There was a dilapidated chicken coop in the alley of our backyard neighbor and when I was patrol leader my patrol met there, weather permitting, in addition to our weekly troop meetings at the American Legion building. We were influenced by the Our Gang Club’s Little Rascals.” That was our existence. It didn’t take much to make us happy and we were allowed to do whatever in the patrol den and after school as long as my buddies and I were home for supper at 6:00 p.m. sharp. We went on a few patrol hikes and overnighters by ourselves, with none of the adult leaders. We would joke around, maybe catch a fish, build a fire and cook an aluminum foil dinner from our backpack or gunnysack. Refrigeration (ice) was not a requirement.
Two deep leadership had not been imagined and our gang did things on our own, mostly left alone. In my day, a gang was an antonym for patrol (see page 28 of the September 1956 Boy’s Life article by Green Bar Bill where he says, “Get your gang up to full strength and show the new fellows a real patrol!”
Also, check out the 1938 edition of the Scoutmasters Handbook[*] (page unknown) says,
The gang is, in short, a little social organism, with a life of its own, reaching beyond the sum of the lives of its several members. This gang, this natural unit of boys for boy activities, is the all-important unit in Scouting. It changes its name, it is true, from gang to Patrol, but it is a "gang" just the same, a small, permanent group of boys allied by similar interests, working together under the responsible leadership of one of its number—the Patrol Leader.
Today, no one would dare use the word gang, but the concept remains our goals of unanimity and spirit for today’s Scout patrols.
We decorated the coop and at meetings had our own flag and standard. Our troop’s charter holder, the American Legion, let the troop use a large closet for storage and we could leave up some large items on the walls of their bingo hall.
At summer camp we tented by patrol and cooked by patrol always using a patrol duty roster (fire maker, cook, asst. cook, water boy, Kitchen ‘cleaner up’, KP-2 and camp police). Only the patrol leader didn’t have one of these positions that rotated every afternoon for the next 24-hours. Only the cooks liked their jobs, but everyone shared through the week and it worked well. The cooks portioned out the food and filled their plates last. The cooks moved to the KP slot so there was an incentive to be nice and not dirty every pan or leave a mess for the KP-scouts. My patrol had a yell that was always bellowed at the top of our lungs before grace at each meal.
Showers at Quivira Scout Ranch in 1961 (first year for this camp) in Southeast Kansas were a hose over a tree limb. That was it. No curtain. So what? Nobody cared!
Now let’s flip forward from my era, let alone BPs, to today when we’re arguing about which bathroom to use and our Scout camps have detailed time schedules for showering by Scouts, 18-20-year-old men, adults over 21 and the same for women leaders and staff. Whoa to anyone that approaches the shower house outside their designated time slot. And just wait for the daily leader’s meeting with the camp commissioner where the central topic will be lack of hot water and what woman “nearly walked in on me during ‘our time.’” At the 1960 Jamboree, the Scouts and Scouters all showered in cold water together and never thought a thing about it.
Health codes, building codes, fire codes and esthetics make much of what you spoke of Enoch regarding patrol unity passé in today’s age of regulations, rules, policies, use permits, etc.
In addition, parents are afraid to let their kids play outside and the kids can hardly breathe unless they have an electronic device in their hand. The thought of getting dirty, taking orders from their peers, or doing manual labor gives them chills. Try to get Scouts to sing or give a yell and they’ll fake vomiting! They think it nerdish to walk in a parade. Wearing a uniform other than at a troop meeting makes most Scouts cringe.
I admit that I am writing with a broad-brush. I do so, to demonstrate that your May 23 article, “Developing Patrol Identity” is nostalgic and great reading for someone my age, but anachronistic for all most all of today’s Scout-aged boys.
You, and members of your “Scouting for Boys Launch Team,” should modernize what boys will endorse as their style of showing patrol identity. This might include a troop app for their phones and regular tweets from their leaders to the boys, and of course the adults.
The Boy’s Life app for iPhone is certainly a start. The 2013 Jamboree had its own app which was poorly crafted and ineffective, but a start in the right direction. The 2017 Jamboree utilized a much-improved app, individualized by each participant. One day soon, I predict Scout camps will have robust WiFi, so the Scouts can remain in contact with their mothers and girlfriends. I expect that without connectivity the boys won’t attend camp any more than they’ll attend a primitive camp lacking hot showers. We must sanction WiFi and use it to our advantage with merit badge requirements and helps, recipes, reminders, text messages from merit badge counselors, etc.
I hope other “Launch Team” members can supply additional suggestions for modern equivalents of patrol dens and yells.
Enoch, I appreciate your Call to Action[†] asking Scouters to:
- . . . talk with your Patrols about building unique Patrol identities.
- Challenge them to throw their efforts into coming up with some awesome Patrol corners.
- Start a competition to see who can make the coolest Patrol corner in the next two weeks.
[†]Downloaded 31 January 2018 at http://scoutingrediscovered.com/scoutcraft/developing-patrol-identity
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