Kahuna

Well, it definitely is Order of the Arrow, but that's all I can tell you. I posted a note on that area and perhaps someone can help you. It doesn't look especially old to me.

There's a post on the Uniform area about what's obviously a Unami commemorative item. Some of you may know exactly what the gentleman is talking about. It's Can Somebody Help With This Item?

A picture would help, but from what you're describing I'm guessing it is a commemorative Order of the Arrow piece. It would have been from Unami Lodge in the Philadelphia Scout council. The turtle is their lodge totem. 1915 is the date the Order of the Arrow began at Treasure Island Scout Camp near Philadelphia. It could date from any time from 1915 on. It could be worth some money if it's old. If you live near Philadelphia, try to contact their Scout office and get someone from the Order of the Arrow to call you about it. Good luck.

Speaking as a Buddhist, if we meet the criteria, they do too.

I didn't "sign up" to take the challenge, but I'm working hard to get into proper shape for the Jamboree. I've also lost 15 pounds since the end of August. (Not posting any pictures yet, but you can check me out at the Jamboree.)

"By the way, I'd say that your scout should have received the Heroism Medal too" I disagree. There was no heroism as it is usually defined in what my boy did. He jumped into a swimming pool where the water was not over his head and simply lifted out the child. He was not in any danger as he was a swimmer and as mentioned above the child weighed maybe 30 pounds. The situation your Scout was in was a little riskier, but I do not define it as heroism unless it would seem to boy of his age that it was likely to cause injury or death to him. I just think heroism is heroism, but that's only my opinion.

I'm not really persuaded that cost is a big deal with uniforms. Not to say it wouldn't be better if they were cheaper, but compared to what kids clothes cost in general, they aren't that much. I certainly have to agree with those who stress that the attitude of the leaders has a lot to do with it. Nothing new about kids bringing their uniforms in to meetings and putting them on there and taking them off when they leave. I remember boys doing that 40 years ago. A few years ago there was a ceremony aboard the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor when I was a tour guide. Scouts were carrying flags. Naturally, I went over to talk to them, but when I got to the ceremony, they were about half uniform and half something else. Each kid had a shirt, but shorts and socks were anything goes. There were also Sea Cadets present, who looked very sharp in their dress whites. I sort of slunk away and got to the other end of the ship. It was embarrassing. Of course, the leaders were dressed about the same way.

It's curious you mention that the parents of the victim have become hostile. Something going on there. Anyway, as I read it, sounds like your Scout is more in line for a Medal of Merit than Heroism. We had a Scout some years ago who jumped in a swimming pool and rescued a drowning baby. The Council Exec and I felt the Merit Medal was appropriate and he got it. You might read through Scouts in Action for ideas. http://www.boyscouttrail.com/rss/scoutsinaction.php

The early uniforms and for a long time after were made by Sigmund Eisner Co. of Redbank NJ. They also made Army uniforms for WWI. Mitch Reis has information on this in some of his books. http://mitchreis.com/bsabooks.htm

You might try National Capital Historical. They may have some reproduction WWI army uniforms, but they won't have the insignia. http://www.nchsinc.com/

Most public libraries in large cities have Boys Life on microfilm.

It depends entirely on the people involved. Some SMs can run a 100 or 200 boy troop. Most can't. Big troops are great, IMHO. They can own buses, lots of equipment and go places smaller troops can't. However, it involves a lot of time and management skills by the adults. Splitting is not usually an easy process. Sometimes it's better to establish a waiting list and let the troop go down to a comfortable level.

We had a Scout who only ate certain things. His Italian mother catered to his desires. We explained that camp menus were what they were. His first time at summer camp, he lost a lot of weight (which he could afford). He stayed with the troop and became Eagle, but he did expand his list of things he would eat.

In old pictures of Scout activities from 1910 on, you see a lot of mixed uniforms (although probably not as many as today). In those days, it was more likely to be a matter of money, but they didn't hesitate to wear the official shirt and neckerchief with non-Scout pants.

To tolerate a conscious disregard for requirements, even in simple matters, breeds disrespect for law and order James E. West could best be described as a martinet. And that was a time when most people adhered to stricter standards of following rules than we do today. I'm not saying he was wrong, but I don't think I would use him as the ideal. Besides, if you ever see pictures of West with other uniformed Scouters, notice he is the only one wearing long pants. During most of his career the jodhpur or knicker type uniform was standard. He had a withered leg, but others must have had similar disfigurements.

