Stosh

The loops are cheap, get a pair of silver, blue, red and green. They interchange rather quickly. That's what I do.

I have run youth programs for 40+ years and never needed bylaws in any of them, and that includes Cub, Boy, Exploring and Venturing. The Venture Crew "went through the motions" as prescribed by setting up the crew and then seemed to have lost them. I never saw a copy of it ever since they first adopted it 15+ years ago. Stosh

It's supposed to be red for Cubs and green for Boys in the new uniform. I just started a new troop and for some reason the boys voted to go with the red. Stosh Correction: Blue loops for adults, red/white numbers, Otherwise for Boys who use red/white numbers they use red loops. For those going with green loops, it's green/tan numbers

As a formerly certified national EMT, I wear my trauma kit. It's a lot lighter than carrying one. Stosh

I started a response to this about 4 times and decided I really can't find words to describe how I feel about this. This even tops the garishness of a Pace Arrow! Sorry, I'd rather stay home. Stosh

I wear the old green BSA tie for formal occasions. This "neck item" is formal. Otherwise I wear a square necker over the collar for field occasions. Stosh

When all is said and done and terminology has been redefined multiple times over the years. I have often wondered why they call it the field uniform and then not wear it in the field. I'm thinking if they wanted a dress uniform they would come up with something else to look better than the field uniform. Stosh

Apothecus, I'm a SM with 30 years in the field with Scouts. There is only one POR more worthless than SPL and that's JASM. It's too generic. I would instead focus this scout into a specific area of need. If you want him to wear the patch JASM, fine, but define his roles more specifically. If I were in your position, I would make the exception of SPL and have him operate as a SPL/TG/Instructor for the two patrols. He could TG the two new patrols in the patrol-method, while instructing and supporting the 2 PL/APL teams in leadership. Maybe he's the JASM assigned with developing the patrol-method for the troop or something like that. My observation for JASM has been in troops where a scout will Eagle and then "retire" with a neat patch and no responsibilities. Is it any wonder they drop out? So, what value is it to have the most experienced boy sitting around waiting for the SM to give him something to do (ASM), when he can have his sleeves rolled up helping the young boys benefit from his knowledge and experience. I just started a new troop of Webelos cross-overs and would love to have your situation. But, alas, no older boys wanted in on the project. But if I did, he would be working with the boys as the TG, training the boys in the patrol-method as Instructor and developing patrol leadership with TLT/JLT and Green Bar Bill training type program as SPL. Then he's there to support the boys in any and all needs they may have at any given time. Then as SM you can step back, tweak here and there and have a real boy-led program. I am pretty much a functional oriented SM. POR patches really don't mean a whole lot to me unless the boy is really doing the job. I find most just get elected/assigned a position and then wait out their time to get credit for advancement. Stosh

I know a very elderly gentleman who served and when I asked him about his "exploits" he just shrugged and smile and said, "Not everyone can be a hero, I mended shoes." I told him, those soldiers who had their boots mended wouldn't agree with you." He said, "Maybe not." and smiled. Stosh

What agnostic means to you, is up to you. I just use the standard definition. Agnostic is a knowledge based understanding of God. Basically has very little if anything to do with faith. Maybe they just "know" they have no "belief" in God. It has nothing to do with showing respect or judgment of a religion, it's just the way they define themselves. Nice to know that the discussion has now turned to attacking the person rather than discussing the topic. Most of these discussions that can't be debated clearly end up that way. And what does this discussion have to do with sexual orientation? Stosh

Once again, apples and oranges. Faith resides in the heart, knowledge in the head. An agnostic operates out of the mind, believer operates out of the heart. As a matter of fact, an atheist has more faith than an agnostic because he believes there is no God, just like others believe there is.

I had a boy in my last troop that was exactly in the same situation you describe. His dad was the former SM. The was a real brat, too. I told him to quit worrying about the car, the more you ignore it, the more your parents will think it is no longer leverage for the Eagle. He did take my advice and made sure that as he worked on scouting and his Eagle, he asked for a ton of rides to get here and there. Eventually they realized it was more inconvenient for them to have him not driving and he was showing good progress in Scouts and his Eagle that they gave in and he got his license a couple of months after he turned 16. By the way, he went on to Eagle, was the scout speaker at the Golden Eagle Banquet in the council and was SM trained and WB trained before going off to the US Air Force Reserves. Within a year of graduating basics, he was a flight crew chief. Focus on what's really important, driving a car really isn't all that important. In the long run, you'll eventually realize that getting stuck with every errand your parents don't want to make gets old really fast. Stosh

Doubt is not the opposite of belief, disbelief is. Your argument is apples and oranges. Stosh

