VentureScoutNY

It sure is a training issue. Some leaders don't put enough effort into having a well dressed Troop/Pack. When I was a cub we went to Battleship cove and I remember wearing either my blue shirt, or an activity shirt. I remember all of us cubs being in our blue shorts the whole weekend. The only thing that we could do different was wear navy hats, which all made us feel like we were sailors, adding to the fun of the trip. I returned to Battleship cove last year with 2 fellow Eagle Scouts. We wanted to stroll down memory lane and reminise about when we were there as cubs. We had a great time, and there were kids running all over the ship on a big adventure as we one had done. Only until I saw the Cub master did I know they were cub scouts. None were in uniform, except the cubmaster who was in his tan shirt and jeans. I was slightly disappointed to not see any of the boys in unifrom, and especially the leader. I was happy though to see the kids having fun either way. But it really does come down to the leader, the role model. If the leader was in full unifrom, I have a feeling so would his scouts...

OldGreyEagle, I think that you misunderstand what I said. I did not mention anything about the Catholic Church and the Sex Abuse Scandal. I am a devout Catholic and do not want to send the impression that I believe they have lost all control. I should have been more clear. I believe the Catholic Church has lost political ground and isn't the Juggernaut it once was. When it comes to the loss of moral control, I meant that society today is not as morally correct as it once was. Declining membership in churches shows this is true. People are not as reverent as they used to be. Becasue of all of this and I really should have mentioned the cultural revolution, today is the bi-product of the winners of the cultural revolution, the leftists. This is where political correctenss stems from. This is why I believe many sacred organizations and institutions(not the catholic church) are being destroyed from within. BadenP is right. We need to hold onto the Councils that are being run the right way and hope that National continues to hire people that are consistent with the teachings of the Scout Oath and Law that we have all taken and live by daily. YIS

It scares me to think of the reality of what is happening and has happened to Scouts Canada. I am also scared that in this politically correct world this could be the future of the BSA. SR540Beaver, really hit the point saying we are at the mercy of those in charge. And who says that one day, just like any other place in American Society those in charge of the BSA will lose their beliefs and convictions and head toward being politically correct. We see the 80% of media leaning towards the left, and once strong staples in our society like the Catholic church lose any and all political and moral control. College campuses are filled with leftist retoric and political correcteness that I am drowning in it and holding tight to the paddle to stay above the BS. What can the BSA do besides stay in tune with what is happening to Scouts Canada, and be sure to hire people that truly believe in the Scout Oath and Law? How did those leading Scouts Canada fall to their knees at political correctness and lose sight of the real meaning of the Scouting Movement?

Can Scouts and Scouters wear Non Offical Campaign hats? For example, Marine or Army surplus... I have a Canadian Boy Scout hats from the early 1940's ( a gift from my girlfriend, she knows me too well). Anyway, for those of you who don't know, the hat is similar to todays expo hat when it comes to being crushable. That may because it has quite a bit of wear to it though... It is different from the BSA hats of the same era in that the BSA hats still had slightly stiff brims. The Canadian hat I have can be crushed like the expo hat, and still take its form again. The hat is also simliar to the hats we have seen Baden Powell in. The crown is slighlty more pointier than the BSA campaign hats of the early 40's. So, can this Canadian Hat be worn by an American Scouter? YIS

"In all fairness to the SPL, he may have been sincere in his remark to the troop guide..." OK, I'll play with that. The SPL doesn't realize that a full Unifrom includes ALL parts of the Unifrom, ie pants socks ect... In that case, the SM or someone with some knowledge of the RULES should sit the SPL down and teach him what is correct. Hopefully when he realizes what is correct, he will than wear the full uniform, thus setting the right example. Ponder this, The guide wears his full unifrom... than.. The SPL wears his full unifrom... than.. Before you know it, you have a sharp dressed Troop. It could lead to a domino effect... Goodluck, keep us updated! YIS

Well I am pretty disappointed, I either missed it, or it never came on... Did anyone see or hear about it...? Hopefully this wasn't a dream, if it was im having a scouting overdose!

