Bugle Calls

"Official" Boy Scout Bugle

Our Troop 1 BSA Unadilla Scout Museum contains a number of brass "Boy Scout" bugles in various states of condition, several of which date back to the early days of the movement--the 'teens and 20s. While examining a set of c.1914-1916 Scout Gum cards recently, I was pleased to find this reference to bugles on the back of Card No. 1:

"For scout camps especially, the bugle finds its place in daily Scout life. At sunrise, the Reveille or awakening call arouses the Scouts to breakfast and the start of another days' activity. At noontime, perhaps the sound is even more welcome when the bugle calls the hungry ones to mess and perhaps the most unwelcome call is Retreat at sunset, which calls everyone to the Colors, after which follows Evening Mess, the Camp Fire and finally to close the day--Taps and all retire."

This blog entry started out be about bugles, but the issues about "official" Boy Scout-branded bugles and Scout Gum cards are similar. Between 1907 and 1916, several companies tried to capitalize on the popularity of the Scouting movement by branding their products with the name "Scout" and using graphic images of Boy Scouts to promote their merchandise. In 1916, the Boy Scouts of America received a congressional charter that granted the organization exclusive rights to the term “Boy Scout,” the uniforms, and the insignia. The BSA protected this right by very aggressively pursuing all infringements (not unlike it is doing regarding the unauthorized use of its logos today). As a result, any privately printed series of cards that were issued after 1916 were relatively short-lived. In spite of this, there are several very attractive series of postcards published both before and after that date.

The Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910, and they published the first "American” Boy Scout Handbook in 1911. On page 361 of that handbook, in the APPENDIX - BOY SCOUT EQUIPMENT, is an illustration of a bugle and the statement: “Bugle. It is recommended that the standard bugle used in an army or drum corps be used. Each Patrol should purchase these from a local music store.” By 1913, the statement, “Each Patrol should purchase these from a local music store.” had been replaced by the statement, “These may be purchased from a local music store or National Headquarters will quote prices.” BSA National Headquarters had begun selling bugles.

There were two bugles listed in early 1910s BSA catalogs. These early catalogs used the technically correct term of trumpet, not bugle. Listed were No. 1064 BOY SCOUT TRUMPET and No. 1065 BOY SCOUT TRUMPET, a “higher quality instrument” than No. 1064. No. 1064 was gone from the BSA catalog by 1917, so 1917 and 1918 BSA catalogs contained only the No. 1065 BOY SCOUT TRUMPET.

Three significant changes occurred in 1919. First the terminology in the BSA catalog changed from “trumpet” to “bugle.” Second, a higher quality bugle was introduced, Catalog No.1415, so that there were once again two bugles in the catalog, No. 1065 and No. 1415. Third, the manufacture of the No. 1065 bugle was transferred to Rex International Products of Brooklyn, New York, at that time the largest producer of bugles in America, with their brand name “Rexcraft.” There is strong evidence to suggest that the manufacturer of the No. 1415 bugle was C. G. Conn Ltd. of Elkhart, Indiana, another major band instrument manufacturer.

Rexcraft Official Boy Scout Bugle

Over the next 80 years ads filled Boys Life magazines, Boy Scout Handbooks for Official Boy Scout Bugles from several different manufacturers: Conn, King, Rexcraft, made in various finishes and materials, even a WWII "plastic" military-inspired version made by the Tennessee Eastman Corporation, a Kodak subsidiary.

A very comprehensive History of American Boy Scout Bugles Using Bugles, Handbooks, Equipment Catalogs and Boys Life Magazines by Bruce McCrea can be found at http://www.troopcrew180.org/forms/BSA-BugleHistory.pdf.
which provided much of the information included here.

