BSA24

Gossip is never a good thing. It destroys relationships, breaks trust, and rarely helps anyone accomplish anything other than passing around vague half-truths which cause more gossip, accusations, cliques, etc. Scouting is here for youth to learn to be better people. Let the boy try to learn to be a better person and give him a chance to start over. Let the sinners come to church, too. That's sort of the whole point.

Webdog, I recommend you wear the father's pin wherever you like on your uniform. BSA's Insignia Guide is a "guide" - not a holy book or a set of laws. It guides us in how to properly adorn our uniforms so that we are mostly uniform. Your integrity is not on the line if you put a father's eagle pin on your shirt. I am an old eagle scout myself, and if my father put on his old leader's uniform with his father's pin on it, I'd glow in the dark. Let's keep our eyes on the prize, folks. We don't do this to follow rules. The guidelines exist to help us do things well, not to create process and procedure for its own sake. We are in this to grow youth into good citizens who love leadership, service, character, achievement, and the outdoors. If wearing a father's pin on the shirt doesn't obscure or harm that mission, and may help it, then do it.

RE: Den Chief must be first class... I must be the source of this urban legend. But I never tell anyone that it is a BSA policy. I am the cubmaster, and I will not approve any boy who is not first class as a den chief. Frankly, though, I really don't want a first class scout, either. I prefer the den chief be an eagle scout, quartermaster, or ranger. If they are in OA and have gone through YLT, that's who I want. The more Boy Scout I can get, the better. 11 year old tenderfoot scouts do not make good den chiefs. They are just big cub scouts and their service is usually of little use to the den leader. Serving the den leader and helping them find a boy scout to assist them and guide cub scouts is my job. Providing Jimmy with a den chief cord is not my job. The den chief position is a huge deal in a pack. When staffed with a really strong scout, like someone who used to be the SPL of his troop and is too young to be an ASM, it turns arts and crafts dens into hiking, camping, knot tying scouting dens.

Also, you don't wear both the medal and a knot for something, like if you're an Eagle you don't wear both the Eagle Medal and the Eagle Knot, you pick one or the other. You can wear the knot and the medal together. You can pin the medal right under the knot on the top seam of the left pocket. I assure you it will attach there nicely.