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Adult Uniform Question


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Welcome, Arrowman_69!

 

Are you referring to the skill awards that went on the webbed belt during the 70s and 80s? If so, my advice to you would be to put them in a memory box. You could always present them to the Scouts you serve as a show and tell piece. They are youth awards and should be treated as such.

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#1 WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( and yes I'm yelling at ya :) )

 

#2 If memory serves, since you are in my era of Scouting you know how memory gets with age ;) , Skill Awards were considered "Advancement," were "Restricted Items," and you needed an Advancement Report to get them. I remember what a pain it was to get replacements when I traded my belt with them on them. SM had to get replacements for me, at least the ones he could get his hands on. So they were designed for the youth.

 

#3 Only adults I ever saw wearing Skill Awards, were those who just became adults, i.e. 18-19 year olds. My troop's policy was youth wore the green belts with the Skill Awards since it was advancement. Adults wore either the green belts, without the SAs, or leather belts. Most wore the leather belts, and one of the first things I did after my ECOH, was go and get a leather belt with an Eagle Buckle.

 

#4 If you wear a current Eagle buckle, be careful as they break easily. I'm on #3 right now, and before last Monday haven't worn it in years.

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I don't wear them, and yes they are in a box.

 

Frankly I am put off by adults who overload their uniforms with patches, beads, and pins.

 

WHAT? You don't like the Banana Republic Dictator look when it comes to adult uniforms?

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Stosh

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Personally, I wear the "Recruiter" emblem. One of my main functions in Scouting is to recruit more boys.

 

In theory, a powerful way to do that is to encourage boys to recruit boys. While that's been tough to do, I like to have the "Recruiter" patch handy where I can put my finger on it to use it as a device to enourage boys to invite a buddy.

 

 

If other people had reasons to wear the odd youth badge, I wouldn;t object to that either.

 

Generally though, I go by the no youth badge rule.

 

Of course, there are "knots" to go on uniforms if you earned Eagle, Arrow of Light or a few other awards as a youth. Those are designed for adults.

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If you are an adult, wear the adult uniform. The adult uniform should have adult type bling on it, not youth bling.

I was asked to teach Wood Tools at an IOLS. The director asked if I would be teaching Totin' Chip, and I said I would be teaching the nascent SMs ABOUT Totin' Chip, and they would have an opportunity to do everything I would expect a Scout to do. She said, good, then I can award them their Totin' Chip badge on Sunday! I said, no, they cannot EARN the T/C because they are all adults. She said that was not right, these new SMs should be able to wear the badge as a sign of their competence and skill. I said, it is a YOUTH award, adults cannot wear it. Then I noticed the T/C on her shirt flap....

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If you are an adult, wear the adult uniform. The adult uniform should have adult type bling on it, not youth bling.

I was asked to teach Wood Tools at an IOLS. The director asked if I would be teaching Totin' Chip, and I said I would be teaching the nascent SMs ABOUT Totin' Chip, and they would have an opportunity to do everything I would expect a Scout to do. She said, good, then I can award them their Totin' Chip badge on Sunday! I said, no, they cannot EARN the T/C because they are all adults. She said that was not right, these new SMs should be able to wear the badge as a sign of their competence and skill. I said, it is a YOUTH award, adults cannot wear it. Then I noticed the T/C on her shirt flap....

 

It's a good thing adults don't have to have TC's.... I would lose mine within days because I always have a belt ax/sheath knife combo on while camping. :)

 

Every time I get challenged for such a breach of protocol, I just challenge back. Who can bring back the most firewood in five minutes. You and your jack knife or me and my combo tools. I have never had anyone take me up on the challenge.

 

By the way, it's a BSA belt ax/sheath knife combo. :)

 

Stosh

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Frankly I am put off by adults who overload their uniforms with patches, beads, and pins.

 

 

WHY? Just like boys like to show off their recognition and so do adults. Boys just like adults look at these patches and say OHHH I want one, and go the patch to earn them and LEARN something along the way.

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WHY? Just like boys like to show off their recognition and so do adults. Boys just like adults look at these patches and say OHHH I want one, and go the patch to earn them and LEARN something along the way.

 

 

Jason, I don't want to answer for Arrowman; however, I share in the sentiment that an over-crowded uniform is a bit obnoxious, in my opinion. I would go so far as to say this is the same for youth. Sure, you've earned those awards and you have every right to wear all of them, but you don't have to. There's a point when an over-crowded uniform becomes bragging--in the eyes of some.

 

I don't have the SM handbook in front of me so I will have to paraphrase a quote: there's no shame in wearing just your council strip, troop numeral(s), and badge of office. There are plenty of us who wear all the knots we have earned and then there are those of us who don't wear any knots at all. It's all a matter of choice.

 

But to get back to the OP, skill awards don't belong on an adult. :D

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