Wood Badge Uniforms (fwd)

Hi all,

I wrote what follows at the office over a number of lunch hours the last
week, and forwarded it to my home address (I don't get Scouts-L at the
office--too tempting to read BSA mail all day :<) ) so I could send it out.

I have put on my asbestos underwear, and so let the flaming begin! I'm a
Vietnam vet and a grunt to boot, so believe me, I can take it!

YiS (I used to be a Beaver...and a stripped shirt Beaver, too!)

Pete Farnham
SM, Troop 113
GW District, NCAC
Alexandria, VA

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 97 13:54:52 EST
From: pfarnham@ASBMB.FASEB.ORG
To: pfarnham@capaccess.org
Subject: Wood Badge Uniforms

Hi all,

I have been chewing all day on the thread regarding the BSA Wood Badge
course uniforming requirement. I believe this thread started when our
colleague Jason described a situation in which a "bull-headed", "obstinate"
and "confrontational" friend (his words, not mine) showed up at his course
and promptly got into an argument with the scoutmaster over his refusal to
take off his patches. The scoutmaster apparently took out a knife and
indicated he was going to "help" the man remove them! I have a number of
comments on this, so please bear with me.

THE SCOUTMASTER

First, the scoutmaster was wrong in what he did. It is quite clear that he
lost his temper and, consequently, his better judgment. I realize the knife
didn't come out with malicious intent, but this action could easily have
been misconstrued. Everyone concerned is very lucky that the situation
didn't escalate.

Had I been the scoutmaster, I wouldn't have said anything to Jason's friend
at all. Rather, I would simply have relied on the patrol coach/counselor to
enforce Wood Badge uniforming policy by counting off on the patrol's
uniforming during the daily inspections.

I have little doubt that after a couple of days of his patrol failing to
earn the Gilwell pennant, Jason's friend would have been in appropriate
uniform, because scout spirit takes a powerful hold of you during Wood Badge
(at least it did me) and he no doubt would have wanted to support his
patrol. And even if he didn't, the rest of the patrol would have been
pressuring him to get into proper uniform. At my Wood Badge course last
fall (probably typical), those few folks who showed up the first weekend
with non-Wood Badge insignia on their shirts were in correct uniform by the
start of the second weekend.

JASON'S FRIEND

To begin with, Jason's friend should have learned more about Wood Badge and
what would be expected before the course began. Unfortunately, he didn't
make it to the precourse meeting. Hey, these things happen. But then he
compounded the problem by not reading the course literature as thoroughly as
he should have. He reacted as he did no doubt because he was caught by
surprise.

That having been said, I found his reasoning for why he shouldn't have to
comply with Wood Badge uniforming to be specious. As I understood his
argument (as explained by Jason), he said that lots of boys in his troop
wear uniforms with different patches, and since a Wood Badge troop is
supposed to be a model troop, it should model itself after how troops are in
the real world, so therefore he shouldn't have to take off his patches.

Unfortunately, he's got it completely backwards! The model troop concept in
Wood Badge is supposed to set an example, so you can go back to your own
troop and make changes there to make it more like Troop 1 of Gilwell. You
are learning in Wood Badge what your standards *ought* to be. You're not
trying to imitate troops with problems.

Third, although the scoutmaster handled the situation poorly, I find it
extremely ironic that Jason's friend was upset for not being treated "like an
adult". Well, I may be misjudging the man, but all I have to go on is
Jason's description of what happened, and the man's actions do not strike me
as very adult, let alone scoutlike. I would not want this person around the
scouts in my troop. For one thing, his behavior is a bad example. For
another, I would be worried about a similar confrontation occurring at a
troop meeting or on a campout--maybe in front of the scouts, or worst of all,
maybe involving a scout! So, absent a major change in attitude, I myself
wouldn't try too hard to get him back.

COMMENTS FROM OUR COLLEAGUES

Someone (don't remember who) remarked that anyone who wears proper Wood Badge
uniform is "out of uniform" because he isn't wearing the patches and insignia
he's earned or been awarded. It is my understanding that the uniforming
standards for Wood Badge are part of the national course syllabus and thus
*by definition* can't be improper uniforming.

I also recall seeing a comment to the effect of, "I'm taking Wood Badge in
the summer and there's no way I'm going to take off the patches I just sewed
on. I'm also not going to buy a new shirt."

Anyone approaching his Wood Badge course with this attitude ought to wait to
take it until he is in a more scoutlike frame of mind. You are not just an
individual student during the practical phase of Wood Badge training. You are
a member of a patrol with 6-7 other scouters. So, going into this
potentially great experience with a self-centered attitude will affect the
experience of not only you, but every one of your patrol mates as well (and
not for the better, either).

Regarding the supposed hassle of sewing on patches, "use your resources," as
I've heard somewhere. My lovely and gracious wife has excellent sewing
skills and she has been willing to sew patches on for me from time to time.
I have also had them sewn on by a seamstress at the dry cleaning
establishment I patronize. Finally, I have learned to sew patches on
myself. I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm improving. And, my wife gave
me a few tips for Wood Badge, such as basting (i.e., using larger stitches)
so the patches will be easily removable after the course is over. Also,
please remember that there is only a csp, a patrol medallion and the numeral
"1" to sew on in the first place.

Now of course, I was not pleased about having to take my hard-earned
insignia off the shirt I used at Wood Badge. I even asked at the precourse
meeting (I went to mine--something I highly recommend) about whether we
could just put tape over our insignia. Sorry, no dice. So, I grumbled a
little to myself as I sat down, but I complied with the policy, even though
at the time it didn't make sense to me. I didn't assume that because I
disagreed with or didn't understand the policy, it had to be trivial or
insignificant and therefore I wasn't going to comply.

Now maybe there are good reasons why we should try to change this policy;
I'm *not* suggesting that it is holy writ! But, if you want to change the
Wood Badge uniforming requirement in this country, you ought to go about it
by playing by the rules and working through the system, two virtues we teach
our scouts. And haven't I heard somewhere something about "a scout is
obedient"? Does anyone think that publicly and contentiously refusing to
play by the rules--at Wood Badge, of all places--remotely approaches that
standard?

Bottom line--so long as it is BSA Wood Badge policy that one wears only
limited insignia on one's shirt while a student in the practical phase,
everyone taking the course ought to have the grace to comply in a scoutlike
manner.

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