Eagle Scout Rank Patch wear after age 18

[pargolf44067]

That's kind of funny.  My oldest son still refuses to change his red loops to the new green ones.  They changed when he was a junior in HS I think and he wanted to know why they changed them, so even though everyone in the troop got the green ones, he still wore the red ones.

[Stosh]

The boys of my troop have chosen to wear the old red loops.  Can't buy them, but my ASM found ribbon to match the official ones and makes them for the boys as needed.  If someone has a beef about it, they can talk to my SPL.  By the way, the neckers are a problem, too.  They don't have a troop necker, they have patrol neckers.  The boys of the one patrol wear blaze orange square neckers with black trim and the adults wear blaze orange with silver trim.  When we get enough boys for another patrol, there will be yet another color trim to the blaze orange necker.  From 10' away they look the same, but they aren't.

[jr56]

I love the concept of patrol neckerchiefs,  awesome idea.

[Eagle94-A1]

I said it then, and I'll say it again. Switching the loops from red to green as well as the unit numbers was the most idiotic thing. And to make it worse, saying Cub Scout Leaders and Webelos wearing weaing the tan and green still need to wear red numbers is pure stupidity.

 

At least the powers that be decided that anyone can wear the tan and green or tan and red trained strip. Although I love how the G2AI has that as the last sentance of the sentance regarding trained strips.

 

FYI, According to the info on the Centennial Uniforms that came out, all uniform items of the ODLs are compatible with the CUs. So red loops and numbers with the CUs is acceptable.

 

As for me, Only CU shirt I got is my CS leader one. So I still have red loops.

[Sentinel947]

I never wore my Eagle Patch. As for the shoulder loops... I wore red until I outgrew my ODL. Then when I got a centinnial Uniform I gave my ODL to the Troop for a troop uniform closet and left the Troop numbers on it. So I switched to Green. It's not a big deal IMO. 

[Stosh]

Since the 1970's (Vietnam Era) BSA has been trying desperately to dump the military image.  Yet when the military came out with the muted insignia, well, the green/tan numerals and green loops appeared on the scene.  Go figure.  Even an idiot can figure that out.  But the best reaction to the change came from one of the people in the scout shop.  I went in to buy red loops and they said they don't sell them anymore.  They have the red numerals for Cub Scouts, but only the blue loops.  

 

In my inquisitive nature, and playing dumb, I asked why this came about and the lady behind the counter told me that the red and white scared the animals and by toning down the colors it made it more conducive to nature.  I think that is the only time in my life I was able to hold a straight face and yet keep from peeing my pants with laughter.

[scoutldr]

I did take a Leave No Trace course once put on by a traveling team from Subaru. They claimed that LNT also meant no loud colors, so all of our clothing, tents, and equipment should be in muted earth tones. I did raise an eyebrow at that.

[TAHAWK]

Darth West aside, BSA has traditionally been troubled about a military image.  To that end, even West dumped shooting MB's early on (Which upset Board member General Leonard Wood and the NRA.).  BSA took a public position against using Scouting for military training.

 

Wars came along, and BSA got more on board with things military, at least for the duration(s).

 

2008

The story we got from council about the change to subdued patches, which the military has worn in combat theaters since WW I, was that BSA asked the boys (Imagine !) and found they wanted less of a circus look.

[Stosh]

BSA hasn't always been avoiding military issues.

 

The Tom Slade series inroduces a forgotten gem of American fiction, the Bridgboro Boy Scout novels by Percy Keese Fitzhugh. Introduced in 1915 when the Boy Scout movement was new, the books glow with the freshness of the movement and the optimism of an age when everything seemed possible. In addition to Tom Slade, the series and introduces a number of beloved characters, including Pee-wee Harris, Roy Blakeley, and Westy Martin, each of whom later goes on to have his own series of books.

Keese's main characters are based on real people, giving the books an authenticity unusual in juvenile fiction (or any fiction). The self-reliant boys are reminiscent of the heroes in Robert A. Heinlein's early fiction (not surprising because both authors' work was serialized in "Boys Life").  

 

1. Tom Slade, Boy Scout, 1915.
2. Tom Slade at Temple Camp, 1917
3. Tom Slade on the River, 1917.
4. Tom Slade with the Colors, 1918.
5. Tom Slade on a Transport, 1918.
6. Tom Slade with the Boys over There, 1918.
7. Tom Slade, Motorcycle Dispatch Bearer, 1918.
8. Tom Slade with the Flying Corps, 1919.
9. Tom Slade at Black Lake, 1921.
10. Tom Slade on Mystery Trail, 1921.
11. Tom Slade's Double Dare, 1922.
12. Tom Slade on Overlook Mountain, 1923.
13. Tom Slade Picks a Winner, 1924.
14. Tom Slade at Bear Mountain, 1925.
15. Tom Slade, Forest Ranger, 1926.
16. Tom Slade in the North Woods, 1927.
17. Tom Slade at Shadow Isle, 1928.
18. Tom Slade in the Haunted Cavern, 1929.
19. The Parachute Jumper, 1930.   

This is one of several series commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America.

[TAHAWK]

Certainly not always. Note the dates for 4-8.  We were in the war.  

[Rick_in_CA]

I did take a Leave No Trace course once put on by a traveling team from Subaru. They claimed that LNT also meant no loud colors, so all of our clothing, tents, and equipment should be in muted earth tones. I did raise an eyebrow at that.

I have heard that too. I disagree with it. When backpacking in the back country, I think tents and such should be brightly colored so they can be seen from the air and not mistaken for something natural. It just might save your life.

[Stosh]

I have adhered to the LNT which goes beyond just cleaning up after yourself and not making a permanent impact on things.  Loud colors, loud noises, unsavory smells, etc. all go along with the LNT principle.  No one wants to go out into the wilderness to enjoy the simplicity of nature and have Ringling Brother Barnam and Bailey show up next door.  If one is worried about the right yellow tent being able to be seen in an emergency, a yellow survival blanket or poncho works just as well.  As a matter of fact, smoke and fire do a pretty good job too.  There are other alternatives besides a perpetual circus atmosphere when there  isn't an emergency.

[SSScout]

I like a bright colored raincoat in the dark drab weather.  Helps folks see you in the weather. Brightens the day.  Bright colored tent?  Helps one find the campsite thru the woods.  

I slways pick out the bright color if I can in buying coats/ponchos.   The black, Goth look is not for me.....

 

Once while driving my bus on a wintry day (it had dropped 12" of snow the day before) , a passenger boarded wearing all white. Boots, coat, chaps, hood, all white.  White bag, white covered camera and tripod. He was on his way to photo in the nearby park.  That is one way to dress with a purpose.   If our purpose is to NOT dress like the military, then we need to stand out, not blend in.

When I am asked about the military bent of Scouting, I like to hold out my hands and say "do I look like an officer?"   I would still like to do that.

[TAHAWK]

You never heard of the Orange Goths?

[RememberSchiff]

Never understood the colors and sounds argument from LNT, but to each their own.

 

I wear blaze (safety) orange and blue year round due to hunters. No white! I like higher visibility tents for safety reasons as well, particulalry in bad weather. I don't bring a boom box but I have clanged a bell along in bear territory.

 

Not like back in the day when scouts practiced "stalking" for a SC requirement and wore a green uniform during hunting season.