Re: Explorer Leaders' awards Oddities
William H. Sills (whs@idcnet.com)
Sat Apr 04 10:52:30 1998
The Senior Scouting Service or Exploring Division has suffered from a lack of
funding for at least forty years. Only the last, very short tenured Exploring
Division Director fought for reasonably equal funding for the Exploring Division
in comparison with the Boy Scout and the Cub Scout Divisions. Further, only the
National Sea Scout Fleet Committee has been active in the true sense of a working
committe. Although even that committee suffered from poor leadership earlier and,
similar to High Adventure lost several items, especially in the eighties, the
National Sea Scout Committee has enjoyed a few strong members in the nineties.
That has resulted in the re-minting of the Quartermaster Award in sterling silver,
free to recipients, and the also newly minted sterling silver lapel pin and a
brand new sterling silver ladies medallion. The latest committee is also printing
the new, 1997 Sea Explorer Manual and the Handbook for Crew Leaders (Coxswains)
and the Skippers Handbook along with a revised SeaBadge Instructors Guide and the
SEAL Instructors Guide and Students Handbook. Previously, the Council/District
Operations Manual, the training syllabi, mnay certificates for ranks, training,
etc. were revised and reprinted along with the replenishment of several uniform
items.
The other committees apparently did not exercise such close oversight
and, when current supplies of their items were exhausted, they were simply
discontinued. That also happened to some of Sea Scouting's items. We lost our
traditional Skippers Key which was the present one superimposed upon an anchor.
That was not reminted when Exploring decided to make us "generic" and simply
removed the anchor.
The Advisors Key is not a medal per se but a recognition. It was never
designed for High Adventure Explorers but was to be a CAW honour. That is why it
is only worn on civvies or the blazer. The only rason that has not been changed is
the Exploring Committee has not requested that it be changed.
Under the Exploring Division, the CAW numbers kept Sea Scouting and
High Adventure Exploring, the "traditional" programs, pushed aside. That is why
very long tenured skippers are excited about the prospect that the new Venturing
Division might be the best thing that has happened to traditional Senior
Scouting!!!
YISS;
Bill Sills
I would appreciate it if anyone could shed any light on the following:
> 1. Why is it that the Explorer Leader's Key cannot be worn on the uniform?
> The design of the medal looks like it may have at one time been suspended from
> a ribbon. The Skipper's Key medal is a Scouter's Key with a Sea Exploring
> (Scouting) miniature device. Why not the same for other branches of the
> service, with substitution of the Exploring miniature device?
>
> 2. Why is it that there are no certificates available for the Explorer
> Leader's Key (or for any Explorer leader award, apparently)? I do have a
> certificate from the eighties which has a rendering of the Explorer Leader's
> Key in addition to ather medals; but this is apparently no longer available.
>
> Thank you for your help!
>
> YIE,
>
> Cliff Egel
> Post 39,
> La Grange, IL
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