RuddBaron

What's the point of tenure? It allows them to season in each rank and experience each rank. It teaches them that things don't always happen "now now now" like most of society thinks. A boy can complete his basic requirements and then say to himself, "Once I have enough experience as a Scout in this troop, I will be advanced, as I already have the other requirements completed." Of course, it's a non-issue, as the rules do not permit time-in-grade requirements through FC.

Doesn't it take time to learn something? No one becomes an expert on anything overnight. I agree it is good to have the younger ones be lower-maintenance. Besides, even if there is a time-in-grade requirement, they needn't be stopped from learning the skills. They can learn the skills through FC as soon as they can, and then have the ranks presented in recognition of their tenure.

No offense taken at all. "The amount of time spent by you in planning your project and the actual working time spent in carrying out the project should be as much as is necessary for you to demonstrate your leadership of others." Exactly. The advancement in the troop is controlled by the committee. The boy had to demonstrate his leadership to the committee, and the committee was not satisfied, due to the size of the troop, unless they effectively led a sizable group over a reasonable period of time...which they defined as 200 man-hours. This policy was never, to my knowl

Again, the requirement stated that Eagle candidate's project must be approved by the Committee. They would not entertain any projects that would not take over 200 man-hours. They also would not entertain projects that, in their opinion, would not involve sufficient leadership. In other words, the Committee demanded that the cadidate carry out a project that fulfilled the letter and spirit of the requirement. As for the so-called "my way or the highway" attitude, it is VERY Scout-like to demand a high standard. One impetus for B-P's founding of Scouting was lack of high standards among t

Not another requirement, but a minimum standard established by the committee before they would consider approving a project. The committee must, after all, approve the project. To my knowledge, National backed up the troop's policy. The standard required in that troop to fulfill the requirement was well-known, and anyone who didn't want to do a 200 man-hour project was free to pursue the Eagle rank in another troop. With 40+ people in the troop, it would be easy for each person to work 1 hour each and accomplish almost nothing...which would hardly fulfill the purpose of the Eagle projeect.

There is no "maturity" requirement, but a significant part of leadership is maturity. There is no "maturity" requirement for Totin' Chip, either, but maturity is a part of safe handling of woods tools. Immature behavior while using woods tools can result in injury or death. This is why a candidate's maturity is important for the Eagle rank.

Or, perhaps they should fly under the US flag as a symbol of state soveriengty subject to the greater good of the Union to which they belong.

Indeed. All Colonies were separate entities under the British Crown and, after the revolution, sovereign nation-states. A state flag can be flown at the same height, but if so should not be to the right of the American Flag from the flag's own perspective...just like we do with Troop flags. Of course, as a Texan myself, I have noted many rest stops in the State that fly nothing but the state flag.

While we're at it... Years ago there was a boy who wound up with a one-year extension for Eagle for the "mental handicap" exemption. The claim was he had ADD. While there are legitimate cases of ADD and other ailments that warrant an extension, at the time (and maybe it is still like this) many boys were said to have ADD, but really simply lacked discipline. Yes, this boy had a doctor's note, so we couldn't do anything. Fine. But, I worked with him enough to know that he simply lacked discipline. Why, in that case, he should get an extra year because he slacked off, I don't know. With certain

SM's try to add all kinds of extra stuff sometimes, e.g., a requirement to serve as SPL before making Eagle. Refer it to the Troop Committee. If they don't do the right thing, then kick it up to District...or higher. As for young Eagles, there are, as someone else said, only a tiny few who can do it at 13. I have yet to see ANY Scout who could legitimately earn the rank at 12. 14 is the youngest in general, and some who could do it at 13 wind up being 14 due to the inevitable things that happen to slow things down.

What is wrong with a period of time, even a short period, in between the lower ranks? Even if a boy can reach FC within a year with work, there should still be a period of time required to be spent at each rank. This nonsense I hear of boys going to summer camp a Scout and coming back FC is just that...nonsense.

