Eagle94-A1

Don't remind me about those seeking Eagle for the resume. Had one dad tell me he cannot wait for BSA to go coed so his daughter can earn both Eagle and GSUSA's Gold Award.

Sorry about the sarcasm. As you can imagine, I am in total disagreement on this. The palms were meant to be more than bling. They were meant to show going above and beyond by not only earning MBs, but continuing to give back to the Troop by continuing to serve. Now it's bling and has no meaning. If someone works the system, they can wait until they earn all 140+ MBs then have their EBOR, get all the palms, then quit. No further commitment.

I agree make it retroactive to 1927 when they first came out. heck, lets go back to 1912. As you can guess, I was part of the 94% who thought the 3 months tenure per palm as a good thing.

While I'd be cautious after what I've seen happen once, I wouldn't outright turn them down. Besides the troop I grew up in, I was an ASM in 2 other troops before oldest was even born. While I am a Scouting addict I wanted to give back.

1) WELCOME TO DA FORUMS! 2) Paperwork can vary. When I was a DE, I had a pack that took about 3 weeks from start to finish with paperwork. A year later, the troop's paperwork took less than 2 weeks! Another pack I worked on took about 3 months. 3) They key will be getting your troop functioning. Depending upon the guys you have starting up, it can take a short time, or a few years. Troop I'm currently with is about 7 years old. We are finally getting to a good point in my opinion. But we still have a ways to go too. 4) Good Luck.

LOTS of controversy on this one. Especially since it went against 94% of those surveyed.

Sometimes the "solo: ceremonies are the more special ones.

I’ve used Art of Manliness articles, as well as other resources, to supplement items in the BSHB and Field Book and other BSA publications that I find lacking or non-existent. I read my old 2nd edition FB and see entire sections missing from the 4th edition I have. I do not own 3rd or current 5th editions, so I cannot comment. As for demand for this type of program, yes there is. We have a new Scouter in the troop who does this type of programs. They sound great as they remind me of some of the more intense weekend campouts I did as a youth. Then he tells me the price tag. Some of these weekend trips cost as much as sending my two Scouts and I to summer camp! But as someone supposed for folks who do this, he was never a Scout. Same thing with another friend of mine. He is into the GoRuck craze. Basically intense weekend backpacking treks with some challenges. Again he was never a Scout. Thinking about this, one of my Eagles who would be an ace in these type of programs is into something more mundane: weightlifting. Only thing he still craves to do is Philmont, but he is “overweight†according to BSA’s guidelines since he is over 300 pounds.

Here's my problem with BSA. Not only on this issue, but on others, when they solicit opinions, they ignore them. Specifically this issue, what they are proposing, a separate program for girls, will not work. A) the girls only program has issues B) folks do not go for "Separate but Equal." I know studies from when I was an undergrad showed that single gender education programs worked better than coed programs,an apparently studies still show it as both the BSA and GSUSA have stated that much. But society want everything coed. BSA would do a lot better IMHO in making hte entire program coed from the get go than make minor changes and having the issue constantly appear. It's death by a thousand cuts.

I am not saying the Girls Scouts have problems. Girls, like your daughter, are the ones saying the GSUSA has problems. When the BSA went off the tracks in the 1970s, it listened to it's members, got Bill out of retirement, and went back to basics. I think that is why BSA is in better shape/

Troop growing up allowed ANY Scouting hat to be worn. We had folks with camp, Philmont, scout show, campaign covers, and even Canadian Scout hats. I got a hold a gray, British Air Scout beret. I wore it for a little bit. But prefer either the expedition or my smokey.

I WANT THE CAMPS NAME AND WRITE THAT THANK YOU LETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (this time I'm shouting at the top of my lungs in joy!) Seriously, write that letter, because the camp needs to know the good it is doing.

Well I watched the video and took the survey. Looks like they want to what i call the Finnish Model: Cub Scouts is coed, then split into Boy Scouts and Girl Guides from approx. 1-approx 15, then coed, I think Venturers. It's been over 20 years since I saw this in play, so bear with me. While I would not mind the BSA using the Finnish model, in reality it would not work here. There are folks who will not be happy with "Separate but equal." Let's face it, IT ALREADY EXISTS WITH THE GIRL SCOUTS OF THE USA AND PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING INSTEAD OF FIXING GSUSA'S PROBLEMs. (emphasis, not shouting). And in all honesty, the palm survey really struck a nerve. National went against 94% of those polled with "insta-palms." 94% is almost a unanimous agreement. My gut tells me BSA will be going coed on or before August 1, 2018.

