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Hi potlatch, I'm not sure what part is still unclear, so I will offer a quick recap.

 

Youasked "If you are wearing a class B shirt, do use hand over heart or scout salute?" The BSA does not have a "class B " shirt. that is a military term and is not related to the BSA although many volunteers mistakenly do so.

 

The BSA has fo its youth members and majority of adult vlunteers, two distictions in uniforming. The Field Uniform and the Activity Uniform. There is alo a dress uniform worn primarily by professionals though not exclusively.

 

You can find these uniforms in the scout handbook, leader handbooks, and in program specific training.

 

When in a BSA uniform it is most appropriate to use the related hand salute of that program. The BSA has three different hand salutes, one for each program.

 

When out of uniform the civilian hand salute (hand over the heart is the more appropriate. However you will find the main thing is that scouts show respect to the flag in whichever salute they use.

 

Do you have a specific question that was not answered by this?

 

 

 

 

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"So if a Scout is wearing his Scout shirt and blue jeans, he's not in uniform and should salute the flag by placing his hand over his heart?"

 

I found this to be the most interesting question and it hasn't been answered yet. We know that the field uniform shirt alone (with non-uniform pants) does not constitute a uniform. Does that mean that we should instruct any scout not wearing uniform pants or shorts to place his hand over his heart instead of saluting? I understand the principle here; how does it translate into practice in this instance?

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OK, Real World Stuff.

 

I don't expect a scout to do anything he hasn't been taught to do. If we teach a scout that it's OK to wear jeans or BDUs and call it a uniform then that is what the scout will learn. Is he correct? Sure he is, because that is what we taught him. Were we correct? Nope, and we are the adults, we were taught right, or at least had the benefit of having the resources available to get the right answer. we as the adults either didn't learn or chose not to learn, but that is our problem not the scout's.

 

If we wear the uniform and teach the scout what the uniform is then he will follow. We as the leaders have resources available to help him obtain a complete uniform.

 

If we create artificial uniforms then have trouble understanding how to make the artificial uniform work with the real program, then that again is not the scout's problem.

 

So as long as the scout is doing his best, showing respect for the flag (wearing or moving closer to a real scout uniform) I wouldn't correct him individually. I would do my best to follow the BSA program, set the right example, and teach the correct courtesies and continue to remember that the lessons of scouting are a process and are not learned and absorbed by boys overnight or in a month, or even a year. If I do my job right I will have 11 years or more to teach a boy character, citizenship, and fitness.

 

But is all starts with me following the program before I can expect the scout to.

 

 

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This really should be broken down into two separate discussions.

 

1. What is an official boy scout uniform.

2. How to salute the flag while in the uniform and not.

 

I will leave the discussion about offical boy scout uniform to another thread.

 

Bob, tell me if I understand this.

 

If a boy is in an offical boy scout uniform then he should salute the flag.

 

If a boy is NOT in an offical boy scout uniform, then he should put his hand over his heart.

 

Is that correct?

 

 

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