 had I not gone to China with Aaron, Mike, and the Bills.
So, I present to you, Tales From Real Life!!! Enjoy!
(And hey, Julio Rivera! I know you're out there! The Boy Scouts ½ twitter has only two followers, and you're the one who isn't Jason Bertovich! You should check this out, you were along for the 1996 voyage related here.)