Heads up on Eagle Badges. IF you are not going to present them to the Scout, but use them for other purposes, the manager MAY sell you an extra or two. One of the things my troop growing up was make an individual table tops for our COHs and banquets.One side had the troop patch other side had an Eagle Badge, name of the Eagle Scout, and year. Scout Shop had no problem with us doing that, or buying an extra patch. Aside, since my troop folded, I'd love to get my table top as a memento.

Back in the day, I was the one who ran the trading post and responsible for ensuring we had enough supplies. First year was hard as we had no stats to look at to make sure we had enough supplies. It was all guesstimation, and there were several times I had to make runs to the main Scout Shop or meet my boss 1/2 way to get supplies. Second and subsequent years were much better. I ordered what we sold and added 10% to the order. While I had to carry more stuff back those years, I never ran out of supplies. Now food was a different. One thing that ticked me off to no end was the camp my oldest earned Basketry MB. They ran out of supplies. Supposedly the Scouts "shared" making the stuff, in my son's case, he made some items, his "buddy" made others. Yep, he got the MB. Mean father that I am, I told him he couldn't put it on the sash or use it for rank advancement until he made the missing item. I ordered the materials, and he finished it.

Love it.

So jealous. My oldest hoodlum will be getting off a section of the AT today. AND I found out one of my Eagles from my old troop back home in in the neck of the woods. So wish work would have let me off.

1) WELCOME TO DA FORUMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J 2) I’m putting my response in red to distinguish them from yours. have two questions about presenting newly earned ranks or Merit Badges to Scouts. Can a Troop, as a standard practice, delay presentation of new rank and Merit Badge achievements until some later event, even if it is several months later?.... I know a troop that will only present newly earned ranks and Merit Badges at a Court of Honor. They have a Court of Honor 3 times a year. If the Scout does not attend the Court of Honor, then they must wait until the next Court of Honor they attend to be presented with their new rank and Merit Badges. Up until Aug 1, 1989, it was standard practice for troops to award everything at courts of honors, that included rank. While it is recommended a troop holds a court of honor every three months (4 times a year) it is sometimes not practical. My son the SPL was barely able to get 2 COHs scheduled in his term of office. So Merit Badges without question can be placed on hold until a later event. Rank is trickier to answer. For some old, traditional units, the “This should be done at a ceremony at the next unit meeting.†Means they only need to recognize that a Scout advanced publically. The “His achievement may be recognized again later, during a formal court of honor.†Means that it is perfectly acceptable for the troop to continue the traditional practice of handing out all awards at COHs. My troop growing up was established way before the 1989 recommendation. The PLC saw the recommendation, and we decided to continue with tradition. The only award we gave out at troop meetings was the Scout Badge, and that was part of the Investiture Ceremony we did giving them their badge, neckerchief woggle, and troop totem. In essence they were officially part of the troop at this point. As for delays in awarding badges, sometimes it is not possible for the next meeting. Some units are in councils with strict adherence to advancement rules and regulations. They must turn in an Advancement Report with two BOR signatures in order to purchase rank. Not everyone lives in a city with a council office. So there can be delays in going to the office to purchase the ranks, and delays in getting them back in the mail. The pack I’m with has a firm deadline: all DL advancement reports must be turned in 2 weeks before the pack meeting to insure they get the awards in time. Some units will present the award the night it’s earned, like Back Pack’s troop. What they do is buy some “replacement†badges using names of Scouts who already have the Rank, mark “REPLACEMENT†on the Advancement Report, and then stockpile the badges. As Scouts earn them, use the badges in the stockpile, and replace them when the AR is turned in. As for making a Scout who misses a COH wait until the next one, that is a decision for the PLC to make. Courts of Honor are big deals, and I can understand if they decide to make someone wait. My two sons were going of be out of town when I COH was scheduled, and they were fully aware of having to wait to receive any awards and were OK with it. But the PLC made that decision. And my boys knew that COHs are a big deal. Thankfully the COH was cancelled at the last minute as the road to the location was washed out. And they were able to attends the rescheduled COH. Can a Troop specify additional requirements before they will present a newly earned rank or Merit Badge to a Scout? If so, what types of additions are permitted, and what types of things are not permitted? Additionally, they say that if the Scout is not current on their dues at the time of the Court of Honor then they will not present their rank and Merit Badges. The “Guide to Advancement 2017†says, “No council, committee, district, unit, or individual has the authority to add to, or subtract from, advancement requirements. There are limited exceptions relating only to members with special needs.†There are similar guidelines regarding Merit Badge requirements. The troop’s position would be that the Scout has still earned the new rank or Merit Badge and it is recorded as such, so they are not adding to the requirements for earning them, they are just not presenting it to them until they have fulfilled additional requirements. It still seems contrary to the guidelines and spirit to me. Are these policies permissible? Regarding being current with dues/ financial obligations and awarding ranks at COHs, every troop I’ve been in or affiliated with has had that policy. Reason being the awards are EXPENSIVE! (emphasis not shouting). The awards at the last court of honor my sons’ troop had was a very small one. Approximately 15 ranks were handed out, 30-40 MBs, and a few special awards the Scouts earned. Cost was over $200. I hate to see what the bill will be for the next COH when all the summer camp MBs and new ranks are purchased. Financially we are not well off. Since Oldest joined 4 years ago, the troop tripled in size. A lot of money has been spent on adding and replacing equipment Yes, we have stuff from the troop’s heyday 30 years ago that is slowly falling apart. So the dues are VERY Important. At one time we gave out awards without dues being collected. Sadly, we had folks get their stuff then quit without every paying what they owed.

