How far did you go in rank in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts? I went as far as finishing Juniors. I didn't like the cadets

[debm55]

uniforms. ---white blouse, green skirt.

[Traildogbob]

1. Was not allowed to join

My older brothers troop went on a camping trip, and the scout leader allowed them to put poison oak vines into the camp fire. Almost every scout spent multiple days in the hospital with rashes even internally.

[debm55]

2. Om, what an a hole he was.Sorry

[Traildogbob]

8. Yea

He had lots of badges. Actually could have killed scouts with lung and respiratory issues. Achievement Honor patches for participation does not make a leader.
As a College educator teaching Dendrology, I made damn sure students knew poison ivy and poison oak. Some learned the hard way when we had final practical exams. Over 100 live species are laid out in lab to ID, and part of exams were outdoors. Scratching, smelling and even tasting is required for ID of some of the 100+ species. They best had learned the ivy’s before exams. Some did not. Oops!

[jimfields33]

52. I went through sixth or seventh grade. Made boy scouts, but no idea of rank.

I really wasn’t into it.

[debm55]

53. TY, jimfields33.

[LastDemocratInSC]

62. Same for me. Too much Boy Scout ritual and not enough hiking and camping.

[livetohike]

4. How could anyone (especially a leader) be that dumb?

Those poor kids. My husband is severely allergic to poison ivy. Something like that would kill him.

[debm55]

5. I agree, Scout leader was an idiot.

[livetohike]

3. Cadet. Then quit along with some friends because

we wanted to have a mixer with the neighborhood Boy Scout troop and our leaders said “No”. End of that.

[debm55]

7. That's a bummer. that you couldn't have your mixer.

[Ocelot II]

6. I don't really remember.

I didn't really enjoy it that much; being a shy nerd I didn't care much for social organizations. Got some badges, did some crafty stuff. I suppose I lasted into about 8th or 9th grade. They made us sell cookies door-to-door, which I hated.

[debm55]

10. I hated selling the cookies door to door. also. I went by myself. No parents sold them at work. However, When I taught I

was flooded with cookies, popcorn, hoagies, pies, etc.

[surrealAmerican]

9. Even the Junior's uniforms were a minus for me.

I was a Brownie, then a junior for one year. I spent most of that year begging my mother to let me quit Girl Scouts.
I hated having to wear the uniform (a dress) to school.
I hated selling cookies and calendars.
The other girls bullied me.
The meetings were boring.
I was still too young for "the fun parts" of scouting.

On the plus side, some of the craft projects were fun. We learned how to tie knots.

[debm55]

12. TY surrelAmerican. Did you make the sit upons with woven newspaper? I liked the crafts too. We only wore our uniforms to

school for Scout week in March. Otherwise it was not allowed. And that was long enough for me. Sorry you were bullied.

[surrealAmerican]

19. The sit upons we made were two washcloths ...

... joined together with a yarn fringe, and stuffed with discarded pantyhose!

Maybe we were some kind of posh troop?

[debm55]

20. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA, That's funny. I did enjoy as it was a get away from my house and I liked the crafts.

[The Magistrate]

11. 'Star'

The lowest 'commissioned' rank, needed five merit badges. Mine were hiking, camp cooking, lifesaving, marksmanship, coin collecting.

[debm55]

13. TY The Magistrate. Did your troop work on a troop badge?

[The Magistrate]

14. No

Never heard of such a thing, perhaps after my time.

[dameatball]

15. I remember having most of the work done for First Class, but don't think I ever got it.

I dropped out about that time. Don't recall why. Was getting more into sports at that time and spent a lot of time at the county park at night.

[debm55]

17. Thank you dameatball.

[COL Mustard]

51. Second Class here.

Needed one more thing for First Class (don't remember what) but never got it and lost interest.

[debm55]

55. TY Col Mustard. I think that is what happened to me Brownies and Juniors were fun. Cadets. not that much, That is when I

lost interest. I am sure Boy Scouts are the same.

[stopdiggin]

16. Life scout

And could have done Eagle with the smallest modicum of effort. But (even though I had collected quite a few badges) the 'awards' thing fell very flat with me. Just wasn't into ceremony. (and that's probably carried forward until today)
Camping, hiking, outings, woodcraft - all that stuff was great. Trappings and uniforms - that appealed to a different sort.

