Capture the Patrol Flag!?!?!?!?!

[SctDad]

The boy scout troop went to the Council Camporee this past weekend. My wife and myself worked together for them and made a patrol flag for them. THey painted it and put their patrol name on it. All we did was make the flag itself. I also gave them a patrol flagpole (that came apart in the middle for easier packing) that I had accidentally ordered thinking it was different. (I ordered the wrong flagpole from national.)

 

Well while at Camporee this weekend, They had left the campsite and someone came in and took, not only the flag, but the pole too.

 

Now I remember doing things like this wehn I was a scout, but we always returned things at the end of the Camporee. We never took them home with us. I understand that there is a good old game of I got your flag, but keeping the flag and pole, I dunno.

 

Should I do anything about this. Or should the boys just have to make another. I told them I would bring in the fabric this time and they could make the new flag themselves. Yes that means sewing. (The Lost Art). As for the pole, I think that may be gone for good. How does this play into the scout law.

 

Any Advice?

[OldGreyEagle]

At the very least, you need to let Council know about the theft. Who knows, another scoutmaster may have found a patrol flag that he was told was found by the Kleptomania patrol or some such thing. I take it no one from your Troop took the flag as a prank?

 

It is disheartening when such an event transpires

[Eagle92]

IMHO going into another unit's campsite is wrong unless A) Invited, B) You ask permission, or C) You are on staff and inspecting the campsite. To me that constitutes theft. and Yes contact your DE, Reggie, or Mike (aka Mr. Happy) about the matter.

 

That said, if the patrol forgot the flag at an event, or left it laying somewhere that was accessible to anyone, yeah capture the patrol flag, as that was a common game in my troop. BUT we always returned the flag, usually at a meal time, and again we never went into a group's campsite. back in the day, the patrol would usually have to sing to get it back, but some consider that hazing nowadays.

 

Other than the Klepto patrol and your flag, how was camporee? I had to go camping at Camp Charles with the pack oldest is joining. they invited us to tag along.

 

 

[SctDad]

OGE

 

The Troop that had the flag stolen is the one that my son will be crossing into in a few years. I have been helping them with some things. The boys did not have a patrol flag. I had some heavy duty material and me and my wife cut the material and sewed it together, along with the ties to attach it to the flagpole.

 

There were only the two required adults there and 5 Boys. When I stopped by the meeting last night, the first thing that the SM said is there is Mr Chris. They boys kinda had that look of 'You tell him. No You Tell him.'

 

I thnk they were more concerned with upsetting me than anything. I just told them that they would have to make the next one. They painted the first so it should not be a major deal. Just one of them is going to have to learn to sew.

 

I was thinking that it may be appropriate to ask the boys and leadership what they want to do.

 

Eagle, I did not go with them. I just heard about this last night.(This message has been edited by SctDad)

[SctDad]

A little update on the status of the falg and falgpole.

 

The boys were at an event and set the flag down. They went to the next area where they realized they had left it behind. The SM went back to the other area to retrieve it. When he got there he a boy walking away with their flagpole, then sit down and pull out a knife to start whittling on the flagpole. He went up and got the flagpole from the boy. But the flag was no where to be found. It was gone. Someone had gone through and taken off the flag from the flag pole. I know that the chances of this being an accident are slim, as there were three ties holding the flag on the pole.

 

I guess I would have to say so much several points of the scout law in this incident. Namely HELPFUL, COURTEOUS, TRUSTWORTHY.

 

I am going to provide the boys with some fabric and supplies to make a new one. This time I am going to reccommend to them to that they put their troop number on the flag and flag pole.

[Eagle92]

Yes definitely put unit number on it. My old troop used semaphore flags, painting the patrol emblem center, and adding a council strip in one corner, and a troop patch in the other.

 

As Lem Siddons learned (at least in the book) not everyone who joins Scouts is a scout.

[allangr1024]

A few years back at a council camporee with all the area units, the boys of a certain troop started running through the campsites, taking down troop flags and running off. It seems that this troops scoutmaster remembered a game years back where boys were encouraged to steal the flags from other troops at gatherings like this. So he unleashed his boys to go "play the game".

 

Unfortunately on one else in the council had ever heard of this "game". I don't think the council professionals knew of it. So the boys made a ruckus and got a bunch of scouters mad at them. It tool some time for the dust to settle, and the old scoutmaster of these boys was dumbfounded that this was not a scheduled event.