Actually, the Boy Scout bugle is far from being "history." The folks at ScoutBugle.com have produced a modern improved version of the brass instrument Scouts used to complete their Bugler Merit Badge and blow their lungs out nearly a hundred years ago. Their new ScoutBugle.com Philmonttm G Bugle celebrates the Boy Scouts of America 100th Anniversary while meeting today's requirements of ease of play, tone quality, intonation, and construction quality and still be available for an economical price. While maintaining some of the flavor of the traditional 1892 model bugle and the traditional Boy Scout bugle, they have elected to take advantage of 108 additional years of brass instrument manufacturer along with an ISO 9000 qualified factory to deliver the best of modern day product. It's a beautiful instrument! Curiously, its only for sale on their website, you won't find it in BSA's catalog...

Unadilla Camporee Helps Prove Outing Is Two-thirds of Scouting--1960

Gateway and Flagraising at Troop 1 Unadilla's campsite

Approximately 2,000 area residents witnessed a panoramic display of Scouting recently when more than 2,200 Otschodela Council Scouts, Cubs and Explorers converged on the Unadilla Rod & Gun Club grounds for a two-day Golden Anniversary Camporee, May 21-22, 1960.

In spite of a heavy downpour, which washed out campfire ceremonies and a climactic pageant depicting 50 years of Scouting, color and camaraderie filled the Camporee area to overflowing. Thousands of boys demonstrated scouting skills, staged unit displays, and engaged in competitive contests.

One point of the Scout Law--A Scout is Religious [editor: Reverent] --was vividly demonstrated on Sunday morning by the Scouts marching en masse, a sea of khaki and blue, to their respective services, Catholic and Protestant. Services for boys of the Jewish faith were conducted on Friday evening.

One of the distinguished visitor was Congressman Samuel Stratton.

Senator Stratton makes a political statement by crossing a
"Monkey Walk" bridge.

Many Scintilla employees participated in the Camporee as leaders. Hundreds of the boys taking part were sons of Scintilla employees.

Staged in Unadilla as a highlight of the 50th anniversary of Boy Scouting in America, the Camporee--in a sense--was a homecoming celebration for the Boy Scout movement. The Unadilla troop, which is chartered as Troop No. 1, is one of the first Boy Scout troops in
America.

Signal Tower built by Explorer Post #80, Sidney, NY

--The Scintillator, June 1960, Scintilla Division of the Bendix Corporation, Sidney, NY.

Unadilla Boy Scouts celebrate 100th, history

Area Boy Scouts celebrated Uniform Day today to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. While troops across the country will mark this milestone, Troop 1 in Unadilla has a special connection, as it is the oldest continually chartered Boy Scout troop in the nation. Troop 1 Scoutmaster Brian Danforth said the celebration got under way in early 2009 and will continue throughout this year.

The troop formed a Centennial Celebration Team of Scouts, calling itself the Lyon Patrol. The five Scouts had special 1910 replica uniforms made, and each Scout has a name tag representing the original five boys. The Lyon Patrol has participated in numerous parades, flag raising ceremonies and other community activities.

"Those uniforms have been very well received in the community," Danforth said. "We've been having a lot of fun with it."

Scouting in the United States can give credit to Chicago newspaperman and entrepreneur, William D. Boyce, who was determined to train and educate the army of newsboys who delivered his papers. Legend has it that, while visiting England, Boyce got lost on a foggy street in London when an unknown boy came to his aid, guiding him to his destination. Boyce offered the boy a tip, but he refused, explaining that he was doing his duty as a Scout.

England had a program called Scouting for Boys at the time, started in 1907 by Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Boyce met with Baden-Powell during this visit in 1909. Boyce returned to the U.S. and started the process for incorporation papers for the Boy Scouts of America. It was completed Feb. 8, 1910. From the start, Boyce focused the Scouting program on teaching self-reliance, citizenship, resourcefulness, patriotism, obedience, cheerfulness, courage and courtesy "to make men."

The Rev. Yale Lyon had a somewhat similar experience as Boyce while in England. Lyon studied for a year at Magadelen College of Oxford University to complete a master's degree in divinity. Lyon saw the work of Scouting for Boys and was impressed. Lyon came back to the U.S., and first served as a house master at the Albany Diocese Hoosic School. He then accepted a call from the vestry of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Unadilla.