[debm55]

18. Thank you, stopdiggin, I understand where you are coming from.

[AllyCat]

82. That's what happened with one of my kids.

Aged out at Life. Just couldn’t get him to finish.

Younger is dual registered in a Troop and Crew. Hoping he continues in both. Currently, Star.

[sakabatou]

21. Never finished cub, as the troop disbanded

[debm55]

23. Sorry, sakabatou.

[sakabatou]

25. No biggie. It was lack of interest in going to scouts that did it in

[Mr.Bill]

22. I only went to First Class.

In was only in for two years or so. We were a large troop (about 75 kids) and well organized. We went on one campout every month about nine months out of the year. We raised money by collecting newspapers. We made enough to buy our own bus. Back then you could buy a used bus for $1,000. One of the dads owned an auto body shop an painted the bus for us. It said Boy Scouts of America Troop 606 on the side. We won lots af awards for marching in parades. After a few years I just kind of grew out of it, I guess.

About two years after I quit, our Scoutmaster, who was seemingly a great guy and put a lot of time and effort into it was arrested and convicted for stealing payroll checks from where he worked and cashing them with fake IDs. It was a sad day when we heard about that.

[debm55]

24. So sorry for you and the boys involved to learn of that news.

[bullimiami]

26. First Class. We were way more into camping than badges.

[debm55]

28. Thank you bullimiami. The camping sounds great. Have you used any of your camping skills later in life?

[bullimiami]

43. Many times. I really did love being in scouts.

And we were bad scouts. Beer cooling in the creek on the end of a rope. Sneaking out to the Girl Scout camp. Smoking pot behind the tents. Poaching lobsters. But we really loved the outdoors and activities and learning all the skills.

I was a cub leader too when my son was in. He didn’t move on to scouts because it was a different group and he really didn’t mesh.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

50. Eagle here, and I still use some of the skills.

How to aim a tent and trench it so it stays dry in the rain. Building fires. Canoeing without going sideways in the rivers. I still know and use some of the knots, though I have to stop and think when I tie a bowline.

Like bullimiami, there were also "un-medal" skills, like packing liquor and cigarettes on camping trips.

[debm55]

56. HAHAHAHAHAHHA your post is funny. My late Father completed the Eagles. Didn't you have to do a community project?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

59. We did various community projects. However, the details have faded somewhat ...

... as it's been sixty-plus years since Boy Scouts.

[debm55]

70. That's about my time too. I enjoyed the Girl Scouts. Never went to overnight camp, just day camp. It got me out of my

house for a dime weekly dues. and opened my eyes to different interests, TY. JustABozoOnThisBus.

[walkingman]

27. Life also - I wish I had my old merit badges. I learned a lot...canoeing, rowing, lifesaving,

mile swim (I almost drowned ), I think tree identification? The Girl Scout camp was across the lake from us and we would canoe over late at night. I always wanted to go to Philmont BS Camp but never did.

I had an Army arctic sleeping bag that my Dad gave to me (he was in the service) that I wish I still had - somebody talked me out of it later and a Army issued pup tent.

I loved the scouts but fell victim to girls and gave it up when I got older.

[debm55]

29. Thank you, walkingman. Have you you used any of you Scouting skills later in life?

[Squaredeal]

30. My parents couldn't afford to send me to scout summer camp.

I dragged around a ten pound sack of Boy Scout charcoal through my neighborhood trying to get orders to make enough money to pay for it. It was during the 1958 recession and all I got for my efforts was a dirty, blackened face. The rest of my troop friends went to Texas for a week, coming back as Star and First Class Scouts , with many merit badges. I remained a lowly Second Class scout and that was the end of the Boy Scouts for me.
As a Cub Scout, my pack was at the end of the Memorial Day parade It was hot and a five mile walk, but we were given tickets for a hot dog and soda at the end of the parade route. By the time that we straggled in, all the hot dogs and soda were long gone and we had to retrace our trip back home, tired, hungry and thirsty. Never again did I ever participate in another town parade.

[debm55]

57. You need a hug squaredeal

[bottomofthehill]

31. Eagle, as usual the race was on

Went to summer camp for 2 weeks twice. My father put a plan in place for me and an expectation of coming home with 8/9 badges per 2 weeks that got me 17 of the 21 needed for Eagle in the 80’s along with the 8 skill awards. I ended up with 24 Merit Badges.

