Hi Dean!
You wrote and asked of me: "I visited a troop Court of Honor in California this week and encountered this: A boy who had earned the National Catholic Committee's International Awareness medal is now close to quitting Scouting. Why? Because the troop he trasferred to seven months ago has determined that he may not be presented the above medal because it is not in the TroopMaster computer program.
Completely silly...but some folks subscribe to the theory that "unless it's in Troopmaster (or other computer tracking program)" (or "unless it's in the Insignia (Control) Guide) it's not official..."
The way to correct this is to get the Troop's Commissioner involved. The Commissioner (Or Executive) should be able to explain the following facts:
- there are more than 4000 BSA awards, insignia items, and devices available to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts/Varsity Scouts, Venturers/Sea Scouts, and Scouters. Not everyone wears everything and not every award is universally accepted by every local Council.
- there are literally hundreds of awards which are available for Scouts to earn...and as long as the LOCAL COUNCIL (not the Troop, but the local Council...) approves its wear, not only may the Scout be awarded the item, but also WEAR the item on the uniform.
- They may need to request TroopMaster to update their software to reflect the new awards and it's possible that this award is listed either under "religious emblems" or "service awards".
- Troopmaster and other recording/tracking systems does NOT TRACK EVERYTHING. It's not designed to track everything!! There are lots of items that those tracking systems (as well as ScoutNet, the BSA' official registration management tool) which is "not trackable"...for instance, if a Scout receives a medal from a community agency like the American Legion for winning a poster contest, yes, that medal can be awarded and that Scout can wear that medal alongside other Scouting medals on his uniform formally. Same goes for awards from other organizations. They are worn only during formal occassions and not during "regular Troop meetings."
And there is not an entry for TroopMaster for those kinds of awards. This should correct that problem...but...Further, according to an ASM, although he's been registered as a Boy Scout since 3, May 05, he cannot wear a one-year service star until November 06. "The computer said so!"
Each unit determines how they are going to award the "tenure pin" (the "year pin"). If they choose to go by what TroopMaster states, then he needs to wait until November 06 (probably the expiration date of the unit's charter). The year pin is NOT a nationally tracked item...each unit determine the rules and policy as to who wears them and the basis for how they are awarded.
Mike, this medal is not a "religious award" so the qusetion is not about square knots. It is more akin to High Adventure and Historic Trails medals, and while I don't know anything about TroopMaster, I would seriously doubt that this program would list all, or even most, of the latter.
The Award is considered a "religious award or emblem" because it is awarded through the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. This is the same as the LDS and United Methodists' awards for participating in community service projects... So the award CAN be worn on the uniform and CAN be awarded to the Scout. There is no "knot emblem" associated with this award and the youth or adult religious award emblem knot emblem is not appropriate for this award. It is, as you correctly stated, more like in the line of trail medals, historical award medals, marksmanship medals, and medals given by community agencies and organizations like the American Legion.
Happily, his brother's Lutheran-sponsored Cub Scout pack, had no qualms about the younger boy being presented a similar recognition from NCCS. And his sister is to receive hers in a Venture Crew sponsored by an Episcopal church. (The denying troop is Kiwanis sponsored, so I am confident that blaming TroopMaster is not a religious conflict.)
This is something that the unit's Commissioner or perhaps the District Commissioner can address with the Troop...
Where DO leaders get the thinking on things like this? Is this sort of thing common: "If you did not earn it as part of OUR troop (or at a different Summr Camp, or at Philmont), it doesn't count."?
Unfortuantely, it is common...but I can't really tell you where some Scouters get that kind of thinking from.
The troop's district is presently without a District Commissioner, but I'm acquainted with the DE and will take it up there, if this is the right avenue.
You do need to talk with him or her since your District doesn't have a Commissioner.
Thanks for asking me, and thanks for stopping by American Scouting Digest.
