Choosing a Lodge Flap to wear

[cchoat]

As a retired military member who was active in scouting throughout my career, I have had the honor of being a member of several lodges both within the US, and in Europe. (Not to mention the lodge of my youth, Sha-Shu-Gah, in Brooklyn, NY) Each one had it's own really cool patches, and it was really hard to take off one lodge flap to replace it with a new one when I would PCS to a new location.

 

The only National rule that applies to this thread is that if you want to wear an OA Lodge Flap, then you must register with, and wear the lodge flap of the council you are currently registered in.

 

Local lodges have there own additions to this rule. Some have special OA flaps for each degree of the OA (Ordeal, Brotherhood and Vigil) each with own design or special border even though these are suppose to be no no's per national. All have special patches for special events. My personal opinion on these agrees with many on this forum, you wear special patches during the events, and either the flap you were initally given when you joined (or advanced)or the latest flap the lodge issued, members choice.

 

As to wearing flaps issued before you joined, this is just wrong. (Again, my personal opinion)

 

I for one would love to wear my cool old "Black Eagle Lodge" flap from my days with the Trans-Atlantic Council in Germany, but I wear with pride the flap from Quelqueshoe Lodge 166, with a yellow border signifying Brotherhod membership.

[Eagle92]

C,

 

Yep national sent out a policy prohibiting honor borders and ticked out a lot of youth too.

 

Also set back a group of folks in my lodge trying to give new members a flap when they pass the Ordeal. Thanks to national, by laws still state 7 hours as a members to buy a flap.

[jdbsa05]

As a current member of my lodge's executive committee, this advice is spot-on. My only objection is that a lodge cannot "restrict" the wearing of a specific flap by any person who is legitimately authorized to wear a flap. In my lodge, we have a stock flap that changes every now and again as authorized by the LEC that we give to new Ordeal members, but if you somehow got your hands on our "Got Brotherhood" flap (given to Brotherhood members) even if you were an Ordeal member, you could wear that flap. If you didn't go to Jamboree or NOAC but got a flap, you can wear that flap. So long as you have paid dues with our lodge, you can wear any of our flaps. I have accumulated a number of flaps in my years, so much so that I now have a strip of velcro on my uniform where the lodge flap should go so that I can swap out flaps as I see fit. So if your son has a particular flap he wants to wear, go for it.(This message has been edited by jdbsa05)

[Papadaddy]

I "could" also wear a temporary patch on the right pocket from a camp or jambo I never attended. But why would I want to?