Re: insignia etiquette
(no name) ((no email))
Sat, 19 Dec 1998 03:00:44 -0600
Hi Irish!
Irish <irish@IGLOBAL.NET> wrote and asked:
>Can anyone point me to a comprehensive site that shows proper
>insignia placement.
Not *yet*, Irish, but I'm working hard on it!
The UNOFFICIAL Insignia and Uniform site has information on a lot
of the BSA's standard (and not-so-standard) insignia and badges and
how to wear (or not) them.
Don DeYoung's great Cub Scouting site has a lot of information on
how to wear various Cub Scouting insignia and uniforms (and when).
It's the most complete Cub Scouting collection, which is why in
part I've asked him to please allow me to link his site to the
Insignia site.
Over the Holiday Break, I'm adding (finally!!!) some templates for
what should go on the uniforms and jackets, front and back. I had
to find an outline for a Scout and Scouter; not finding one, I had
to create one "by hand" and because we have female Scouters, I had
to create one for females too (Glad Jessi wasn't at home when I was
drawing THAT! *heheehehee*).
It should be up over the Holiday week; I'm working fast to update
The Tree and all of the "branches" from it.
(The insignia site is at
URL::http://mninter.net/~blkeagle/insignia.htm )
I'll help to answer some of your questions here, though.
>Do I have to have a separate Woodbadge shirt, OA shirt and Troop
>shirt?
No. If you are PARTICIPATING in Wood Badge (note the way it's
spelled) Irish, you will need what I call a "Scouter Red" shirt.
With apologies to those living in the "deep South", the "Scouter
Red" shirt is a plain shirt with the following items (and ONLY the
following items on it:)
*CSP (Council Shoulder Patch)
*Troop number (number 1)
*RED shoulder loops
*US flag emblem
*Patrol medallion of the Wood Badge patrol you belong to.
*World Crest emblem
*if serving, Patrol Leader or Assistant Patrol Leader emblem
Nothing else, to include Jamboree insignia, OA insignia, nor square
knots or devices should be worn on this shirt. The idea behind
this is to put all participants on an "equal footing", and all of
those "extra things" tend to force people to "make impressions."
You would wear this shirt during the entire Wood Badge Practical
experience.
Many Wood Badgers keep their shirts after the Practical Wood Badge
course in order to wear it at reunions or other occassions; while
others will use it as a "second shirt" at camp or other outdoor
activity." I kept mine until we moved here in the trunk of the car
so that I would never be "without a Scout shirt" wherever I went.
I've got it hanging up in the closet now; it'll go back to the car
once we get the "routine down" around here.
As far as a OA (Order of the Arrow) shirt, your present shirt with
the addition of the flap of the OA Lodge you currently are a member
is all you need. You don't need a separate shirt.
Many Scouters have found that the best way to get the most from one
shirt with several uses is to use tan-colored Velcro over the
places (right pocket flap, over the left pocket, centered on the
right pocket, and above the right pocket) where you have to take
insignia off and on. In this way, you can use the same shirt for
more than one "purpose" and still have a shirt for any kind of
"special event or activity" you will take part in.
The only thing, close up, those "velcro places" can be a bit
curious for those die-hard Scouters who believe that EVERYTHING
must be sewn onto the shirt!!
>What patches can be worn simultaneously and for what occasions?
You can wear everything for more formal occasions; informally, you
may want to wear as little as possible. A lot of it is personal
preferences.
Not knowing specifically which patches you're meaning, I can't give
you a specific answer.
>I do not want to permanently attach anything until I am sure of
>where it goes. We have an OA banquet coming up on Saturday and I
>get different answers from different individuals.
The first thing you want to do, then, Irish, is to get a copy of
the BSA's official Uniform and Insignia Guide. You can purchase it
from your Council office (and many are open tomorrow morning). If
you can't get one (or borrow one), go to the following URL and take
a look there for a REALLY SHORT primer on "what goes where":
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/boyscout.htm
This page was ideally wrote for the Scout, but as you can read,
I've also included insignia that we Scouters wear too.
Hope this helps out until I can add the templates to the site. It's
been one of those things I've been slowing working toward, but hey,
even *I* need a quick kick in the pants to get moving!
Thanks! And thanks for asking!
Settummanque!
(c) 1998 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") blkeagle@mninter.net
http://mninter.net/~blkeagle Burnsville, MN 55306-7130 (612) 435-3085
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@server.kaiserslautern.army.mil
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