I did the European Camp Staff Program and worked at 2 camps in the UK. The Germans we had in those camps would stay up to 2 and 3AM singing and goofing off.

10 essentials, and a survival kit in a 1.5 QT BSA canteen case with a Sterno can in it. Seriously though, I like carrying a survival kit with multiple fire starting sources. That Sterno can I mentioned helped me and my partner avoid hypothermia. I also carry a weather radio. When oldest was a Tiger, we were at a camp where rumors started flying about bad weather headed our way. Scared him, and I am not going keep a Cub Scout camping when he's terrified. Gives a bad camping experience that may throw throw them off camping. All it was was a little rain. That radio was extremely useful when the family went camping on a bald in the Appalachians. After hearing all good weather reports from hikers with smartphones, just before bed I decided to check the weather radio. Found out a severe lighting storm was headed out way. That radio gave us just enough time to strike camp and get to a lower elevation before the heavens opened.

Growing up my camp did. In fact my Cooking MBC was an Aussie. I didn't go back to camp for 6 years, and they no longer had international staff.

Actually someone on one of the Facebook Groups about Scouting mentioned they heard, and another person confirmed it, that National is working on an updated YPT that will require re-certification EVERY (emphasis) year. It is suppose to be out in the near future.

Unfortunately that is what many Scouters and parents want: merit badge mills. I had a Scout take Swimming MB a 2nd time so that he could cool off in the middle of the day. One Scouter thought that was a waste of the Scout's time. I thought it was a good way to get wet. Although I admit, I wish he would have retaken Lifesaving MB instead so A) he could practice those skills and B) so I could try and drown him as his victim I know of camps that give away Chess MB, which has ticked my son off to no end because He's done everything but teach another person to play. Hopefully he'll meet this requirement in December prior to the troop's chess tourney. Sadly he has to run it and cannot compete to keep his title I also know that some Scouters are giving Scouts MBs that they got partials in. Unless they provide paperwork beforehand, when I do Indian Lore, I give out partials. I saw one of the Scouts and followed up on it. He said the SM tol him he completed it at the MBU, which he didn't. Regarding First Aid, sadly that is how it is taught via AHA. Minimal hands-on skills tested. Watching a 4+ hour movie.

Just came back from a local council office's shop. Talking to the individual behind the counter, they were extremely surprised I heard about the BSA going coed in January. Although they said it would be January at the earliest. BRACE YOURSELVES, GIRLS ARE COMING.

We all know that the BSA will change it's policies on this matter at the drop of a hat. And we all know that even having separate female Scout troops, people will not be happy. In fact I think it will make the BSA a larger target in the cross hairs. "Separate, but equal" comes to mind. And let's not forget, THERE IS ALREADY A SEPARATE GIRL SCOUT ORGANIZATION IN EXISTENCE ( caps for emphasis, not shouting), and folks are not happy.