 

I wonder if they did any other stuff like this in "ye olden days."

[allangr1024]

A few years back at a council camporee with all the area units, the boys of a certain troop started running through the campsites, taking down troop flags and running off. It seems that this troops scoutmaster remembered a game years back where boys were encouraged to steal the flags from other troops at gatherings like this. So he unleashed his boys to go "play the game".

 

Unfortunately on one else in the council had ever heard of this "game". I don't think the council professionals knew of it. So the boys made a ruckus and got a bunch of scouters mad at them. It tool some time for the dust to settle, and the old scoutmaster of these boys was dumbfounded that this was not a scheduled event.

 

I wonder if they did any other stuff like this in "ye olden days."

[Eagle92]

Allengr1024,

Actually the first time I heard of an activity like this, it was called "Capture the Den Flag" and it was played at CS Day camp. It seemed that some denners or den chiefs, can't remember who was responsible for the den flag, were leaving them around and forgetting them. So 'capture the den flag" resulted. there were rules, i.e. no going into the den's area, no raiding flags while a den was in a program area, etc, and the entire den, including DC and the parent, had to sing Squirrelly to get it back. Good clean fun.

[artjrk]

During IOLS we were encouraged to "steal' the other patrol's flag. As it turned out i had an old college roommate in the other patrol. He knew I would be the one to take it and had me watched the whole time. Of course we were able to use this to our advantage. As I stayed to one side of their group with all eyes on me, a fellow patrol member was able to walk right in and get their flag. I Cub Scout pack was camped out next to our group so they were happy to hold the flag for us. We returned it at dinner time in front of all the instructors so that all knew we had topped them in this "patrol competition"

 

I have not encouraged my scouts to do anything to another Troop, but these posting have given me the idea of just switching troop flags at the next camporee and see how long it takes them to notice.

 

I guess sometimes we just never grow up.

 

 

[Eamonn]

It has always struck me as being a little odd.

Adults as a rule start this kinda thing.

Telling Scouts that they have to keep their flag with them at all times

This seem less harmless activity somehow then mutates into becoming the main activity of an entire weekend.

At times the effort put into trying to steal and trying not allow it to be stolen over rides everything else.

I suppose it might be argued that keeping a flag from being taken is in some way about "A Scout is thrifty"

But..

Encouraging Scouts to try and steal something from someone else?

I think we can do better.

Ea.

[SctDad]

I think that we may be getting off topic. The main point of this thread was that someone stole the boys patrol flag, (which was never seen again) and flagpole, (one scout was going to use as a whitling project)and that I cannot see how they could do something that is that destructive. I merely mentioned that we used to do something like this when I was a scout, but we never damaged or defaced a flag.

 

And it is not like the boy with the knife could say that he did not know it was a flag pole. It had the breakdown part in the middle for easy storage.

[Narraticong]

I guess I am not sure what advice you are looking for. The flag is being replaced. The "whittler" was caught and hopefully dealt with appropriately. That sounds like it should have been a conversation between two Scoutmasters. It doesn't sound like the "thieves" will be caught.

 

What else is there to be done? People do stupid things. Sometimes we have to just "live and learn". Move on and use it as a lesson learned.

 

I guarantee that is what the boys will do.

[Narraticong]

Now, back on the wagon with all of the other "off topic" storytellers. Back in the days of canvas tents and wooden tent pegs, a little "late night unscheduled competition" was the norm at District camporees. One of the usual events was "tent dropping". A patrol of boys using their Scout stealthy walking skills might be able to drop four tents within seconds. In no time they could be laying quietly in the weeds, watching the boys from the rival troop crawl out from under their tents and try to figure who they had to "get even" with.

 

Yes, I remember some huge industrial sized smokebombs clouding up troopsites. Moonlight trips in a rubber raft across the local lake. Any number of "events" which I will never tell my boys about! But honestly, I always remember those shenanigans with a smile. And I guess if some night I hear some boys sneaking off past my tent, I might just roll over, go back to sleep with a smile, and hope for the best...(This message has been edited by Narraticong)

[Eagle1982]

Stealing of patrol flags was highly discouraged at the outdoor SM skill training weekend. We heard about the patrol flag theft at the start of our weekend, as it happened one or two training sessions prior.