[debm55]

58. Congratulations, bottomofthehill.

[Attilatheblond]

32. After being asked to not come back to Sunday School at age 9

I figured it would be pointless to try scouting.

[debm55]

71. You are funny. TY Attilatheblond.

[Attilatheblond]

88. Appreciate that you 'get' me, but most of my tales are 100% factual

I was asked not to come back to Sunday School cuz I asked a lot of questions that seemed reasonable to my little logic driven mind.

[debm55]

91. I understand because I asked the same questions and the answers didn't satisfy me.

[willamette]

104. Whelp, logic is infectious ----

They couldn't have you infecting all of those other pliable minds.

[Attilatheblond]

105. Yep and I learned that subverting the dominate paridigm was a worthwhile endevour.

It was the only constructive way for a quiet child (well, I was back then) to get any sort of recognition from the alleged grown-ups. By the time I reached high school, I came with a warning label.

[debm55]

108. TY Attilatheblond.

[willamette]

109. I just wish it was as easy to infect them with logic as it is with measles.

With rationality, the more it spreads, the better .... and fewer people die or are incapacitated.

[debm55]

107. Ty. willamette.

[Aristus]

33. My Dad bullied me into the Scouts, like he bullied me into everything else he wanted me to do that I didn't.

I did pretty well in the Cub Scouts and Webelos. I earned all the wild animal patches (Wolf, Tiger, Bear, etc.), and a bunch of the gold and silver arrowhead patches, and was elected den leader several times. But I hated it all; thought it was a waste of time. I advanced to the Boy Scouts, earned Tenderfoot status and two merit badges (canoing and leather working) before calling it a day.

I just wasn't Scout material.

[debm55]

72. Dear Aristus, I am sorry that happened to you. You are so loved and appreciated here on DU. You are a survivor.. I will

give you a heart and hug.

[Historic NY]

34. 1st Class - patrol leader

It started to take up time when we were working, and we just left. I still have my whistle from the Klondike Derby days.

[debm55]

73. TY Historic NY. You did very well.It is sometimes hard to balance life with the scouts as you grow older. But you did

become a Patrol leader. and you should be proud of that.

[-misanthroptimist]

35. Life

Three merit badges shy of Eagle Scout. We moved to a place where the nearest Troop was about ten miles away and my parents wouldn't drive me. I'm very slightly bitter about that to this day.

[lastlib]

40. That is a bummer!

So sorry!

[malthaussen]

49. You should be.

It takes a lot of work to make Eagle, they should have supported you.

-- Mal

[debm55]

76. Mal , speaking from my own experience, some parents don't give a shit.

[debm55]

74. Oh misantroptimist. I am very sorry that happened to you. I know the bitterness you feel. Know that it is very hard to

be an Eagle Scout and you almost made it. I had the same problems when we moved. Mother didn't want to drive even though she had a license and dad was too tired to drive me anywhere. Brother was driven to baseball though. Don't let the bitterness get to your heart. I did and it ate me alive. I am proud of you and admire your work in the Scouts. Peace to you my friend. Love, debm

[no_hypocrisy]

36. GS as a Junior.

But then again, I was thrown out of the Girl Scouts

[debm55]

75. Ty no_hyprocrisy. Maybe Girl Scouts wasn;t a good fit for you. I only made to the end of Juniors and frankly Cadets were

not fun anymore.

[lastlib]

37. Eagle Scout here.

Still involved in Scouting at the council /district level, and still do some work with the troop I was in as a youth. Received my 50-year service pin & certificate a couple years ago. Too many adventures & memories to recite here.

[debm55]

77. Congratulations. lastlib. Wonderful achievements. Be proud of yourself.

[GreenWave]

38. Boy scouts. Asst. patrol leader as scoutmaster rigged the vote for his son!

The fix was in way back when.

[debm55]

78. For real or are you pulling my leg.

[GreenWave]

86. Not pulling. The other troop members ckaimed rget voted for me

except the scoutmaster's son who got the job.

Also rigged was the spelling bee! Since I won the previous year at a different school they made up a rule that no previous winners can enter. Rule by teacher to favor daughter. Not very eleemosynary, was it?

[debm55]

89. Ty GreenWave, I am sorry that happened to you.

[Niagara]

39. I took 9 years of 4-H. I didn't complete my final year.

I didn't participate in any other youth organizations as 4-H kept me fairly busy. Where I lived the ages to participate was 8 to 18 years of age, it's not the same for each townships and/or states. We didn't have to wear uniforms.

