New YPT declares corner ripping for Totin Chip/Whittlin Chip as Hazing?

[SSScout 1615]

One of (if not the only) reasons for the idea of a "license" to operate the possibly dangerous equipment known as knife/axe/saw is to instill in the young Scout a pride of skill.  The possibility of seeing a "tool" as a "toy" is always there  ,  but  Toys do not hurt people.  If something can be injurious (physically or emotionally),  then it is not a toy, no matter what the person says. 

Yes,  it is true that "The only difference between a man and a boy is the price of their toys",  but  one's attitude toward that item also determines it's purpose.  If a Scout has pride in his skill, if he/she sees the use of that tool (ax, knife) as a sign of his/her maturity , then such occasions as would necessitate the removal of the "License" would not occur.   Even the older Scouts approbation would be a deterrent to the younger Scout's  poor choice of action. 

Find a copy of  :Superpower: The Making of a Steam Locomotive by David Weitzman.  It extolls the old time skills and pride of completion our grandparents had in making things.  We have lost much of this need in our modern world of googling and Amazon ordering of anything we desire, rather than making it for ourselves.  

Hold that Scout to his/her standard. Remind them of their heritage.  Axes built our nation, after all.   Even a tentpeg can be a thing of beauty , if the creator wants it so.  

I am still reminded of the new word my students taught me , as their Sub Teacher.  Someone would bring up their assignment and ask,  " Mr. SSScout?  Is this GUDNUF?"   Well, is it?  

[Jameson76 1481]

1 hour ago, Tampa Turtle said:

That is why I prefer just cutting the corner, to spare the scout the indignity of the march up to the Scoutmaster in front of the Troop, the long drum roll, and the slapping of the cheeks three times with the confiscated card. 

Don't get me started on the traditional OA punishments for flaming arrow abuse.

Especially effective if you snap their knives in half and sing

 

Branded! 
Marked with a coward's shame. 
What do you do when you're branded, 
Will you fight for your name? 

 

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

On the flip side the returning of the Totin' Chit by the SPL in the Honors of War ceremony is very moving.

[Jameson76 1481]

On the flip side the returning of the Totin' Chit by the SPL in the Honors of War ceremony is very moving

That ceremony always brings a tear to my eye, especially when the Queen stops by...she is a stickler for Totin' Chip regulations.  She has not commented as much on the Firem'n Chit, but rumour has it she may address that in her next missive

Edited April 27, 2018 by Jameson76

[RememberSchiff 3663]

Queen Elizabeth II was awarding the Victoria Cross  to Paratrooper Joshua Leakey

The official VC citation reads;

Between May and December 2013, Lance Corporal Leakey was deployed in Afghanistan as a member of a Task Force conducting operations to disrupt insurgent safe-havens and protect the main operating base in Helmand province. The majority of operations took place in daylight in non-permissive areas, attracting significant risk. On the 22nd August 2013, Lance Corporal Leakey deployed on a combined UK / US assault led by the United States Marine Corps into a Taliban stronghold to disrupt a key insurgent group.

After dismounting from their helicopters, the force came under accurate machine gun and rocket propelled grenades fire resulting in the Command Group being pinned down on the exposed forward slope of a hill. The team attempted to extract from the killing zone for an hour, their efforts resulting in a Marine Corps Captain being shot and wounded and their communications being put out of action. Lance Corporal Leakey, positioned on the lee of the hill, realising the seriousness of the situation and with complete disregard for his own safety, dashed across a large area of barren hillside which was now being raked with machine gun fire. As he crested the hill, the full severity of the situation became apparent: approximately twenty enemy had surrounded two friendly machine gun teams and a mortar section rendering their critical fire support ineffective.

Undeterred by the very clear and present danger, Lance Corporal Leakey moved down the forward slope of the hill, and gave first aid to the wounded officer. Despite being the most junior commander in the area, Lance Corporal Leakey took control of the situation and initiated the casualty evacuation. Realising that the initiative was still in the hands of the enemy, he set off back up the hill, still under enemy fire, to get one of the suppressed machine guns into action. On reaching it, and with rounds impacting on the frame of the gun itself, he moved it to another position and began engaging the enemy.

This courageous action spurred those around him back into the fight; nonetheless, the weight of enemy fire continued. For the third time and with fullknowledge of the extant dangers, Lance Corporal Leakey exposed himself to enemy fire once more. Weighed down by over 60 lbs of equipment, he ran to the bottom of the hill, picked up the second machine gun and climbed back up the hill again: a round trip of more than 200 metres on steep terrain. Drawing the majority of the enemy fire, with rounds splashing around him, Lance Corporal Leakey overcame his fatigue to re-site the gun and return fire. This proved to be the turning point. Inspired by Lance Corporal Leakey's actions, and with a heavy weight of fire now at their disposal, the force began to fight back with renewed ferocity.

He is the second member of his family to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

Scout Salute,

 

 

Edited April 27, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[perdidochas 658]

23 hours ago, David CO said:

In my experience, scouters can't agree on anything. If we required agreement, nothing would get done.

I pretty much agree this should be a troop issue, not a national issue.