Scouts61

I picked up my own campaign hat years ago in my early 20's after going through Wood Badge. Always loved the look of it. When forming my current troop, I sat down with the PLC to decide on the type of headgear that the troop should wear. Our SPL at the time floated the option of the campaign hat and the other boys loved the idea, so we adopted it and they have been wearing it proudly now for 7 years. To keep it affordable, the troop subsidizes 1/2 the cost of the hat for each new scout. We have received a lot of compliments on our appearance through the years and no one has any doubt when a misplaced hat is found at camp which troop it belongs to!

Just looked at ebay, 5 bids at $127.50 at the moment. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250332914528

Thanks OneHour, that definately sounds workable with this group. Very enthusiastic parents that want to pitch in.

I'm in a kind of quandry here, and a terrible one to have I'll note. My problem is, I've never has so much help before! Our Troop started up a little over 2 1/2 years ago and we've grown from 5 boys to 25 and there has pretty much just been myself and an ASM. This past crossover we picked up 8 boys and 3 new ASM's and I'm trying to figure out how other unit's divide up the reponsibilities for their adult leaders. Looking back on my old Troop as a youth, my Scoutmaster also had several leaders and I believe that he had them divided up into their own specialty groups, advancement, cooking, pioneering, etc. Of course, they were always there to assist the SPL and PLC at the drop of a hat with any other areas that needed assistance. The problem is, I can't really recall what they did from week to week in the background. They were always busy as I remember, and it was most definately a boy led troop, so they weren't running it in the background. I just can't seem to make the leap with my new leaders. Anyone have any suggestions?

"Yah, yah. Once again a bunch of armchair kibitzers" Arm chair kibitzers? Do you know any of us personally, or what our level of involvement in the program might be? This individual asked for advice on a hypothetical situation, and we responded with our opinions, as any Scout would do, we are trying to be helpful. It looks to me that you are the one offering criticism here.

I also feel that 3 months is excessive. A Troop only holding 4 boards of review per year? How does this promote advancement within the program? We have designated the last meeting of the month for scouts to have their boards of review. Committee members come to this meeting and hold the boards in a separate room from our meeting. On rare occasions, we will also schedule one if a Court of Honor is just around the corner. Ive always felt that advancement in the program is one of those carrots that keep the boys motivated. Why would anyone want to dangle that carrot out so far that the possibility exists that the scout will loose interest in it and begin looking for excitement elsewhere? If theyve completed the requirements, in my opinion, the committee has an obligation to move them along (if they pass the board) and give them what theyve rightfully earned. Other scouts see their success and naturally want to follow suit.

I was just browsing on the Adobe website to see if they had any further information. From what I see, in order to save files with Reader, the person who originally created the PDF file has to enable this function. I agree that National should begin joining the 21st century and start helping us out here! I created my own tour permit and boy, does it save a lot of time & effort! Q. Can I add comments to a PDF file with Adobe Reader?A. PDF authors using Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional or Adobe LiveCycle enterprise server and design software can activate special features in their documents that provide additional functionality. These enabled Adobe PDF files allow people with Adobe Reader to save the file to a local hard drive, fill out forms, add comments and other markups, share it with others, and submit a completed document electronically. In addition, Adobe PDF files can be enabled to allow people to digitally sign, certify, and authenticate a document. Q. Can I save Adobe PDF forms in Adobe Reader after I have filled out a PDF form?A. Yes, provided your form has had the "local save" capability turned on with Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions. Team members both inside and outside an organization have access to and can interact with forms. You can easily open, fill out and submit PDF forms, even from handheld devices and over wireless connections. However, if the "local save" capability has not been activated in your PDF form, you will not be able to save the form data with Adobe Reader.

Supposedly the new version of Acrobat Reader 7.0 will allow you to save forms. The only other method I am aware of is to have the full "writer" version of the software which can be pricey. I purchased a copy years ago when it was still reasonable and have upgraded since, but it denfinately makes life easier.

Our Troop made the decision that we wanted to go "old" style by going all campaign hats. We've been using them for a year now (from vtarmynavy) and have no issues with them. It's amazing how the boys stand out when wearing them. Many of the scouts I see out there today are wearing no headgear at all. What a shame. We have the scouts family pay half the cost and the troop picks up the other half, making it affordable for all. With orders over $100 they offer free shipping, so it works out to a little over $30 each. I know they're not "official" but at $94 a pop, it just wouldn't have been possible.