My old troop had (and, as far as I know, still has) a requirement for a minimum of 200 man-hours of work on an Eagle project. This was due mainly to the large size of the troop. Most of the better ones were around 700 man-hours. The required length of the project was to ensure the boy demonstrated a sufficient level of leadership and planning ability.

Oh, I don't know. A well-worn hat can have character. I have seen photos of B-P with a VERY worn and misshapen campaign hat.

Kilts are indeed difficult to make. What I suggest doing is either taking kilt-making lessons from a kiltmaker, during which you will make a kilt, or getting a good kilt and, if your sewing skills are good enough, copying it. But, it's certainly not like making a dress. The pleats are HUGE compared to dress pleats.

I am planning on having some Scouts participate at the catholic cathedral's St. Patrick Day's mass. That would be an appropriate time to wear the kilt. Also, one could have a District Highland Dance unit. It's a traditional warrior's set of dances and is wonderful exercise.

Ah yes, but once she sees you in it she will forget about the money. Women seem to love men in kilts...at least in my experience.

Dunedin Scottish is good. J. Higgins does decent work as well. $400 is about the average price as already mentioned. But, it can easily last a lifetime. Additional expenses are the hose, belt, and sporan. Any of the Scout hats would work, though the now-unofficial beret and the campaign hat would probably work the best. It's tough to know if they have a decent kiltmaker when one is new to kilts, so I advise finding someone who is in a pipe band, is a highland dancer, or otherwise knows about the kilt. There's a lot of questionable information out there, and certainly there are a lot of se

Ah yes. Ok. You need a mold to do it "properly." You can wet the hat as described, shape it by hand as it dries, and hold in place by appropriately placed towels. A bit tricky, but it can be done. Basically you need to get it into the right position and then keep it there as it dries.

Do you mean how do you make the crown round again?

Here are some techniques useful for fitting a campaign hat to your head and make any other shaping alterations. (Legal Disclaimer: I accept no responsibility for anything resulting from doing this. ) 1. This can be done with the BSA campaign hat or the military issue (I use the later with the BSA chin strap and hatband added). 2. Soak the hat completely in cold water. This is best done by filling a bucket or sink and submerging the hat. 3. Place the hat on your head immediately and get it so the right point points forward, it sits as far forward on your head as you want, etc

You're right the Army green doesn't match exactly. I tried it using a military society jacket (same color) and it wasn't a bad combination. The USMC jacket is nice since, as I recall, it has a self-belt. But, it's less readily obtainable. Of course, one could go "mounted" and wear the green jacket with khaki britches and tall riding boots. But...someone would surely gripe if one wasn't riding a horse at the time.

1. BSA is not paramilitary, but it is military prep, at least in part. This is one reason B-P founded Scouting, and West, Beard, Boyce, and Seton founded BSA. All uniforms in Scoutings history that I have seen have elements of military uniforms. The uniform needs to makes Scouts look like Scouts. 2. The campaign hat. Although perhaps a bit warm in the heat, it does provide a lot of shade. The chin strap worn around the back of the head keeps it on in all but the strongest breezes. As for keeping its shape, why bother? The original US ones had soft brims. As for the expense, cost would li

The green tie can be worn by Scouters with the long sleeve shirt, and does indeed look nice. The LS shirt with tie or neckerchief is the most formal uniform we have officially, other than the blue blazer set-up. Of course, the blue blazer uniform is not so much a uniform as it is along the lines of yacht club or society attire.

US Army green dress jackets are available at surplus stores from $5-$30 typically. There is the cost of replacing the buttons with Scouting buttons. When worn with Scouting insignia and Scout pants, there's no way it can be mistaken for an Army uniform. Of course, this is taking the approach where each Scouter is on his own. New jackets would cost around $100+, though it has been awhile since I purchased a military jacket.

So whatever happened to the dress jacket Scouters (and sometimes Scouts) would wear? (As seen in photos of B-P, West, etc.) For adults it presents a much more dignified appearance at something like a Court of Honor.