Re: New Handbook / Uniform police?
allogagaw (allogagaw@MEGSINET.NET)
Sun, 10 Jan 1999 13:15:10 -0600
For the most part I am VERY happy with the new handbook. The kids seem
to also be pleased.
James A. Sheckels wrote regarding the scout on pp 108:
>I do have a cord at home that looks exactly like it: What he is
>wearing looks to me to be an Infantryman's aigulette(sp?), worn by
>anyone in the US Army whose primary specialty is Infantry. Why a
>Scout would be wearing this is beyond me. The insignia guide
>specifically states that military insignia is not to be worn. But, I
>don't know for sure this is the Army insignia I am familiar with.
I do a lot of work with slide presentations and never can find pictures
like I really want. My guess is that the people that assemble the
book have so much trouble finding pictures of correct uniforming
that they gave up!
Maybe this "aigulette(sp?)" really is official, but:
The people that "BSA" hires to take pictures seem to rarely know anything
about correct uniforming. These people are fashion photographers that
are more concerned about having a "slim and trim" person to photograph.
A "big smile" is more important than a correct Uniform. This is especially
obvious in the pictures that appear in the National Supply Catalog. Only a
couple of my 43 scouts look like the ones in these catalogs!!!
It first caught my attention fifteen years ago the first time I saw a
picture with the scout neckerchief tucked under the collar and not over
(no I am not trying to re-kindle an old thread).
Since then I have seen pictures of incorrect insignia, pink tennis shoes
with class A, illegal patches, OA sashes on the wrong shoulder, buttons not
buttoned and lots of other strange things. The real problem occurs when
the kids see this and say, "They don't care, why should I".
Prove to me that the Scout on beginning preference page vii (not marked,
but just before page 0) has ever had to put on a neckerchief before the
photographer showed up. The top button of his shirt is buttoned and
the neckerchief was just shoved through the slide without rolling.
The people that submit articles to Scouting Magazine are also guilty of
this. This is understandable since they are afraid that their pictures
might not appear. They wanted a good picture so they grabbed a
neckerchief or some official looking "Infantryman's aigulette(sp?)".
Throw it on a scout and ask him to pose for a picture. They don't
realize that 1000s' of new scouts will see this and assume that
it is correct!
One of my bookworm Scouts brought to my attention that the Scouts on
PP 176 & 263 have the neckerchief on TOP of an outside collar! My scouts
have also pointed out that the new book shows Scouts usually without a
uniform at all. I smell a mutiny brewing...
(The Venture Patrol wants to abandon uniforms at weekly meetings)!
Oh well, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I hope that the "UNIFORM POLICE" don't want to inspect my troop!
Mark Wilbur - SM Troop 374
I used to be an OWL