He's no longer with us and after many years of campfires I have a ton of great stories, but alas, not many on scouting. I did not know about his Eagle until I read it in is obituary. He had a son (only child) that was a scout, but was bitten by a mosquito at WINTER camp and died of encephalitis his first year of scouting. I'm sure that's why the scout stories were never shared. I still remember him being buried in his scout uniform. I'm sure there are a ton of elderly gentlemen that if one were to ask around would have similar stories if asked. I remember my geeky high school principle that I always gave trouble to. I didn't realize that his experience of parachuting into Normandy on D-Day with the 101st Airborne could have given me a ton more trouble than what I was giving him. Again, I didn't know about that until I read his obituary many years later. My uncle served on a PT boat that was captained by John F. Kennedy, again another story I read about in his obit. A mild mannered man that owns an unfinished furniture store here in town suddenly showed up on the History Channel on a show about covert operations in Laos during the Vietnam War. He was a captain of a squad that probably has stories to tell out the kazoo! I sure wish I had asked!!!!! Maybe one of my scouts would do an Eagle project on it. The treasury of knowledge this world loses every single day is rather unfortunate. Stosh

I remember 50 years ago as well, and there is a point to be made for BSA today and what it was 50 years ago. There were plenty of times my buddies in the patrol and I would go camping without adults around. Some of the best outings we had. We had a few farmers in the area that were scouts or former scouts and had plenty of "woods" around to find a spot to camp. I wonder if they would even allow the boys to dig latrines anymore. We had to for ALL scout activities except summer camp. We never camped in established campgrounds. Not that they were full, because I remember a 4th of July weekend in a state park in Wisconsin where my folks had a 8mm film projector and the ranger just had a camera, but no way to see his home movies. We threw up a screen and put on his home movies for him and his family on Friday night and Saturday morning there was a pickup load of firewood dumped next to our site. By the way, the four families in our group were the only ones in the park that weekend. My godfather was one of them, he loved to build 8' council bonfires! The ranger came back with family on Saturday and we all had sodas and popcorn and watched the movies again but this time around a huge bonfire. Stuff like that remains in the realm of memories because one isn't going to find many pulling that off today. I do know, however, remote areas where one can hike back in so far that no one can find you and you can sill primitive camp within 20 miles of my house. Just gotta look around and ask a few of the guys "sneaking out in the woods" to camp. I haven' primitive camped since... well last summer with the Mrs. 2 day kayak paddle with overnight along the shore. Stosh

I don't have a problem with a scout's sexual orientation, but I would have a problem with misleading everyone as to what their religious beliefs are when they are in direct conflict with the Scout Law and Oath. Doesn't reflect well on one's honor to pledge anything. Stosh

My Godfather was a Eagle Scout (1936) and as far as I know spent most of his adult life camping every weekend from late March through late October (Wisconsin). He spent 4 years of WWII in a Japanese prison camp having been a Marine captured at Wake Island. Then he spent a few years in the US Army in Korea. He was a fuel oil distributor spending most of his time outdoors year around. When he wasn't working he was riding his bike around town. I really think he hated to be indoors. Before becoming an Eagle he was a "city-boy". Maybe he was a city-boy, but he surely wasn't a Parlor Eagle in any sense of the word. I like to think of myself as an avid outdoorsman, but compared to him, I'm really just a Parlor Scout myself. People have lost all concept of what adventure really is all about. Any scout who plots how to fulfill a camping MB while sitting on the sofa talking on the phone, really doesn't get it. Stosh

www.joinme.com is something my business uses all the time. One scout could have the agenda on his computer and share with the group. Everyone else with an Android or computer can link in and follow the agenda, preso, or whatever the host wants to share. Set up phone conferencing and you're all set to go. By the way, if the remote wants to edit something on the host computer, it's possible as well. Stosh

Be Prepared... Stosh

If 5 people were to call the IRS for a ruling, they would get 5 different answers. The way things are going right now, they probably won't get any answer in that they aren't answering the phones. Stosh

Looks like spammers have found the forum. Stosh

I ran a VC for 15 years and I'm sure none of the participants knew there was an official uniform or any uniform at all. Even if they did buy the uniform, they would never have an opportunity to ever wear it. Stosh

It varies from one CO to the next. I just started a new troop in a church. They showed me the basement and where to turn the lights on. Then they showed me a fairly good sized storage room and said here's where your stuff goes. When you run out of room, we'll find another room. Sometimes you just get lucky! Stosh

I have saved the lives of a lot of different people over the years, and or tried to save them (CPR 7 times and no saves as yet), but one does these things because it's the right thing to do as a Scout, not the accolades you get if someone finds out after the fact. Stosh

With all the kneeling I do on a campout, I would find that 99% of the time I would have dirty knees, BUT.... I wouldn't be wearing out knees of my pants anymore. Stosh