The Tale of a Scout's Uniform

Well for about 24 hours I was in the Boy Scouts of America.  (See previous post.)  When I at BSA Sea Base I was with other Scout Leaders from across the globe.  I talked to a man who was from the Philippines, and had attended one of the World Jamborees.  As I noticed everyone in their Class A uniforms it got me to thinking.  Despite being members of one organization, all of our uniforms are rather personalized.

The one organization I can think of with uniforms such as the Boy Scouts is the U.S. Military.  Except for certain medals and designations of which division members are in, the uniforms are pretty much homogenized.  That's a bit different from the Boy Scouts where the uniform can be customized quite a bit.

Take for example, my uniform.  (Note:  This is my adult uniform, not my youth uniform.)

It's actually quite colorful isn't it?

Let's start on the left and work our way to the right.

Every Scout uniform comes with the American flag.  Only that and the "Boy Scouts of America" patch are the only patches that come standard on the uniform.  Everything else much be sew on by the Scout's Mom (ha, ha, but not really.) 

The Quality Unit patches (mine are from 1997 and 1998) mean that the troop maintained or increased it's membership that year.  So unlike a lot of the "gimmie" patches, this one can be difficult to get.  It falls more on the leaders than it does the boys. 

Let's talk loops.  Those are those red things on the shoulders.  On a funny sidenote, it seems that I am a bit out of date.  Boy Scouts now wear forest green loops.  Cub Scouts wear blue.  Varsity wears Orange.  Venture Scouts wear green (not forest green) loops.  Council and District wear silver loops, while the higher ups at National and Regional wear Gold. 

One rule of thumb is that whenever you see someone with Silver or Gold loops, be on your best behavior.  That rule works equally well for both youth and adult.  (Sometimes a good reminder always helps.)  So just by those little loops you can tell which level a member is at.

The nice colorful patch is my Order of the Arrow patch.  They also have districts (more correctly Lodges, and I belong to Seminole Lodge #85.  This is a special patch celebrating the 1992 Olympics. 

The place below that on the left side pocket is a free for all.  You can put an earned patch here.  I put my river clean up patch since that event meant a lot to me.  That, and that patch looks cool.  So back to my main point.  This is where you can really customize your uniform.

The purple patch is definitely a "gimmie" patch.  It means you support world scouting.  In other words, you can go to your local district, buy it, and slap it on.  The "ring" patch that is around it just came out.  It is also a "gimmie" patch.  It celebrates the birth of Scouting in America.  You can also buy this at your local district.

The "knot" patches that go above the pocket flap are some of the hardest to get.  My one and only means that I was awarded the "Arrow of Light" from my graduation from Webelos to Boy Scouts.  Other knots are for getting your Eagle Scout award, religious awards, and district awards.  Again, they are very hard to get, and you have to put in many years to earn them.

At the top of the sleeve is the Council patch.  This tells what Council you are in.  I'm in the Gulf Ridge Council.  On a funny sidenote, I am a bit out of date with mine.  A new patch was created four years ago.  It's always neat to go a far-away summer camp, and see who is from different Councils.  A lot of Scouts will carry extra Council patches, and trade Council patches with other.  I have done this a few times.  I have a nice one from Pennsylvania from a Scout I met at Philmont.

The next patch is your Troop number.  I have been in Troops 12, 189, and 180.  Again, I am a bit out of date in that I have the red numbers.  The new ones are green. 

On yet another sidenote, I am still allowed to wear the red loops because my numbers are still red. 

Under the troop number you wear your position patch.  I was an Assistant Scoutmaster.  The youth Scouts wear what position they are as well.  Positions such as Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Chaplain, Quartermaster, etc. 

If you attend a School of Scouting event you get the "Trained" patch.  I attended and took a few courses.  It is hosted by the Boy Scouts, and was held at the University of South Florida.  Both leaders and youth can wear this patch as long as they attended.

One thing I didn't get to cover was neckerchiefs.  Most of the time, they aren't worn unless it's for a special occasion.  I usually only wore mine during Scout dinners and awards ceremonies.  The rule is that usually the troop will decide on one style of neckerchief to wear, and everyone will wear that one. 

So that's the tale of my uniform.  As you can see, they really are customized depending upon what you have accomplished.  I do think I like it that way.  It allows one to be part of the organization, but still be an individual. 

Why I Decided To Leave BSA Seabase

The last few years I have been writing this blog it has mostly been about craft projects, old funny stories, or insights into weird ideas.  When I first started this blog back in 2008, it was mainly a diary of how things were going in my life.  I haven't done a post like that in a while, but due to circumstances as of late, I knew I had to write a "diary post."

Back in December I was ecstatic when I was hired to work for the Boy Scouts of America down in the Keys at their high adventure base known as BSA Sea Base.  I had worked for the BSA in 2004 at Philmont in New Mexico.  Since I live about 350 miles from Sea Base, I was able to take my own car, and thus a lot of my stuff along with me.  So I packed up and drove down there.

Unfortunately, my car decided at that moment to have a few problems.  I was stuck in a traffic jam, and it was dangerously close to overheating.  Luckily, I was able to get out of the traffic jam, pull over, and check my car out.  I made it down there okay, but my car was making a lot of noise.

When I get to Sea Base I discover that my "housing" was half the size of a standard hotel room, and there would be four guys to an apartment.  We did have a bathroom, but it was tiny.  Two of my roommates had been there so long they had accumulated a lot of stuff, and there was not any place where I could put my own belongings. 

I start talking to my roommates, and they start telling me about my immediate boss (who I will not mention by name.)  They described him as a Cuban dictator who screamed, cursed, insulted, and abused those around and underneath him.  Now here's a side note.  I had to sign and notarize a paper saying that I would abide by the Scout Law at all times.  (Yes, I really did have to have it notarized.)  So I wonder when this guy is cursing at people, which part of the Scout Law is that under?  I had one of my roommates tell me, and I quote, "I would never work for that madman." 

So in the morning I talk to the main boss about my concerns.  I straight up tell him I'm not comfortable with the living arrangements, and I will not be yelled at.  I said, "If he has a problem with my work, that's fine.  If he doesn't like the way I did something, that's fine.  He can tell me in a calm voice.  The moment he screams or curses at me he will find himself on the ground screaming, "My crotch, my crotch, oh my God my crotch!"  I will not be disrespected in that manner."

The main boss was very sympathetic about my concerns.  He said, my immediate boss was better than he was years ago, but would I have a run in with him?  Yes.  Would I be cursed at?  Yes.  Also, he didn't like the living arrangements either.  But, on an island land is at a premium, and they just don't have much space.  They were in the planning stages of putting together another housing unit, but that would still be years off. 

So I agreed not to take the job, and come back home.  I went to a mechanic that they knew just 9 miles up the road.  They found my compressor and a few items were not working and/or dying.  So I went to Miami to stay with some friends until nightfall.  I was then able to run my car with the A/C off at night when it was cooler.  That way my engine didn't overheat.  I dropped off my car at my trusted mechanic the next day, and he got it working again. 

I have to say that Philmont was an amazing adventure, and I would suggest that every Scout who is interested tries to make it out there sometime during their lifetime.  However, I am not so sold on BSA Sea Base.  I never found it comfortable there, and would not suggest that anyone work there.

On a side note, I had someone suggest that I talk to someone in charge at the Gulf Ridge Council (here in the Tampa Bay area) to see if I could get ahold of a higher up in the Boy Scouts to let them know what was going on.  I didn't think it would do any good.  I mean, the screamer had been with them for years, and I think everyone knew what was going on.  So I don't think it would matter much what I would report. 

Bored Scoutmasters and the Tale of the Wampus

As I have written before, I was a member of the Boy Scouts of America for roughly 12 1/2 years.  That's counting the years I was a Cub Scout, Webelo, Boy Scout, Assistant Scoutmaster, and employee at Philmont Scout Ranch.  So when I write about my time with the BSA, I can remember it anywhere from being an eight year old kid to an adult leader.

The BSA like any organization is going to get it's good and bad people, whether they are kids or adults.  Looking back, I know there were a few things I shouldn't have done that made life hell for my Scoutmasters.  And likewise it was paid back to me by a few snot nosed brats that needed a good paddling. 

Believe me, they don't all look like this:

The problem with being a Scoutmaster is that you are either bored to death while the Scouts are off doing their thing, or are inundated by 20 to 30 youths with too much energy.  So, it comes to the point where payback stops being a bitch and starts being a demonic force that will scare the pants off of any camper.  Case in point:  The Wampus. 

Now I live down in Florida and when it comes to the woods it means lots of wild hogs.  I have actually run into a pack of them while out on a trail with the rest of my troop.  They are big scary looking things that have a bad attitude.

I remember being told to take safety precautions around camp.  Always use the buddy system.  Make sure trash is in it's place.  Don't go off the beaten path.  Why?  Because of the wampus.  That's right, it was an animal that was off the wild pig line, but had broader shoulders like a bear, and bear like claws.  It also made a lot of noise, and squealed.  It liked to eat Scouts, so make sure to mind your Scoutmasters. 

Really, before South Park came out with Manbearpig, there was the wampus.

Really, it was a great scare tactic for bored Scoutmasters. 

But here's a fun fact.  What does a wampus sound like?  Well, it sounds a lot like a ghost howler.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-Ghost-Howler/

I preferred using the metal baked bean cans, but they have a good overall method.  And why not make good use of them?  Those little bastards have driven me to drink before.  And I don't even drink.

But back to the point.  The wampus.  It turns out however we were wrong all along.  I searched google, and found out a few things.

Wampus cat

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A cougar

The Wampus cat is a creature in American folklore, variously described as some kind of fearsome variation on a cougar.

Oops.  It turns out the tale of the wampus kind of got twisted by the time it got to our ears.  Here's the Wikipedia description:

Description[edit]

The wampus cat is often compared to the Ewah of Cherokee mythology, in that it was a woman who disguised herself in the skin of a cougar to spy on the men of the tribe, as they sat around the campfire with their wolf brothers, and told sacred stories on a hunting trip. When the woman was discovered, the tribe's medicine man punished her by transforming her into a half-woman, half-cat, who supposedly still haunts the forests of East Tennessee.^[1] In folklore, it can be seen as one of a number of fearsome critters. In some sections of rural East Tennessee, the legend of the Wampus Cat takes on a more sinister tone. It is said that the Wampus Cat is a spirit of death and the earth, and when her cry is heard, it means someone is going to die and be buried within the next three days.

So that's my tale.  The truth is once the kids get to be Boy Scouts it gets to be a little harder to scare them.  However, it's the Cub Scouts, Webelos, and first years Boy Scouts that you can really scare.  I recommend it to bored and angry Scoutmasters.  It's just a heck of a lot of fun.  I'm sure all the campers will find it funny after years of therapy.