The Trained Strip

[MarkS 11]

Hooray! My son crossed over on Friday and taking me with him to the troop. I will no longer be a Webelos Den Leader in the pack. Instead I will become an Asst. Scoutmaster in the troop. No longer will I be the expert leader in the unit, just a leader neonate.

 

In order to be considered a trained ASM, I need to take ASM/SM training and Intro to Outdoor Leader Skills. This will happen in April and May.

 

In a couple weeks I should finish my Wood Badge ticket and have my beading ceremony by the end of March.

 

Despite completing Wood Badge, what I know tells me that if I sew the ASM patch on my shirt, the Trained Strip must come off. Can anyon confirm this? It'll be a hassle to take it off for a couple months and then put it back on, just want to make sure it's necessary.

[Oak Tree 15]

The Trained strip is only authorized for wear with the position for which you are trained. So yes, you're right that if you become an Assistant Scoutmaster, but are not fully trained for the position, then technically you should not be wearing the Trained strip.

 

Or you can just say "The heck with it, I'm going to be trained soon, and there's no point in taking off the badge just so I can sew it back on again later."

 

Oak Tree

[Lisabob 13]

Mark,

 

Congratulations to your son (and you!). My understanding of the appropriate use of the trained strip is the same as yours; it should only be worn if it is true for the position you now hold.

 

However, I've had this same conversation with several former cub leaders recently. One had ironed his trained strip on back when he was a cub leader (and was fully trained). Upon crossing over he had a dilemma; try to pry it off and have that ugly-looking glue spot on his shirt where the patch had been, or leave it be. His solution: he left the "trained" patch on but did not add his ASM patch until he was actually trained for that position.

 

Uniform police are probably going to have conniptions over this one, but I thought it was a decent, common sense compromise.

 

Lisa'bob

[MarkS 11]

You are allowed to pin a temporary position badge over a permanent one too. When you do that, there's no requirement to take the Trained Strip off. I figure I can do that (pin the ASM patch over my WL patch) or sew on the ASM patch and take off the Trained Strip (or say the heck with it for a couple months). Anyways, we're getting away from a training discussion and into a uniforming one.

[fgoodwin 23]

The trained strip applies to the position to which you were trained. As you change positions, you must be retrained in order to wear the trained strip for the new position.

 

So yes, you must remove the trained strip in your ASM position until you complete your new training (SM / ASM position specific + IOLS), and no, Wood Badge does not substitute for the position-specific SM/ASm training plus IOLS.

 

I would take it off, because you assume it will be "just a couple of months" but who knows what might come up at work or in your family life that might cause you to delay one or more parts of your ASM training? Or the training might be canceled, etc. any number of things.

 

Never assume.

 

OTOH, unless the uniform police arrest you, I certainly won't tell . . .

[EagleInKY 14]

Mark, I appreciate your desire to be open and honest. I also congratulate you on your accomplishments. I'm as much a uniform junkie as the next guy, but I'd say "too heck with it, I'm getting trained soon". Now, if the training falls through and gets delayed to the fall, do the right thing and remove it.

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

In the words of Bob Fagan my course director, "Remember, You're a Wood Badger now, much will be expected of you"

 

One of them is setting a uniforming example to those adult leaders that are watching what you will do.

 

Congrats on getting your beads in the near future.

[MarkS 11]

Never meant to imply that Wood Badge was a substitute for position training. I'm registered for the position training offered via my district in April and May. I figured I knew what the rule was but was wondering if practice was different.

 

uz2bnowl is right... as a Wood Badger we don't follow practice, we set the example. Off the strip comes.

[FScouter 24]

I like Lisabob's suggestion. Since you are a trained Cub leader, leave the Cub emblem in place until you are a trained assistant Scoutmaster.

[fgoodwin 23]

FS: that's not a bad idea, but do you also suggest he wear blue epaulet loops with his Cub Scout position patch?

 

Again, if its only a couple of months, that's one thing -- but if for some reason, it takes more than a few months to get trained in the Boy Scout position, I think it would be preferable to wear the ASM position patch sans trained strip, and red shoulder loops.

 

But that's just my opinion.

[evmori 11]

There are really a lot more important things to worry about than if you should be wearing a Trained patch or not. I would be more concerned with what will I bring to the Troop & what more do I need to learn. Sure we as adults should be setting the example by being correctly uniformed. But since the Trained strip you are wearing is for you Cub Scout position, you could explain that to the Scouts in your Troop & tell them you are working on getting trained so you can wear a Trained patch for your new position. And once you are trained for you Troop position, put on a new Trained patch & retire the old one.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[FScouter 24]

It is no more appropriate to mix uniform insignia from different programs than to wear a trained patch if one is not trained. There is nothing wrong with wearing a correct Cub uniform to a troop meeting. If it is too much an effort to remove the patch, then the solution with the least effort is to continue wearing the Cub uniform for the next 2 months.

[evmori 11]

If the adult wearing the Cub uniform is now a registered leader in a Boy Scout Troop, they are out of uniform as well.

 

I stand by my previous post.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[MarkS 11]

Ed... I don't think anyone was saying there weren't more important things to be concerned about. This just happened to be the one I asked about here in the forum.

[SWScouter 34]

MarkS,

 

I'm in close to the same situation you are. The other day I took the position, quality unit, den number, and unit numeral patches off and last night I sewed the new unit and position patches on. So far, I've left the trained patch on. I must say, it is nice to see the Assistant Scoutmaster match on my sleeve.

 

I've already taken Intro to Outdoor Leader Skills, so I just need SM/SA specific training to be trained. Supposedly my district will be offering the class three weekends from now. Personally, I can't see bothering taking the patch off for such a short time. If the class doesn't occur, then I may. I do feel more or less trained though. I have read the Scoutmaster Handbook and am currently reading the syllabus for SM/SA specific. I'm only missing the video and the experience/interaction the training session will bring. I do count that for a lot though.

 

SWScouter