Lodge Patches

[ReneScout]

Greetings,

 

I went to the 21st World Jamboree in '07, and in order to mark those in the OA in our troop, a chapter from the lodge north of us (Wauna La Mon'tay) made specially designed flap patches. I tend to be quite proud of going to the Jambo, so I like to wear my Jambo shirt a lot (with some changes for my own troop, of course), and this of course means wearing the WLM'T patch. However, my membership in the OA goes to Tsisquan lodge, not WLM'T. This leads to my question, especially since we have service weekend coming up soon.

 

Can I wear my WLM'T patch even though I am in Tsisquan? I tend to consider it more of a Jamboree patch than an actual OA patch, but that could just be me trying to justify wearing it.

 

Thanks in advance,

Rene

[nolesrule]

You should only wear a lodge flap for the lodge in which you are actively registered.

[Eagle92]

Concur, but doesn't mean you cannot display it by other means. I have a bunch of my 95 WSJ patches in a nice frame on my Wall in the home office.

[John-in-KC]

To heck with the rules, I wear my Ordeal/Brotherhood lodge flap on my Venturing shirt. Walika #228 has been defunct for going on 40 years. Someone has to keep its memory alive.

 

I wear various versions of my current Lodges' flap on other uniforms.

 

 

[nolesrule]

John, I think you can get a pass for historical purposes, especially since you earned the right to wear the flap from the now defunct lodge.

 

But in the original poster's case, it's just not his flap to wear. I collect flaps and CSPs from the 1989 NSJ, which I attended. But I wouldn't wear a neighboring lodge's special event flap (as nice as that pink Aal-Pa-Tah flap looks) just because my lodge didn't produce a special issue for the event, even if some of them had been in the same jambo troop as me.

[Trevorum]

nolesrule is technically correct. But no one except the uniform police will object. If they do, tell your story of WJ with gusto and graciously thank them for their advice.

 

I wear my current lodge flap (Tonkawa) but occasionally, when the uniform police aren't looking, I'll also wear a small enameled Walika pin. (John and I missed being lodge bros by a year as youth - viva Walika!)

 

[nolesrule]

I was just answering the question. If I met ReneScout in real life, I wouldn't say anything. The only time I ever turn into any kind of uniform police is when I'm helping an SPL carry out an official uniform inspection.

[John-in-KC]

Even then, when I'm invited to do an inspection, I'm probably going to say something nice to the Scout ... and leave the comment for the scoresheet

[nolesrule]

I never touch the score sheets, except to score the SPL. I leave the rest to the SPL. I also don't talk to anyone other than the SPL during inspections and that's just to make sure he hasn't overlooked anything. It's his troop, not mine. I'm just a UC and I'm asked to be there to "make it seem more important" as one adult put it (and to follow the annual unit service plan for commissioners).... but I do let them inspect me as well, just to be fair.

[CalicoPenn]

So we've gotten the technical answer (you can only wear the lodge flap of the Lodge you're currently (rather important part too - this currently word) registered in. That means technically you can't wear the Lodge flap of any other Lodge - and also means if you aren't registered in a Lodge at all, you can't wear any Lodge flap, even if you were inducted into the OA.

 

We've gotten the answer most of us would support - the "No, you really shouldn't but we aren't going to say anything if you do" answer. I like that John continues to wear the Lodge flap from his original Lodge, especially since it no longer exists. Against the rules? Yeah, but it's his choice - and he's got a pretty nice justification for it which seems to segue rather nicely to the point I want to make, which I'll make in a series of questions that only you can answer for yourself.

 

Ask yourself if membership in the Tsisquan Lodge has any meaning for you. You seem to be an active member of the Lodge - at least that's the impression I get as you say you're going to be attending the next service weekend. Is this the Lodge that you were inducted into? Are you proud of your Lodge? Then ask yourself if the Wauna La Mon'tay Lodge has any meaning to you beyond a pretty patch. Do you have any connection to the Wauna La Mon'tay lodge other than the patch that was given to you at the World Jamboree?

 

Once you answer those questions, then let your heart guide you to the answer that serves you best.

 

I know that personally, I wouldn't wear it. In fact, I doubt I would have made any adjustments to a World Jamboree shirt - I'd keep it intact as a memento, and perhaps wear it on special occasions when I wanted to highlight my trip to World Jamboree.

 

 

[ReneScout]

Points taken and noted, thanks.

 

~Rene