Ok, the story has not come on yet...I hope I didn't miss it. It may come on in the 1 O'clock hour...

Sorry, I meant in the 12 AM hour. It hasn't aired yet, but I saw a promo for it and have been waiting...

Tune in to your cable Fox News channel today. I just saw a promo for an Eagle Scout who is trying to make a difference in Iraq and Afganistan... Should be on around 12pm Eastern time.

My hat just fell off from my head spinning reading this post! I hope that with the New Insiginia Guide, we can put to rest all of the "if's and maybe's" about what headgear to wear. I bet it was a lot easier when adults all wore the campaign hat and scouts wore thier own campaign hats. Or even when the flat hat came into style, than you had an option of 2 different hats. Ever since than...what a mess of confusion! Part of me wants National to just standardize 1 or 2 hats for Boy Scouts and adults, and the same goes for cubs and their leaders. But another part of me enjoy seeing all the different hats Troops, and scouters wear. We can see an evolution of hats through the programs history on scouts all over the country, and I think thats great! The personalized Troop hats are loved by the scouts I know who wear them. They love the fact they can have their OWN hat, unique yet filled with their Troops own history. My take of the Expo Hat, I love it! As a Scout I wore the ball cap for the first few years, and attained a vintage flat hat from a family member, and never took it off since. Only when it rained or snowed on a trip did it come off for the wool knit hat or the Expo hat. When I was about 15 my birthday gift from Mom and Dad was a brand new Campaign Hat..still probably one of the best birthday gifts ever. Since than I have been a collector of past BSA hats. If my vision came true, they would bring back the floppy style campaign hats. Wouldn't a campaign hat with similiar material to the expo hat be great! Vintage but new and crushable...I'm dreaming I know... Anyway...as a Venturer, (uniform police don't freak out) I attained an old flat Explorer Hat, kelley Green, and I replaced the Explorer patch with a Venutring patch, and bada bing, a unique Venturing hat. Goes great with the Unifrom. Next proposal...grey spats... YIS

Nassau

A fellow Long Islander! Welcome to the forums!

Thank God he was found! #1 Rule of Hiking: The slow man sets the pace. The fact that he fell behind, and was alone, is not very comforting. From the info in the link, he was both Brave in that he did not give up, and Cheerful, in that he made the best of the situation he was in.

I casted my vote!

Well I have just finished reading, On My Honor: Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth by Jay Mechling It was a good book. It touched upon current issues the organization is dealing with as well adding a nice historic background to the founders of the BSA and overall program history. The book is written by an Eagle Scout and his visits to a California Troop over a 30 year period. The 30 years are cramped into a 2 week incampment. I enjoyed the book and laughed out loud while reading the all too familiar scout happenings. A recomended read!

scoutldr, it is to my understanding that the only uniforms parts you can mix and match are hats, neckerchiefs, and socks.

Great Quote SA! My Scoutmaster and I are considering framing the maps of the Mountain and trail, and highlight Tucks Ravine, to give to each person on the trip. That quote would look great on it!

Just returned from hiking up Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the highest point in the North East at 6,288 feet. We camped in the White Mountains National Forest about an hour away from Mt. Washington. We arrived on Thursday night and got ready for the hike on Friday. As friday morning came everyone was filled with anticipation and we got our day packs ready ate our breakfast and set out. We began hiking at 2,000 feet at Tuckermans Ravine trail. The trail up to the summit is 4.2 miles. We were told it would take about 4 1/2 hours to hike up, and another 4 1/2 hours down. That estimate surely was not intended for flat-landers like us(Long Islanders). The views were amazing and the Scouts had a great time. The Scouts especially liked discorvering Huge chunks of ice in July! We started the hike at 9:30, and with all the breaks and lunch we reached the summit around 5:30. Although everyone was exhausted we accomplished something special that day. All of us had achieved something most people could only dream of. It was hot and overcast for the first few hours of the hike, with periodic rainfall, but cooler temps came about as we got higher and higher into the clouds. At the summit that scouts bought pizza and hot chocolate, rough to mix the two! They bought key chains and patches, and we hiked down the 8+ mile auto road down the mountain(not the wisest decesion) even though we were tired. Finally reached the campsite around 1am and crawled into out tents for a long awaited rest. On saturday we toured Franconia Notch State Park. We visited the Basin, "a granite pothole 20 feet in diameter. It is believed to have been eroded 15,000 years ago while the North American ice sheet was melting. The Basin has been smoothed by small stones and sand, whirled around by the Pemigewasset River. Below the Basin is a water-eroded rock formation called the Old Man's Foot". We went to the site of where the Old man on the Mountain used to be, and also saw the Indian Head(a rock formation that resembles a native american, hmm...can we say racial profileing...?!). On Sunday we left the Campesite. Everyone was tired and ready to leave but were all a little sad we would be leaving the beautiful mountain sceneary. All in all it was a great trip. My advice to anyone considering the hike, TRAIN! I trained by running the track a few weeks in advance, but it was not enough. Hikers must be in very good shape to complete this hike. Although my legs are still screaming, it was worth it!

