Gold Stars placed on a Troop Flag

[theysawyoucomin']

There was a post on the uniform thread a while back, I have recently sent an email to the Gold Star mothers organization asking them to tell their members to tell our members to honor their fallen sons.

 

The Gold Star mothers and siblings know if their loved ones were Scouts.

 

First to review the reg from the uniform guide:

 

GOLD STARS (MEMORIAL) Gold stars may be affixed to the unit flag indicating members of the unit who died in the service of their country. The stars should be placed along the staff edge of the flag, parallel to the staff, with the bottom star 6 inches from the staff edge and 6 inches from the bottom edge; subsequent stars to be placed proportionately on that line, up to the place assigned to the veteran insignia, No. 11117.

 

Ref: Insignia Guide, page 49 (2003-2005 edition)

 

Next my note to them:

 

Ma'am,

 

My name is ---------------- I am a Scoutmaster in Troop XX , ---------------------, NY The Troop XX flag proudly displays 6 gold stars signifying 6 former Boy Scouts from the Troop that went on to lose their lives in service to their country. Five stars are for WW2 members and one is from Vietnam.

Why am I telling you this? The fact that you can remember the fallen on a Troop flag is just not well known in the Scouting community.

Can a letter be written to the Boy Scout national HQ from the Gold Star Mothers asking them to reinforce this tradition with all Boy Scout and Cub Scout units?

Secondly can this "word" be passed to all Gold Star mothers through your newsletter? Many Boy Scout Troops from long ago still function in the towns where your members still reside. If not, many brothers and sisters would be able contact Troops. Any Boy Scout Troop or Cub Pack would be proud to display this small remembrance for a fallen former member.

 

Let us both work together to insure every fallen warrior is remembered.

 

Incidentally I am a former Marine. The person that found this regulation for us is --------------, a medically retired Army Reserve or National Guard Captain.

 

Sincerely, uz2bnowl

 

 

A response came back:

 

I've thought about this in relation to the original intent of the service banners/gold star banners. The fact that this use isn't traditional (meaning it isn't the normal rectangular red, white and blue window banner) certainly doesn't detract from the fact that it shares the same intent as the service banners - to acknowledge, honor and memorialize the sacrifice of an American in the nation's service. Although the government did codify the use of the service banner in the 1919 World Almanac, it was more along the line of suggestions, certainly not laws like we have for the use and presentation of the American flag. Therefore it doesn't have to be a traditional service flag that displays the gold stars - heaven knows there were thousands of interpretations made by families and organizations in World War I and II.

 

So, from my perspective, the use of gold stars on Boy Scout troop flags seems to be an acceptable adaptation of the original intent of the service flags. I can't think of any organizations that would treat those stars with more honor than the Boy Scouts. I love the idea of those young men being told what those stars represent and perhaps a bit of personal history about the young men who were once Scouts, as they are now, who went on to serve the nation in this way in a time of need. I see whole future generations of Scouts understanding and appreciating the symbolism of the gold star - an understanding and appreciation that far too few in this nation now have.

 

If you like, we could work up a "speech" or "ceremony" that a gold star mother or Scout master might deliver to dedicate the gold stars on a Troop banner (I particularly like the possibility of gold star mothers being involved in this with the troop). That, plus personal comments about the soldier(s) they represent if such information is available, would be a meaningful tribute. Such an adaptation would also clearly promote the original intent of AGSM to perpetuate the memory of those lost and to inculcate patriotism in the youth of the nation:

 

Section 2: To preserve the records and perpetuate the memory of those whose lives were sacrificed.

Section 3: To maintain true allegiance to the United States of America; to inculcate lessons of patriotism and love of country in the communities

in which we live; to inspire reverence for the Stars and Stripes in the youth of the Nation.

Perhaps a note on the AGSM website with a link to the Scout regulation in the Insignia Guide would be helpful as well as a note in the newsletter.

 

I will leave this in your hands from this point - I have not included any of the other moms on the distribution of this note so you could present it as you wish. Please let me know what is decided!

 

 

 

 

 

This is not an official response from the whole organization. More of another way to get the word out about honoring these former Scouts.

 

I put this up here so that if somebody calls your Troop and says there is a provision to remember their loved one they are correct.

 

I know I have written about this a couple of times and some might think, "Why is he going on and on about this?"

 

 

You can be sure I'll stop when every former Cub and Boy Scout that gave his life for his country gets the honor he deserves

 

I should not be so sexist it is not much of a stretch to think that a young lady could have been and Explorer, Venture Crew member, or leader and be included in this honor.

 

Please pass this word to folks in every district in America.

 

Thank you.

 

 

[GKlose]

While not Gold Star related --

 

I watched an HBO movie premiere Sunday evening: "Taking Chance", which starred Kevin Bacon as Marine Lt Col Michael Strobl as an escort to the body of a young Marine killed in action. Very powerful movie, based on a true story, and the funeral scene towards the end of the movie features a long line of Boy Scouts holding American flags.

 

The movie was based on an article Lt Col Strobl wrote. I found it online here: http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/Strobl.pdf

[ilduncans]

Owl,

 

How in the world did I miss this post? I'm no regular poster (twenty-something posts in ~6 years!) but I keep pretty close track on most everything in the Scouting world related to Gold Stars on my continuing crusade to get this unit recognition the awareness and support infrastructure it deserves.

 

Thanks so much for your work on this cause! As mentioned somewhere in the previous thread on this topic, I also have a ceremony that we did some years ago -- and very happy to share, and help anyone else that finds themselves in need ... Just let me know!

 

 

[Eagle732]

uz,

 

"Why is he going on and on about this?" Well I'm glad you have persisted, I knew nothing about this, THANK YOU! Your post prompted an immediate call to our COR, a veteran and member of the local VFW and AL. He will be checking the records of those organizations searching for past troop members who have died in the service to our country. Our troop has been in existence since 1926 and I know we will have at least one star to add to our flag, a WWII Army Air Corps navigator who died in Italy.

[NEPAScouter]

As part of my troop's 75th anniversary activities (we're now in our 82nd year), we researched the early years of the troop, including the WWII time period, with the intention of checking for troop members who died in the war. Unfortunately, many of the families of members from that time (1928-1945ish) have long since moved away or passed away.

 

Fortunately for us, our council had our troop's original written charter applications stuffed away in a cabinet drawer for those years. In spite of 2 council mergers in the meantime! By cross-checking with this website's information

 

http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ww2/army-casualties/

 

we were able to recognize four of our members who died in the service of our country, including one who earned Eagle in 1942, entered the service in 1943 and lost his life in 1945. We make sure that our new scouts learn the meaning of those stars on our flag.

 

PS: the link above also has links to casualties in the other armed services besides the army.