The ubiquitous neckerchief of yesteryear

As we celebrate this year, the Silver Anniversary of the "new" uniform, you will probably see little fanfare given to the fact, that this is also the 25th anniversary, of the death of the Scouting neckerchief. This is truly a sad observance, & one that definitely DESERVES some spillage of ink.

Growing up at the tail end of the 'pickle suit' days, you simply couldn't wear the old uniform without a n/c - the crew neck cut of the shirt, made one look like a "dork (courtesy of David Bassinger, my first Patrol Leader, back in the old Rattlesnake Patrol, T-301, ca.1978)" if you didn't wear one! Not only was your n/c a carefully cared-for piece of equipment, so was your n/c slide, the loss of which always meant tying a knot in your n/c, and having the ends stick out almost perpendicular to the seam of the shirt, insuring yet again, that you were either a certifiable "dork," or, first cousin to the 'Frito Bandito,' and NEITHER was a preferable position to be in!

The red & gold embroidered National Supply neckerchiefs of Troop 301, stood in stark contrast to the white neckerchiefs of the oldest boys in the troop - the ones we ALL looked up to - because they had gone on to achieve the rank of Eagle. Our council (Central NC Council #416 - Albemarle, NC) made a special silk-screened Eagle n/c (my own is pictured above, left) just for us, and aside from my Eagle medal, is my most-prized Scouting posession of my youth. Because I was still wearing a pickle suit in '81 when I earned my Eagle rank, I counted it an honor, to be seen in the same light as boys like Randy Daugherty, Doug Bare, Lloyd Moss, & Randy Troutman, all of whom had either earned their Eagle when I arrived in '78, or, in Randy Troutman's case, he'd earned his about a year & a half ahead of me. I had looked up to all of them, and now I had taken my place with them, as an Eagle Scout.

I would - actually - love to find an old pickle suit in my size these days (about a triple extra fat... D'OHH!), INCLUDING an old shirt WITH the collar that some of them (especially adult shirts) did have back then. But for some reason, when the new uniform rolled out in '81, even thought it HAD a collar - just as some of the older shirts had also had a collar - it seemed to discourage the use of the n/c with the uniform. More & more these days, you rarely see even an Eagle Scout wear a n/c as a youth. Save for Woodbadgers (and usually then, ONLY at Woodbadge functions - weekends, dinners, beading ceremonies, etc.), rarely will you see an adult wear one anymore, either.

I know the Jambo participants still get them, and have to wear them at some functions (was true in '01 - last time I went), but I don't think that's true for any other event. About half the participants at the '83 NOAC still had pickle suits (my one & only NOAC to date), but I don't know about NOAC regs these days - does anyone HAVE to wear a n/c there?

I think part of the problem is, collared shirts tend to promote "dorkiness" when it comes to the PROPER wearing of a n/c. I actually came across an old picture of me and my kid brother - possibly at his Eagle Court of Honor in '83 - in uniform. He was still in a pickle suit, but I was wearing a "new" shirt (I held out as long as possible - Camp Staff regs at Barnhardt in '82, dictated that the staff ALL had to wear the new uniforms, so I think that's what made the retirement of my pickle suits 'official'). Sure enough, I had the collar over TOP of the n/c, and I looked LIKE... a certifiable "dork." D'oh.

The inherent problem with NOT issuing a regulation on certain things (leaving it to "local custom") is, it opens the door to simply doing away with the "optional" item altogether! :-o Ergo, since neither the Scout Handbook nor the Uniform Insignia Guide specified the "proper" way to wear a n/c with the new uniform, it was simply... done away with. Although I too, rarely wear a n/c anymore, I don't find this to necessarily be a "good" development. First of all, the n/c had MANY useful purposes. Many was the time, I either took first aid training, or taught first aid training, demonstrating the proper use of the n/c as an ace bandage, eye bandage, sling, and even tourniquet (with a stick). You could tie them around your knee as an identifier to oncoming traffic duirng a walk/hike at dusk/night, and if you forgot to pack a washcloth with you to summer camp, well, hey - necessity IS the mother of invention!!!

A cousin in TX, who just found himself roped into Scouting via his kids ;-) sent me this little blast from the past, via his Scoutmaster, who MUST be an old 'red jacket' like us. NOBODY who wasn't in Scouting BEFORE the 'new' shirt came along, would EVER think to make this connection with the mostly-forgotten n/c of today. It reads thusly (now this came from my TX cousin's Scoutmaster, who passed it on to him - when you see "New Hampshire" at the end, don't let THAT freak you out - I'm just telling you how I ended up with it!);

*Neckerchief: The Oath and Law you wear*

My first Scoutmaster taught the importance of the Scout Oath and Law using the Neckerchief. He would hold the open neckerchief in his hands and remind the young scouts of what the last item of clothing they put on when they were getting dressed of the meeting was, his neckerchief. He said that it was no coincidence that the neckerchief had 3 sides, just like the three parts of the Scout oath. He would run a side through his fingers and say "On my honor, I'll do my best. To do my duty to God" The first and longest side is to remind you of your long standing duty to God. This whole side is hidden from view, just as your faith is deep inside you. But without that faith, there is no strength for the rest.

Holding on to the neckerchief by the point he would run the next side through his fingers and say "To help other people at all times...." This shorter side is to remind you of your duty to help others. Remember it is some of this duty that shows to others, just like part of this side of your neckerchief shows. So do your duty to others well so that people might see the good work you do in the name of Scouting.

The last side also shows. He would say "To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight." This last side is your duty to your self. This shows to others as well. They will know that by seeing your uniform, you are a young man who is physically fit, has a strong moral foundation and who is not apt to fall into the temptations of drugs and alcohol.

He would then say that this was a means by which we could remember the Scout Oath, every time we got dressed in uniform. He also gave us a means by which to remember the Scout Law.

While wrapping the neckerchief up for wear, he said to wrap it tight in small twists, 12 in fact. And to repeat the 12 points of the Scout Law as you did so. Then as you placed your neckerchief around your neck for wear, the elements of the Scout Oath and Law were with you. They were in fact part of you.

I hope my remembrances of Mr. Clinton Cooper Troop 6 Nashua, N.H. from 1969 can be used by some. It is a memory that I have used through out my scouting career and have shared with Scouts and Scouters.

John Herrholz, Eagle Scout from Troop 6 Nashua, NH 1973
Massabesic District Commissioner
Daniel Webster Council, New Hampshire



These are the sorts of truisms of Scouting that could certainly be reinforced with the simple act of putting on a piece of the uniform... provided, anyone actually WORE that piece of the uniform anymore...

I suppose my final admonition would be, is that if you're going to wear a n/c with the 'new' uniform shirt, at least do it the right way, so as not to (a) look like a "dork," and therefore (b) discourage anyone ELSE from ever WANTING to wear a n/c in the future! This picture isn't exactly what I was hoping for (everyone KNOWS how tough it is to scan from a newspaper...), but it's a picture of me from the Anthony Wayne Area Council Courier (Council newsletter) from February of '02. They did a nice little blurb about me working there for the Council in the Scoutreach District, and included a picture. As I told the photographer as I went out into the lobby to pose for my picture, "Everyone deserves to see the neckerchief worn correctly at least ONCE in their life." As grainy as this is, TRUST ME, my collar IS rolled UNDER the shirt. Now let the faithful ALL say, "AMEN."


Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh