QUESTION: Should a Boy Scout who has not been awarded a Religious Emblem as a Boy Scout wear the Religious Knot they earned as a Cub Scout on their Boy Scout uniform? In another way, should a Religious Emblem Knot earned as a Cub be worn on a Boy Scout uniform.
ANSWER: Absolutely yes!

The Youth Religious Award knot emblem represents some 40 or so awards which are presented or in most cases earned, by Cub Scouts, WEBELOS Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, Venturers and/or Sea Scouts. It is worn on the uniform of youth members AND adult members who have earned or received an award (or more than one) during their youth.

In your example, a registered Boy Scout would indeed be able to wear the Youth Religious Award knot emblem on his Boy Scout uniform to represent the one or two youth emblems he earned as a Cub Scout and/or WEBELOS Cub Scout. There are small devices which are to be attached to the knot emblem which further signifies in which program(s) he has received a youth religious emblem or medal.

Likewise, when that Boy Scout becomes a Varsity Scout or Venturer/Sea Scout, he wears the same knot emblem with the Cub Scout, WEBELOS Cub Scout and/or Boy Scout program devices to signify in which programs he received the youth religious emblems in.

Take a look at http://www.scoutinsignia.com/devices.htm to further see how this works.

The same matter applies for adults who have earned one or more youth religious emblems -- they also wear the youth religious awards knot emblem with appropriate devices to signify whether they received the award as a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, Explorer, Venturer or Sea Scout/Sea Explorer.

Q: I'd like to recognize the adult leaders in my troop. Several of them are eligible for the trained leaders award. I do not know if I should give them the square knot and the medal or only the square knot. I know that the square knot is sewn onto the adults uniform, but I have been unsuccessful in locating how, or in what location, or under what circumstance the medal should/could be worn.
A: It depends on which "trained leaders award" you are speaking of.

Scouters who have met the basic training standards for their volunteer position wear the "Trained" strip. This is something you can purchase and award to them at a unit award's ceremony (a Pack Meeting, Court of Honor, or awards banquet). There is also a certificate which can be purchased or obtained through the local Council which has the signature of the District's training chair or Executive. The strip is worn below the position emblem on the left shoulder. When they move to a new position, they should remove the "Trained" strip and re-earn the strip after meeting the requirements for the new position.

More on the "Trained" strip can be found at http://www.scoutinsignia.com/trained.htm

If, however, we're talking the Scouters' Training Award or another award associated with a medal and certificate, those items are obtained and awarded along with the square knot insignia normally during a District Roundtable, annual recognition banquet or the District's leadership will send the medal, certificate and square knot for presentation to the volunteer during a meeting or awards ceremony of your unit.

Information on where and when the medals are worn are found at http://www.scoutinsignia.com/medals.htm with specific information at http://www.scoutinsignia.com/trngamdl.htm.

Q: I've heard a new patch is coming out, if you attend all three BSA HA (High Adventure) bases (Northern Tier, Philmont and Florida Sea Base), there is a patch for this. Do you know anything about this. I've tried looking for it on the web at BSA and others location to no avail.
A: Yes I do.

The award is called the "Triple Crown of High Adventure Award" and the reason why you cannot find it in the BSA's Insignia (Control) Guide is because it is adminstered by the Summers Canoe Base's alumni association. The BSA does recognize it as an emblem which can be worn on the backside of jackets and jac-shirts. I believe that there is also a belt buckle in addition to the patches which can be obtained.

More infomation on the Triple Crown of High Adventure Award can be obtained at this website maintained by the Summers Alumni Association. There are also frequently asked questions on that same page.

Q: Hello, first of all I would like to thank you for clearing up a lot of questions I had regarding the boy scout uniform. Your page on venturing uniforms was very helpful for me as I just recently joined a brand new venturing crew. There are a lot of links that are down and I was just wondering if you could work on getting them up again. That would be really helpful.
A: Thanks for your kind words. I'm working as hard as possible to migrate the pages from the old server to the new one with the new page design. Its really not as easy as cutting and pasting...and I have to do this in addition to my regular work and writing.

My goal is to have everything complete by the end of this year (2011). I'm having some issues with the Venturing pages, because the Venturing uniform has changed twice since before the migration and there's some discussion about it changing once more, making the insignia placement different. However, I'm working on it and if there's a specific question or concern you have about the Venturing field uniform, please let me know! (note: Venturing uniforming options and items will return to these pages in the late Spring of 2013, because the Venturing program is undergoing a massive revision!)

Thanks again for the great words!

Q: "I was wondering if venturers could also wear year pins?"
A:Absolutely. Venturers are part of the Boy Scouts of America, and they should wear the year pin(s) with the red backing (previously used by Explorers).

"Also can venturers wear interpreter strips? And lastly can you wear multiple interpreter strips?"

Yes to both. There's nothing officially in writing, but one of the "axioms" of uniforming state that you should be conservative in the amount of insignia one wears. The basic rule of thumb is that no more than three Interpreter strips should be worn; no more than two of the "larger sized" interpreter strips shoud be worn for best uniforming. You have to leave space for the Jamboree insignia and their segments.

Q: i was doing some 'net research on UK venturers...& came across mention of a uniform item for explorers,BSA..."explorer cords"...i haven't been able to find anything about it on the usssp site, or anywhere... do you know of anything similar or, actual?? i'd like to strive for accuracy in oldtime scouting & this would help?? maybe??(if i knew what it was?? anything important like the silver award??)
A: No, the person posting the information is confusing the Den Chief Service Cord with something else for the old Explorer uniform; or for an uniform not associated with the BSA.

Exploring doesn't exist as a uniformed part of the BSA any more. There are law enforcement, fire service and EMT (medical) Explorer Posts out there, but they are all part of the Learning for Life program and NOT a part of the same program as Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers and Sea Scouts.

It's like Ford Motor Corporation -- they make Fords and Ford Trucks, sure; but they also make Mercury and Lincoln automobiles too. The two divisions don't really cross, athough they are making the same general product.

What the person is probably referring to is some kind of cord used by honor/color guards.

In the "old days", Explorers used to be able to (and may did) wear the Den Chief cord or the Den Chief Service Tab when their days as a Den Chief were over. When the BSA moved to the shirts with the epulets, the tab was discontinued and the cords continued until Exploring went away. This included a new Den Chief Service Cord which replaced the Den Chief or WEBELOS Den Chief cord to distinguish the current and previous service of the Den Chief.

Information on all of those cords are found at this page at my Badge and Insignia Site

Q: "What is the appropriate wearing of world jamboree emblems?"Background: the BSA contingent emblem for all BSA participants, youth, adult and International Service Team (IST) members was to be worn as a temporary patch. There was no clear WSJ 22 Sweden emblem issued, and if there were one considered official, could it be worn above the right pocket, as I recall was the case when I was a kid? (in the 1950's)"

A:Correct. The rule which the BSA has maintained about wearing Jamboree emblems is the following: the actual Jamboree emblem and any "segments" or "pieces" to the emblem is the emblem of first choice and should be worn by those who participated, served on staff (professional or volunteer) or support staff (international service team) during that Jamboree. International (World Organization of Scouting Movement) agreement states that only "international encampment emblems, like a regional, national or world Jamboree, are to be worn on the upper right side of member nation's uniforms to acheive parity with all member nations."

The Boy Scouts of America creates special "contingent emblems" for their participants because some nations do not create a Jamboree patch per se (in the case of this World Jambore); or the Jamboree emblem is such a design, shape, style or fabric which does not work well with the BSA's official uniforms (a good example of this is the World Jamboree emblems made from silk, which do not work well with the BSA's uniform materials).

EITHER the official Jamboree emblem OR the BSA contingent emblem may be worn centered above the "Boy Scouts of America", "Venturing-BSA" or "Sea Scouts - BSA" strip (and above any interpreter strips) on the upper right side of the uniform shirt. If the individual chooses to wear both emblems, the official Jamboree emblem is worn in the place allocated for "international encampment/Jamboree emblems" and the contingent emblem is worn as a temporary item centered on the right pocket of the uniform shirt.

The Jamboree emblem is worn at the wearer's discretion until either they participate in a subsequent international or national encampment, at which time the old emblem is removed and replaced with the current one; or the wearer chooses not to wear a Jamboree or international encampment emblem on their uniform shirt.

"Since there is verbiage about wearing the national jamboree patch above the pocket, once a payment has been made, for promotional purposes, could there be provision for wearing a world jamboree patch, above the pocket, once a commitment has been made, for promotional purposes?"

Not the World Jamboree emblem, George, since typically the World Jamboree emblems are not given to participants until they actually arrive at the Jamboree site; but the BSA contingent emblem *may be worn* upon receipt of payment. This was the policy used by the BSA when I was scheduled to participate in the Jamboree in Iran later to be moved; and the World Jamboree in Australia. I wore the World Jamboree contingent patch on the right pocket and the National Scout Jamboree patch above the "Boy Scouts of America" strip and my interpreter strip.

"I believe it could have made a difference in the low BSA turn-out for WSJ 22."

It could have....

Thanks for asking me to clarify the policy, which is taken from the BSA's International Programs and Policies booklet which Scout Executives should have access to.

Q: "I read your answer to a lady regarding the wearing of the Wood Badge regalia (found at http://www.scoutinsignia.com/wbneck.htm) ....here's my dilemma....It seems to me that the Wood Badgers have co opted the woggle and don't think it should be worn by anyone else in US Scouting."

A: Says *them*. The Woggle is NOT just for those Wood Badgers, Karen. It's an acceptable "keeper" (slide) for ANY neckerchief. There is no reference within the Wood Badge course syallbus nor within any BSA guide or manual which states that the Wood Badge woggle - or any woggle - can ONLY be worn by Wood Badgers. I wear the Wood Badge woggle with a unit, the Kente cloth, and NESA neckerchiefs, depending on occasion. But then, like yourself, I am a Wood Badger also.

"I have my father's leather woggle from when he was a Cub Leader in Canada and would like for my son who is a Scout to be able to wear it. I cannot find any official guidance on this just a lot of Wood Badgers who seem to think they are the only ones allowed to wear woggles. I have read and found a lot of info on Scouts in other countries making and wearing woggles but can't get a straight answer from anyone in the US....any insights?"

Well, one can make their own woggle; there's plenty of websites which explains how to do it. When those special "patch police officers" come around, ask them to show you in writing where it states this. They won't be able to show you.

The ONLY thing special to Wood Badgers are the beads and neckerchief. Seriously, if a Wood Badger had a Troop or special event neckerchief slide that they wanted to wear instead of the standard woggle, they *may wear it* with the neckerchief and beads. Looks weird, but again, there's NO policy or guidance which keeps people from doing so, in the same way that there is NO policy or guidance which states that Wood Badgers who belong to a unit must wear the MacLaren tartan neckerchief (on the contrary, as I wrote to Dee, Wood Badgers who ARE a part of a Troop, Team or Crew with their own distinctive neckerchief SHOULD WEAR THE WOOD BADGE WITH THAT NECKERCHIEF (and slide, if the unit adopted a special slide)).

Personally, I would hold off on having him wear the woggle until he's a bit older. I made the mistake of wearing a special Cub Scout "joining badge" from Germany on the pocket flap of a Scout shirt when I went to camp. I left my shirt somewhere and when I returned, the silver badge was gone. I later found it on an adult's uniform shirt. He said that he got it in a trade. I've been looking for a replacement -- been several times to the Scouting offices in Germany -- but I could not find it. Yet.

Thanks for asking me!!

You can also ask me questions (and I'll do my best to answer them and if I do not already have content explaining or describing what you asked, I'll add it to the Badge and Uniform Site). To do so, just send me an email Settummanque!