Lyon had an idea for a community project for boys as he arrived in Unadilla based on his experience with Scouting in England. Lyon applied for a warrant to start a troop in April 1910, but the Boy Scouts of America headquarters of New York didn't get around to sending a charter certificate until September 7. Out of about 4,000 would-be scoutmasters who applied to start a Boy Scout troop, Lyon's application was No. 166.

The charter was finally issued Sept. 7, 1910. Troop 1 in Unadilla began with five boys. The first troop of any community was designated as Troop 1. Lyon served as Scoutmaster from 1910 to 1937, and after his death in 1942, Unadilla residents were determined to keep Troop 1 going.

What differentiates Unadilla's Troop 1 from all the others nationwide is its continuity. Each year, a troop has to file paperwork to renew its charter, and Unadilla has never missed a deadline, earning it the distinction of the oldest continually chartered Boy Scout troop in the United States. There are 25 boys in the troop.

Don Tuttle, former Troop 1 Scoutmaster and now historian for the troop, said: "I think it was Yale Lyon's influence. He was an important community figure, and the people always felt that Unadilla would have a Boy Scout Troop."

With the centennial under way, both Tuttle and Danforth said they hope that alumni Scouts will get in touch and participate in upcoming activities, not only in Unadilla, but throughout the area covered by the Otschodela Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

On May 14, Troop 1 will host a Centennial Alumni Banquet at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Unadilla. This dinner is open to all Boy Scout alumni (by reservation only). There will be a retirement of the original troop charter and presentation of a new centennial Charter to Troop 1, a scouting musicale and more. Special "guests" include former President Theodore Roosevelt and Sir Robert Baden-Powell. For reservations, call Tuttle at 369-7323 or e-mail sginkusa@gmail.com

That same weekend, all are welcome as Unadilla hosts the Boy Scouts of America 100th Anniversary Encampment. The event will emulate the first New York State Boy Scout Encampment held in Cooperstown in 1910. Activities will include a Skill-o-Rama Midway and Circus, new Scout Museum exhibits, a Main Street parade, bonfires and fireworks.

For more information and encampment registration, Scout units may contact the Otschodela Council Inc. BSA at 432-6491 or www.otschodela.org.

--By Mark Simonson, Contributing Writer

Historical Merit Badge Program

A merit badge called Computers would sound just a crazy to a 1910 Boy Scout as a merit badge called Tracking sounds to Scouts today. That’s because the BSA’s list of available merit badges has evolved through the years as the interests of boys have changed.

In honor of the BSA’s 100th Anniversary, though, today’s generation of Scouts will get the unique opportunity to experience some of the activities their predecessors enjoyed. That’s possible thanks to the BSA’s new Historical Merit Badge Program, a set of four discontinued merit badges that today’s Scouts can earn.

Boys can earn any or all of these merit badges:

Signaling

First offered in 1910 and discontinued in 1992.

Sample requirements: build a simple buzzer or blinker capable of sending Morse code messages, and send a message of at least 35 words; send and receive messages using semaphore flags at a rate of at least 30 letters per minute.

Tracking

First offered in 1911 (as Stalker merit badge) and discontinued in 1952.

Sample requirements: recognize the tracks of 10 different animals; give evidence to show you have tracked at least two different kinds of birds or animals, documenting their speed and direction.

Pathfinding

First offered in 1911 and discontinued in 1952.

Sample requirements: be able to guide people to important places within a three-mile radius of your home; submit a scale map of your community.

Carpentry

First offered in 1911 and discontinued in 1952.

Sample requirements: demonstrate the use of tools, such as a miter and bevel; build a simple piece of furniture for use at home.

Sounds like a blast, right? But there’s one catch: Boys must start and finish all requirements within the year 2010. So if your guys built furniture for their patrol kitchen at last year’s summer camp, they can’t use that product for the Carpentry merit badge. And don’t delay—after Dec. 31, 2010, these merit badges will go back on the “retired” list.

