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To Wear or Not to Wear Merit Badge Sash?


hotdesk

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Black pants is not part of the Scout uniform. Black may be traditional for funerals, but frankly, black pants will look bad with a uniform shirt and sash. The boys will look rag-tag, like Scout wanna-bees, not real Boy Scouts. They'll look like Scouts on the top, and street boys down below. Real strange, and just plain silly.

 

If a boy owns a pair of official Scout pants, he should wear them. It is never proper to tell a Boy Scout he must substitute something else for the real thing. It's more important that each boy wear as much of the uniform that he has. That's a lot more important than having them all look identical.

 

Ed, I'm surprised that you would take a position like that. I thought you liked the official uniform?! Explain how identical is better than some Scouts with a complete uniform and some missing some part. Explain why it is OK under any circumstance for a leader to direct Scouts to substitute street clothes for uniform parts.

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FScouter -- Nice catch on the black pants, and a dead on response. I missed the black pants part in my first reading.

 

Black pants may be appropriate for funerals, but not if the family is looking for BSA representation. Black pants are not part of the uniform of Boy Scouts. They are not forbidden wear, they are simply not part of the uniform.

 

DS

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Fscouter,

I do like the official BSA uniform. But from what I got out of hotdesk' post was not all the Scouts in his unit have the BSA pants. So he choose different pants. Remember we are supposed to wear the uniform correctly as possible.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

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"Black pants are not part of the uniform of Boy Scouts. They are not forbidden wear, they are simply not part of the uniform."

 

Exactly right DS, and to represent them as such is not within the authority or responsibility of a volunteer at the unit, district or council level.

 

Wearing black dress pants with a uniform shirt is no more correct than wearing jeans. It is not for the troop to determine anying other than the neckerchief on the field uniform.

 

Bob White

 

 

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Here I go sticking my neck out.

First, I don't see why the Scouts in the troop would want to be part of a funeral when they don't know the person??

Sad as it may be after a certain amount of time has past the youth in a troop might have heard of you but they don't know you.

As a district, we offer a small service at the Funeral home when a "Old Timer" passes on.

This is an adult service.

Even with this there are times when there is not a big turn out when the person has not been active for a long time.

As for the uniform.

Life is not hard the uniform is the uniform.

You don't have to wear it but if you opt to wear it you wear all of it.

Maybe that is why it is called a uniform?

As members of the organization we do not have the right to alter or change it.

Eamonn

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"First, I don't see why the Scouts in the troop would want to be part of a funeral when they don't know the person??"

 

To show respect for the person and what they accomplished. I've been to more than a few funerals for people that I didn't know. The Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetary are guarding soldiers that they didn't know. The Marines that show up at the local veteran's funeral didn't know him.

 

Scouting is supposed to be a family. Evidently you missed that.

 

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Black pants aren't part of the uniform but if no one has a complete uniform, I don't see it out of line to say, "Okay, everyone wear black pants" even though I think that black and khaki don't look good together.

 

If you're going to go buy new pants (the black ones) go to Old Navy and buy some OD green pants.

 

 

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OUr troop was asked to perform as a color guard (minimum of 5) at a "hottie tottie" reception for FOS donors, both corporate and individual. I'll be honest, the SM picked boys from the troop (not all) who HAD the complete uniform and requested somewhat uniform shoes ("brownish" clean hiking shoes, not all had dress shoes). For what it is worth, the "complete" uniform did not include sashes of any sort (MB, OA, etc.). All wore their custom troop hats. I thought it worked out real well.

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Last I heard this was a program for young people.

Unlike the professional armed forces.

If the Scouts have said that they want to do this that is one thing.

I would however guess that the idea didn't come from the Scouts.

Please show me where it is written that this game makes us a family.

Thanks

Eamonn

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DS,

I agree that black pants aren't part of the uniform. But what I got from hotdesks' post is not all the Scouts have uniform pants and all he was doing was setting a standard for the Troop when it attends funerals. Sure they should be wearing the full uniform. But if they don't have it this seems like a good solution. Uniform also means the same.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

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"Please show me where it is written that this game makes us a family."

 

If you don't view Scouting as a global family, maybe you don't belong in Scouting.

 

I'd explain how funerals are a social obligation and how that idea is vanishing from our society because parents say, "They don't want to go . . ." as if anyone wants to go to a funeral. I'd explain that to you but you wouldn't understand.

 

One other thing.

Where did you come.

Up with this stange style of writing.

In which you stick periods.

Everywhere?

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Bob White stated, "I feel no kinship to those who degrade or misuse the program and it's members."

 

Are you saying that the dead guy misused the program?

 

FScouter said, "I would hope that if a kid needs to buy pants for Scouting, he would buy the uniform pants before he buys black pants"

 

What if he only has $12.50 to spend?

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