Dustoff

Perhaps you should certainly make it clear to all that this letter will be attached to the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook before it goes up for any and all approvals. Perhaps then maybe the father would change his mind about this not being a big deal. As it states in page 3 of the workbook under "Approvals" and "Before You Start": "The project plan must be reviewed and approved by the beneficiary of the project, your unit leader, the unit committee, and the council or district advancement committee before the project is started." All of these entities must review and approve the project proposal so it is only correct that the same proposal be forwarded to each of them. After serving on council eagle boards of review myself, I believe that the members of these boards would think it was a big deal. They must determine if this scout is truly eligible to advance to scoutings highest rank, a scout that will be looked up to by the younger scouts and will represent all eagle scouts and scouting in general with his words, actions and deeds. Naturally the proposal should be ash canned at the earliest time and apologies should, at the very least be in order. If this scout and his father think a proposal for scoutings highest rank is a joke, then maybe the entire proposal was also a joke. Surely someone making sch jokes cannot expect anyone else to take their application seriously.

I think the key word here is "uniform" We are not just referring to a "uniform". We are also referring to "uniform" organization and thus an organization that is "uniform" in appearance. Granted, if a patrol leaders council declares they want the troop to wear tails out, then the whole troop must particpate in this in order for it to be uniform, just like the military with the OG 108 fatigues which were only worn outside on orders when the heat category index reached a certain level. However, if one notes, in very few or none of scoutings publications do we see the uniform worn untucked. IMYGOD! But it's not in writing! It seems to me that wearing the uniform untucked is wearing it sloppily, and not presenting a positive image of scouting. If the uniform is going to be worn, it should be worn correctly. How many scouters out there would suggest a scout appear before an eagle board of review with the shirt untucked? Or how about a job interview? For those who say one has nothing to do with the other, they forget that one of the most important fundimentals of scouting is to prepare a scout for life. As scouting is a uniform organization in the public's eye I believe the uniform should be presented in a positive way. When I returned from the military to my old troop the wear of the uniform at meetings was almost non-existant, but in the 2+years since nearly all now wear uniforms to meetings, and this has been positively noted by both new scout parents and the parents of the older scouts. As far as the new uniforms being cut too short is concerned, I`ve noticed that the same scouts that most often did not wear uniforms to meetings in the past were also the ones that would not tuck it in, the key word here being more "individualism" or dare I say protest or even rebellion than uniformity, which may be fine with street clothes since than I would not be forced to have a boys underwear flashed at me above their jeans when an untucked shirt covers it, but as a uniform which is worn with a uniform organization I believe that the adult leaders must work to instil a scouts pride in scouting, in his troop, in his uniform and yes, in himself.

I was recently following another thread (under uniforms) about the wearing of scout uniforms at the eagle Scout Service Project, and that the project is "outside the Sphere of Scouting". While I do find that these are interesting and impressive words, I have failed to find them in either the current eagle scout requirements http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/eagle.aspx or in the 2008 Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook. http://www.nesa.org/trail/18-927.pdf What I did find was the following: 5. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) The project plan must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and troop committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 18-927, in meeting this requirement. I believe the sentence (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) replaced the "outside the Sphere of Scouting" sometime in the past, but I'm not sure. What I do know is that a uniform looks much better in the newspaper articles and, since a project would not be completed for political, commercial, or monetary gain, what was the point in prohibiting it?

I've been looking for guidance in regards to requirement 9a, specifically the phrase "long term camp". In my past experiences this was always viewed much as the OA views it, a "resident camp", usually with tentage and probably meals provided. Therefore all other tent or outside camping was counted in full toward the camping MB requirement. This included not only overnight and weekend campouts, camporees, etc, but also longer lasting campouts that changed campsites nightly, such as national high adventure treks and local backpacking, canoe, etc treks. In the troop I am now in the camping merit badge counsellor will only recognize one camping trip of five days or above to fill requirement 9a, and the remaining time must be filled with weekend outings. Was I wrong all this time thinking this requirement was made to limit the days of quasi camping (provided shelter, meals)that could be counted and that it was to be an added incentive to get the scouts out on camping trips where they could build their experience?