[debm55]

92. Thank you, Niagara, I was always interested in 4 H club but had none in my steel mill town.

[Niagara]

100. I'm sorry that 4-H wasn't available for you, Debbie.

I believe that you might have enjoyed it.

[debm55]

106. When I was teaching the 4H club came to the school with 20 fertilized chicken eggs and an incubator for my class. Each

each we candled the eggs to watch their development. The class and I loved watching them develop. One died and they left me with the 19. They had instructions that I was supposed to kill them and explained how. I couldn't . I gave them to a local farmer. My third graders and the kinders would take them out of the housing and play on the floor with them. I very much enjoyed. TY Niagara

[PJMcK]

41. I made it to Star Scout

It was my ambition to make Eagle but at age 14, I was faced with a dilemma: Either I could spend my weekends camping in the woods with the guys OR I could spend the weekends hanging out with the girls. Actually, it wasn’t that difficult a decision!

Years later, I was the Cubmaster then Scoutmaster for my son’s den/pack/troop. We had a lot of great experiences together and the other boys learned a lot. When he reached First Class, my son made the same choice as I and for the same reason! A chip off the old block.

[debm55]

93. Ty PJMck and thank you for giving your time and experience to the boys in the den. That was very kind of you.

[Wolf Frankula]

42. I was never a Squirrel Goat.

I didn't like the junnery and the fake military bulkak. I said if I have to wear a uniform, I want a rifle.

Wolf

[debm55]

79. Ok, that is interesting. I don't think anyone asked you to be a Squirrell Goat. but if they did, I am glad you declined.

Last edited Wed Feb 28, 2024, 11:34 AM - Edit history (1)

[Emile]

44. I don't remember. I was in it maybe for a year or so

[debm55]

94. TY You Emile.

[BluesRunTheGame]

45. Eagle

I was really into it. It was a pretty good organization back then.

[debm55]

96. Congratulations, BluesRunTheGame.

[womanofthehills]

46. Yrs ago , I was a paid scout leader in a low income neighborhood

The highlight was Girl Scout Camp for 5 days in the Sandia Mts. We ate wild raspberries and brought a donkey along on our hikes to carry our water. No one was allowed to put their elbows on the table while eating 🙃

One of our kids was the first thief ever at the camp - she was sent home and they never invited us back again.

[debm55]

61. That is sad to punish the whole troop. Inner city need that experience. Sad.

[ProfessorGAC]

47. Cub Scouts - Weeblos

Piano & basketball became too important to go into Boy Scouts.
Besides, even then I knew I wasn't the "roughing it" type.

[debm55]

98. TY ProfessorGAC. That is how fair my son made it. Sometimes other things become more important in our lives.

[malthaussen]

48. First Class, two merit badges...

... I started late. I may hold some sort of record, though, for making 2nd Class in two weeks after I joined up.

When they failed me for the Swimming Merit Badge because I wasn't able to blow enough air into my pants to make a life preserver, I got fed up and quit.

-- Mal

[debm55]

101. Ty, malthaussen and congratulations.

[yellowdogintexas]

54. No Scouts where I grew up. We had 4-H. I think I managed to eke out 1 year

at the most. I was 3rd grade and really did not understand that it was more than something you just went to - there were projects!!!

When you live in the country and your school doesn't sponser something it just doesn't happen.

[debm55]

60. TY, yellowdogintexas. Sorry about your experiences.

[yellowdogintexas]

63. in retrospect, it's actually funny. Heck I just wanted to get out of class for an hour

and all my friends were doing it. I did learn how to make blonde brownies though

[randr]

64. Life Scout, Junior Assistant Troop Leader

Earned my final merit badges for Eagle just past the age limit. Looked into The Order of the Arrow but moved on into puberty.
Learned a lot of skills that I still use today

[debm55]

69. Thank you randr. I am so glad that you still use the skills that you learned in Scouts.

[petronius]

65. Eagle scout for me. We had a good, out-door focused troop - I still use

a lot of the camping skills in a lot of the same places (although I'm a lot better at leave-no-trace these days).

The only thing I look back on with regret is the amount of bullying we did, we weren't always kind to the kids that didn't fit our mold...