I also have a recipe question. Anyone know of any frontier style meals? For example Hardtack Bread. I am looking for something that will not spoil and can be thrown in a back pack for a weekend. Soldiers in the Civil War were gives rations of Hardtack bread because it would not spoil and could take a beating. I will be cooking up a batch soon to give it a try. So anything that will not spoil and can withstand a scouts backpack?

Congrats OGE! I hope the songs do continue! "I learned very early in life that without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend; without a song. So I keep singing a song." Elvis Presley - January 16,1971

Congrats Hops!

Who remembers Community Strips? These were worn before council strips came around. One would wear a strip with their state on it, and underneath it what town you lived in. Heres a link to what I am describing for those of you who don't know http://www.tradingeagles.com/scout_uniform_patches.asp Anyway... I have a uniform with my hometown community strip and the NY above it. It makes the unifrom stand out to me because there is a familiar word there, and that is my town. I feel that the community strip is more unique than the council strip. Although it is good to represent ones council, we are forgetting ones individual town. Every town has differeces, and I feel the council strip takes a little away from the single town. For instance I live on Long Island, NY. We have two councils, Suffolk County Council, and Theodore Roosevelt Council (formerly known as Nassau County Council, TR's home is in Nassau, and he was an avid BSA supporter, hence the name change). Many towns here on the Island though are very different from eachother. Some towns are farm towns, and some are very urban. Many are on the water, and all have something unique about them. As I'm sure many of you live in towns that are also unique in their own way compared to other towns. At any School sports event, a single town is usually represented. There is a great sense of community and togetherness when rooting for ones hometown. This brings me to the point that the community strip is much more than just the name of ones town, but something to have pride in, a sort of beacon or rally point. I have seen in Rhode Island that the RI patch is still sold at the scout shop, but not single towns anymore. I have yet to see any in NY. The Narragansett Council in Rhode Island covers some spots in Mass. This sort of labels them all to one council, although they are in different towns and different states! ALthough the Council strips brings all the towns together as one entity. The community strip gives a scout something to wear proudly in representation of his hometown, where is Troop may have a long history in that town. We should be able to promote the towns specifially in order to tie us all in as a community and a council. Thoughts?

What do I love most in Scouting.. The bonds that are foremd between scouts, and the friendship and brotherhood that brings boys together. There is nothing like being with your buddies climbing a mountain, reaching the summit and looking out on the great horizon, knowing that you made it there together. It's priceless.

BPwannabe@137: Those WWI reporduction breeches, are they a good match in color to the current unifom pants? Hows the fit? Enough room to move ect, but not too much to look baggy I hope... Ever wear them with the new uniform shirt? On the bottom cuffs, with the lacing, how does that look? Do you wear the wool duck leggings around them? or just the leather ones you mention. I couldnt find them on the site besides the picture. How are the WWI repro Boots? Comfortable? Ever wear them in the field? I'd love to find an older uniform I could put together for my collection. But some of this repro stuff looks good. Until than though...a little cheating and dodging the uniform police will have to do! I also dig the old uniforms of the BSA..Can't beat the classics!

The Army has made the switch, will we be next... http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_uniform_061504,00.html