min. 5 badges to wear sash?

[Kim near Seattle]

Our (outgoing but longtime) advancement chair told me that the boys aren't supposed to wear their sashes until they have at least 5 merit badges sewn on them. I can't find this confirmed anywhere. Can you point me to the rules, if indeed this is true?

Thanks!

 

--Kim near Seattle

[FScouter]

Why not ask him where that is written, so you can learn more about it?

[Oak Tree]

FScouter's suggestion is a good one, because the advancement chair won't be able to show you any official documentation to that effect. It's one of the many Scouting myths floating around. No numbers are discussed in the Insignia Guide.

 

Oak Tree

[EagleInKY]

To quote another thread... "horse hockey"

 

This is another urban legend. Why, I had a young lad show up a Court of Honor this past summer wearing a MB Sash with ZERO merit badges on it. He'd only been in scouts for about a month. I was proud of him for taking pride in the uniform and wanting to dress the part.

 

[baden]

AAARGH!!!

 

This sort of thing drives me crazy!!!

 

Why would anyone bust some kids chops for wearing a MB sash?

 

I'm thrilled when they wear them at all.

[Vicki]

I'm with Baden on this one. Associated with two troops at the moment (Advancement Chair for one until just recently) and very few of the scouts will wear their mb sashes at all! Including my 14 year old Life scout - who also has to be threatened with life and limb to wear the socks and keep his shirt tucked in for more than the actual time the COH lasts.

 

This adult garbage is almost more than a person can take sometimes.

 

Vicki (having a hard time w/some adults this a.m., so if this is a little over the top, well, sorry about that)(This message has been edited by Vicki)

[scoutldr]

This myth may stem from the day when the first 6 merit badges could be worn on the right sleeve of the long sleeved shirt (it may still be acceptable, but few wear long sleeves any more). After that, they were moved to a sash, so you never saw sashes with less than 6 MB. Sashes came in two widths, either 2 badges wide, or three. I never really understood the purpose of that, except the 2-wide might have looked better on a really small or skinny kid. They also were available in forest green for Explorer Scouts.

 

[Wickerness]

I'm sorry, but if I saw a young scout earn his first merit badge and he was wanting to wear a sash with just one mb on it. I wouldn't stop him for even a second. Let the kids be proud with their accomplishments. It's better than dealing with the ones that you have to fight to put on their sash or even their uniform for that matter.

Granted I didn't wear my sash all the time when I was a scout, but I did have it on when I was wearing full uniform for ceremonies and when I was receiving another badge that I had earned.

 

Of course I think wearing a sash when you haven't earned any badges yet would be silly, but I don't know if I would even say anything then.

[scottteng]

Long sleeve shirts ? Do they still make those? Don't know as if I have ever seen one here in Florida. Course our short sleeve uniform shirts do look a little silly worn over a sweatshirt but that's why you buy it extra big isn't it? Let em wear their sashes even if the mb's are safety pinned on we could do like GS and let em put other patches down the back of the sash.

[jr56]

You can wear any number of merit badges on the sash.

[SSScout]

Hokey Dokey.

The sash is worn OVER the right shoulder with the pointy end on ones left hip.

Merit Badges are lined up in rows of three from the top down, on the FRONT, and "temp" patches may now be worn on the BACK of the sash. Well enough.

 

Boy in our Troop has ADD issues, and very encouraging parents. Just made First Class. Seems he sewed his badges on the sash himself. Real nice, neat job. He showed it to me and I inspected it for him when he brought it proudly to the CoH Troop meeting. Trouble was, he sewed the mbs on so that the pointy end was the top and the tempo badges were on the front. I gently showed him my sons sash and let him make his own comparison. He nodded and went to his parents to confer. He received his FC without wearing the sash, but his folks were proud none the less.(This message has been edited by SSScout)