[debm55]

99. Ty petronius. Congratultaions on making Eagle.scout.

[retread]

66. Only got to 2nd Class. In retrospect, my Boy Scout experience was an early manifestation of my lifelong aversion to

alpha males.

[debm55]

80. I think the higher you go the more to alpha males.. TY retread. Sorry that happened to you.

[canuckledragger]

67. Not very far.

Last edited Tue Feb 27, 2024, 11:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Canadian here, and in the boys side it starts with Beavers, cubs, then scouts. I was all 3, and my abusive stepfather was a scout leader for years ...until I came of age to be one and he suddenly didn't want to do it anymore.

Between him and other incidents including a violent scout leader that couldn't control his temper and took everything as a personal challenge to his assumed authority...I lost interest pretty quick.

The kick in the nuts regarding my stepfather is that I later learned he would take my younger brother on trips that would've been just like a scout camping trip, complete with canoeing and everything, except he wasn't a scout leader anymore. And my brother was his son by blood, and had his name as well. Fuck that guy.

[debm55]

68. Thank you for sharing canuckledragger, You and I are Children of Abusive Parents. My story has been told here and on the

Mental health support forum. You may not have reached the top level of Boy Scouts. but you are a survior. Mine was physical, emotional and sexual abuse. I have gone no contact with my mother again. I have a lump on my spine, She knows it and did not even wish me a happy birthday on the phone last week. Some people are mentally sick. My mother and sister are.There is nothing to do about it now, But we can love ourselves. My son is adopted and you are right, she calls him the Bastard. I will keep you in my heart.as we both struggle with the passed. They are very helpful to me on the MH support group. Do not be afraid to visit. Love and hugs to you.

[AllyCat]

81. Finished Juniors. Moved to a small town with

No Scouting of any kind. My brother had to finish at first year Webelos because of the move.

[debm55]

83. Ty AllyCat. stopped after Juniors too.

[OldBaldy1701E]

84. I started in the Cubs...

Then the Webelos and finally a Scout. I 'retired' from it with Star ranking. I would have gone for Eagle, but music and partying kind of got in the way of that. (Not too much though, the parties the Scouts had were pretty wild as well. I just could not give enough time to the Scouts as I was trying to start a career. Seeing as how I am a complete failure, I probably should have gone for the Eagle instead.)

[debm55]

97. Ty you OldBaldy1701E, you went far. And you are NOT a complete failure. You come across as very nice , loving person. I

think you are a failure.

[Rhiannon12866]

85. I was in Girl Scouts back when they reorganized and my troop was assigned as cadets

I wasn't old enough to qualify, but since I was the only one, they made an exception for me. I didn't much like it, either. I much preferred Brownies.

[debm55]

95. Agree. Brownies and juniors were interesting . cadets not so much. TY Rhiannon12866

[A HERETIC I AM]

87. Second Class, but I was Troop Scribe and a Platoon Leader!

I just could not get Morse Code, which was a requirement for the First Class Badge.

Myself and my 2 older brothers were in the same troop in Maryland, when my dad was stationed in DC.

I had the Mile Swim badge, the Swimming Merit Badge (I was on the town pool swim team. Go Marlins! ) and about 10 or 12 others including the Hiking merit badge, which most of the troop got in one week when we hiked from Cumberland to Hancock on the C&O Canal.

We had a couple cool and caring scout masters who saw to it we had one camping trip a month, even learning winter/ snow camping in January in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

But yeah, Second Class was as far as I got.

[debm55]

90. TY AHERETIC I AM. You seem like you had alot of adventures., My son went camping in the Somerset Mt in PA during the

winter. He loved it. You still went fair, Having the right Scout leaders are important,

[Silver Gaia]

102. As a girl, Junior. As an adult, everything up to Service Unit Manager for my county.

We moved cross-country when I was 12, and Girl Scouts was not as big a thing where we moved to.

My daughter started as a Daisy, however, and proceeded through Cadette. I was her Troop Leader every year, and performed other duties as well, such as Special Events Coordinator, Camp Registrar, Public Relations Manager, and 3 years as Service Unit Manager for my county.

[debm55]

103. Ty Silver Gala. and that you for all the work you did for the Girl Scouts.

[Bmoboy]

110. First class

With 5 merit badges. Would have made Star Scout if I had stayed in.

[Mad_Dem_X]

111. I, too, finished Juniors and then stopped there.

Not sure why I didn't go further.