I can confirm what DWS says. We had both collarless short sleeve shirts and collared long sleeve. If you wore the collar you turned in inside and put the necker on over it. Adults in those days (and JASMs in our troop) wore neckties with a collared shirt or there was a short sleeve shirt you could wear open at the neck.

Thank you skeptic! That would have been the occasion for sure. The book I have shows a couple of pictures of West with Adams and some Scouts.

In my research, I recently came across a pamphlet by a man who was a Scouter in Idaho in the early days of Scouting. He talks about the Independence Rock Jamboree, held near the rock of the same name in Wyoming in July of 1930. The rock was an important landmark on the Oregon Trail and the event commemorated a 100 year anniversary. Although it was called a jamboree, it would today be called an inter-council camporee. Boys from all around the region attended. James E. West was present all through the event. I had never heard of this before and the fact that West was in attendance means it had some importance to the BSA (unless he was in the area for some other reason). Has anyone from out that way heard of this event? Is there still an Independence Rock camporee or other event? I would appreciate any info that anyone might have. The author, Willard Adams, was an LDS leader from the Grand Teton Council.

No, it isn't urban legend. It's a fact that Scouting, like every other organization was segregated throughout most of the U.S. until well into the 1950's. In the South, it was even longer, because segregation was the law as well as the custom. Scout camps either had two camping sessions, one for white kids and one for black kids, or had two camps. I worked in one council camp that was only for white kids. There was another camp for the black kids and at the end of the camping season for the white camp, a lot of the equipment, including beds, was shipped over to the other camp for those kids to use. It's hard to realize, but most people in the U.S. prior to WWII would have refused to let their son join a Scout troop that had black kids in it. Remember that the U.S. military was segregated by law until 1947.

"- Mr Polanski evaded capture in 1978, after the conviction. From what I can see, as legal laity, he's an escaped convict" You're correct. No statute of limitations on people who skip bail after conviction. Happens all the time. Guys escape prison or skip and are found many years later go right back to jail. The only thing that has to be established is that it is the same person.

Wow, MDScoutMom, you do have the luck! That's great and the fact your husband wears highland dress is fantastic. Your son was meant to do this, I think.

Congratulations! I'll see you there.

Welcome, MDscoutmom. I can answer a few of your questions with some authority. I have a couple of knicker uniforms from the late thirties and early forties and have done a lot of research on Scout history. 3. I know 1943 saw the introduction of trousers, but from what I see in pictures the knickers remained pretty popular. Is this correct? Knickers did remain popular until after WWII. I think cost and availability were factors. They also wore shorts at camp. 4. Stockings: What color were they and how long were they? Also, did the boys wear knee flashes with them to keep them up (I see this in many 1950's pictures)? The stockings were a sort of greenish khaki, but after multiple washings, they were just khaki. Flashes were not worn until some time after the war. I bought my first pair of shorts and stockings in 1961 and they had garters and flashes. I don't know what they used for garters, but garters were pretty common for men and boys, so maybe they used what they had. Kids wore knickers to school until maybe 1948. 5. Stockings: Do you know of a source where I could find a pair or two? I have spent days scouring every sock in ebay with no luck. I lucked into a couple of pair about 30 years ago. They do show up on eBay, but not often. I don't know how to guide you on that. One option you could try is Scottish wear dealers. Scots wear stockings almost identical to the old BSA ones with kilts. The problem you would have is color. Perhaps the Highland military stockings? I can send you a picture of the stockings if you want to email me privately. 6. Shoes: My father-in-law received his Eagle shortly before WWII (then went on to fight, great man). He tells me he remembers wearing ankle boots/brogans. Did they still during the war or did they wear shoes? From looking at many pictures of Scouts during this era, I've seen everything from sneakers to boots. I'm sure they wore what they had available. Hope this helps. Good luck with your son's project. I think that's a great idea.

Letters to the Postmaster General and your congressional delegation can help. The USPS wants to sell stamps, especially to collectors, and the politicians want to please their constituents. It takes a lot of people writing and emailing, but it would be worth the effort. I like the letter idea in the second link. As a long-time stamp collector, I've seen the USPS do a 180 on a number of stamp issues over the years because of public pressure.

A great story. The Navy doesn't give out those pieces very easily. Good work.