Greyfox

If any of us refer to you in the future as MP you should, of course, assume that means Magnificent Personality, not the Other, ahem, unmentionable appelation. Eamonn, do ya'll really wear your braces on your coat in JOE (Jollye Olde Englande)? We usually wear them on our pants or our teeth, depending, generally, on age and girth dimensions. This is more fun than cooking Hobo hamburgers with that fancy new nostick new tinfoil my wife got me that is preperforated with GBH(great big holes)! Whoops!

Well done, Bob! ROFLOL!

Thanks for all the response, guys. I especially like the franernaty of sewing impaired souls. I once made the mistake of tilting my head while my wife was sewing on a patch at about a 45 degree angle. Her response would have me immediately removed from this forum for life. Needless to say I have been doing all my own sewing for many years now - practice really does help but nothing is more painfull than the rear end of a needle buried three inches beneath a thumbnail. I must say I like my Smokey Bear hat but it had to get pretty beat up before it became comfortable. When I was courting LOL meant lots of love, I assume it has a little different meaning here? Thanks again.

And which one of you guys wears a Campaign hat?

You guys have probably beat this one to death but Bobwhite, on another thread, got me thinking about Courts of Honor, ie how do you make it significant if you give out the awards as soon as possible after the scouts have earned them?

Thanks Bob. I have a cotton long sleeve shirt with nothing execept the BSA and the flag which is my camping shirt, hot or cold, wet or dry. I had not thought of having a general dress shirt for meetings and such and a "General's" dress shirt for the super formal occasions. Good idea and a good excuse for more Scout Stuff. Is the lodge flap neccesary or is there a more low key to show OA affiliation?

Thanks, Bob58. That is the quote that got me thinking about culling even my lodge flap and extra youth knots. Also, I have to admit that fewer patches makes for a more comfortable shirt

You know, after the fist post-wash ironing, it really stays OK as long as I keep it hung up. The key is to keep a troop t-shirt handy for anything involving to much sweating so I don't have to wash it every week! I did get the lecture from my wife about doing my own ironing, though, and I wouldn't recomend cotton for the boys.

I'm betting ready for summer camp and putting together a new uniform. Got some of the all cotton stuff from national, boy it sure is great. Question is, how many patches? All the knots, just the youth earned ones, or just the eagle(minus Aof L and G&C)? What about a lodge flap vs the little hanging arrow? I know what is "legal" to wear but what do you guys think is "good taste?"

I'm a South Georgia Redneck professionally and a Doctor the other 25 hours a day.

Hi guys, Read this thread right after our former Scoutmaster brought in his jacket with 10,000 patches and encouraged the new scouts to do the same. I was pretty sure that wasn't right so I went to the 2002-2004 Uniform guide. Bob, correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that you can wear the universal BSA patch on the left pocket, the Philmont bull above the left pocket, high adventure base emblem on the right pocket.Large OA, NESA, Jamboree,Philmont or international emblems on the back also. Here's the problem with regulations, I have an old Northern waters canoe base patch, one of the big ones (6"like the "official OA" size)that I planned on putting on the backof my red shirtjack. It clearly is in the spirit of the regulation, i.e. one large patch on the back, but is not specifically listed as acceptable. Will I be in breach if I do that? I guess so, and like Mark I won't do it. Incidentally, how do I go about cantradicting our previous SM without causing a drama?

Advertise a lot of camping and adventure. Then do it and brag about it. Also, do a lot of volunteering Boy thats great advice! I think your enthusiasm, combined with good planning is going to create a fantastic troop. Hardest thing to keep in mind - setbacks shouldn't get you down, they are not failures, just new opportunities(think of Winston Churchill). Above all have fun and don't be afraid to show it.

Great idea using the one friend list. Do you let them list someone they prefer not to be with? After I think about that it seems like that would be too negative and you can figure out the out guys by who doesn't get listed. Incidentally, about the Shackleton thing. Thats a bit of an extreme situation and I shouldn't imply that it is directly applicable to a Scout troop. Great story, though, and lots of good lessons in leadership. I agree, too, about the website -- fantastic.

Agree with all said plus a few. Although buddies want to stay together somtimes you may have to put them in different groups. The way you devide them can be your most effective tool. I think the best job ever done was by Sir Earnest Shackleton when he devided up his crew. Almost a textbook demonstration on the effectiveness of the patrol method. Our new scout patrols are actually lead by Troop Guides who function as there patrol leaders for six monthes with the members rotating as assistants. After his term the Guide will either move back to his patrol or to troop leadership, depending on elections. An ASM is assigned to help the guide.

In past we have had so few scouts that we have been very much ad hoc but we have had a good Webelos influx and I am now, for the first time, in a postition to influence organization directly and I am determined to institute a formal patrol system if I have to recruit Scouts off the street to fill them. Initially I had thought that they would eat with the adults but another ASM felt that this innapropriate. I think he is right as when our sons are in leadership this would be to much of a "family affair" and constrains youth independence. No way we have enough for a Venture Patrol(incidentally why use venture rather than Varsity patrols?. Our currrent plan is to have the SPL and ASPL, who are not memeber of either patrol, camp a little seperate and eat as guests of the patrols on a rotating basis. They would not be on the duty roster but would be responsible for their own dishwashing and, of course, pay the same thing as the rest of the patrol. I have some concern that this may insitute resentment in the patrols so it must be handled delicately. When I was young we haad several JASM and they formed a seperate patrol with the leadership, probably functionally equivalent to a Venture Patrol today. It seems like we had a lot more boys interested in Scouting back then.