Properly wearing the OA sash on the uniform

[TheGong]

Wearing special tabs for jambo is one thing but to then single out OA members is a little over the top. We already have our lodge flaps and universal arrow ribbon to wear on our uniforms all the time. We also have a sash for OA events and promoting the OA. Jambos are special and few people overall go to them making special tabs easy to hand out but with the number of OA members we have there is no way we can make tabs for ourselves. That being said one of our lodges up here in Michigan have special OA tabs and it drives me mad seeing it on their uniforms.

[Jeffrey H]

"What if your lodge has an ugly pocket flap?"

 

Mine does. I removed my lodge patch recently simply because I did not like it. My shirt actually looks better without it and it also gave me an excuse to start reducing the number of patches on my shirt. I've been a leader for a while and my shirt was starting to look like a NASCAR driver suit.

[emb021]

"Ya got special Jambo shoulder tabs so why not OA tabs? "

 

Barf.

 

I hate the idea of special shoulder tabs.

 

A jamboree patch is quite enough to show that you went to the Jamboree. You don't need special tabs.

 

Tabs shouldn't be used to show what event you went to. And having special OA tabs would conflict, as arrowmen could be wearing ANY of the current tabs.

 

 

[acco40]

Shoulder loops, shoulder loops, shoulder loops!

 

Not epaulets, not tabs.

 

Sorry, a pet peeve of mine.

[TheGong]

actually tabs is an accepted term, epaulets is not. National does classify them as loops but they can be called tabs. Epaulets describe the cloth portion of the uniform that the loops, or tabs, go on.

[desertrat77]

Tabs, epaulets, loops...regardless of nomenclature, they are the single most useless item ever to be instituted on the BSA uniform, be they authorized or unauthorized. Pure vanity, the province of peacocks showing their plummage.

[jrush]

Desert, what's the difference between that and everything else that goes on the uniform? Everything beyond the council strip, unit number (if applicable), US flag, world crest and Boy Scouts of America is "plummage".

 

 

 

[desertrat77]

Jrush, excellent question! First and foremost, tabs are redundant. We wear a patch on our left arm that tells the world what we do for scouting. Be it the CSE, or a seasoned district guy/gal, or the newest ASM, there's a patch for each of us.

 

So why tabs? What do they offer? If scouters are standing around drinking coffee, all wearing different colored tabs, what does it mean? That gold is better than silver? Silver better than blue? (In my opinion, the unit level colors are the most prestigious.) The tabs mean Nothing. Just foppery.

 

As for the other items you mentioned, I can't help but remember that the BSA didn't have the US flag on the uniform till the late 60s/early 70s. I still recall the world crest being a very rare thing that folks earned at international encampments and then wore proudly.

 

PS

 

Jrush: Just reread your post and realized that I missed the mark on my response above. What I should have said instead of my screed was "You are right, I agree"(This message has been edited by desertrat77)

[Woapalanne]

Obviously some of the above are not OA. The shoulder loop is NOT useless; it keeps the sash in place - it was always slipping off when I wore the pre-1980 uniform to work in. It does the same for a merit badge sash for the youth.

[desertrat77]

Woapalanne, I've been in the OA since '76...and when it is time to work, my OA sash is hung over the nearest tree branch, or folded up and stowed in my pack. Also, sashes used to be much smaller in length back in the day, there was far less material to slip.

 

But that's just me. If folks want to wear sashes to work, more power to them. But I don't think that alone justifies adding a useless appendage like loops to the uniform.

[acco40]

Arghhhhh!

 

No, shoulder loops do not help to hold up a merit badge or Order of the Arrow sash unless you really do something funky with your uniform.

 

Epaulets do that for you.

 

Shoulder loops are helpful indicators to tell if one is in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, District/Council position, etc. They should not be viewed as one being better or worse than one another.

[desertrat77]

Acco,

 

Whatever the name of the things, why do we need to distinguish between cubs, district, etc.? Does it really matter? And if it does, why aren't position patches adequate?

[TheGong]

I think distiguishing between cub and boy scout is good but everyone I know who wears silver always wears silver no matter the uniform or event, and gold is just as bad.

I could see haveing a different color for DEs and employees but even that is hearsay

[acco40]

I wore my silver shoulder loops only when I was acting as a Unit Commissioner. I wore my blue when acting as a Webelos Den Leader and wore my red as a Scoutmaster. If I wore my silver as a Scoutmaster advertises that that either I'm ignorant of BSA uniform policy or an ego centric bore who chooses which guidelines to follow (like may who frequent this forum?).

 

Position patches are more difficult to spot than the shoulder loops but yes, they are somewhat redundant.(This message has been edited by acco40)

[desertrat77]

Acco, we weren't discussing "wear whatever tab you wish with whatever position you wish"...I think that's obvious. My position is that the entire concept of having tabs/loops/epaulets to distinguish folks is vanity...ego-centric, if I may borrow a phrase.

 

(This message has been edited by desertrat77)