If this is a program you want to bring to your troop, the BSA suggests you track down merit badge counselors soon. For Carpentry, contact a local cabinet-making business. A nearby Homeland Security office could help you with Pathfinding. Signaling would benefit from the help of a local amateur ham radio group. And for Tracking, try your state’s department of natural resources. Those are merely suggestions. Be creative!

For more information, look for a special Web site and a printed guide by the end of the month. That’s where you’ll find the complete requirements for each patch. The BSA also plans to deliver a guide that will help councils and districts host a historical camporee or similar event to offer these merit badges.

The Historical Merit Badge Program gives you the perfect chance to organize exciting activities for your Scouts, while connecting them with the BSA’s rich past. It’s another example of the BSA’s devotion to Celebrating the Adventure, Continuing the Journey.

Historical Merit Badge Update. March 08, 2010

Gleaned from Scouts-L is this update by Bruce McCrea:

"This delay has been discussed on Scouts-L with different National BSA sources cited. There are still no requirements for the historic merit badges at http://scouting.org/100years/ However, it is interesting that Keith Wood informed Scouts-L on February 19 that Stonewall Jackson Area Council had posted a very official-looking set of requirements for these badges at

http://www.bsa-sjac.org/forms/advancement/2010 Historical_Merit_Badges.pdf

and, several weeks later, those requirements are still there. Apparently no one from National BSA has told the council to take that web page down."

"I wonder what Stonewall Jackson Area Council is doing when advancement reports are turned in for Scouts who have completed the merit badges using those requirements. The council can sell the merit badges to the units. Those are available from National Supply. However, as far as I know, they can't enter those merit badges in a Scout's record."

Bruce McCrea

WWII Civil Defense Scout Messenger Armband

An item donated to the Unadilla Boy Scout Museum recently, a Civil Defense Scout Messenger Armband, got us thinking about how much Scouts were involved in war work during WWII. Scouts were called upon to distribute more than 1.6 million defense bonds and stamp posters; they began the collection of aluminum and waste paper. They conducted defense housing surveys, planted victory gardens, distributed air-raid posters, cooperated with the American Red Cross, and by an agreement with the Office of Civil Defense Mobilization, formed an Emergency Service Corps composed of older Scouts who served in three capacities: messengers, emergency medical unit assistants, and fire watchers.


Boy Scouts distributed thousands of posters to local merchants and civic buildings calling for scrap metals and other strategic materials collection, defense bond campaigns, air-raid awareness. They also served the war effort as auxiliary messengers, airplane spotters and volunteer firemen. (Boy Scouts of America photo)

To qualify as a messenger, one had to be 15 years or older, have parental permission and a good reference from their Scoutmaster, own a bicycle in good condition and possession a thorough knowledge of their community's streets. They had to be able to write in the dark. One of the perks for a Scout messenger was being excused from classes if an alert sounded during school hours. Scout messengers wore a Civil Defense armband like the one pictured here.

Messengers reported immediately to their sector headquarters to await orders. Periodically, a simulated raid would "destroy" the radio and phone communications systems that mandated the messengers pedaling their bikes all around town.

Supplementing the messengers was another division of volunteers, known as plane spotters who operated from the bell tower of a church or high school rooftop. It was their only function, identify and report any and all aircraft approaching the area. The only equipment they possessed to accomplish their mission was a pair of binoculars, a plane spotter's silhouette chart, and access to a telephone.

The Civil Defense Scout Messenger armband was donated to the Unadilla Scout Museum by Fred Schoen, Hobart, NY.

The Short Flight of Air Squadron One

The Boy Scouts of America Air Scout program was begun to capitalize on older boys' WWII-heightened interest in aviation. "Tomorrow all the world will fly," promised the 1942 Handbook for Boys, "airplanes will become as common as automobiles are now, and the boys of today will be their pilots." The new branch of Senior Scouting for boys fifteen or older taught navigation, aerodynamics and aircraft engine repairs. Although well grounded in the fundamentals of aviation, the program at first had a serious glitch--Air Scouts were not supposed to fly, even as passengers, and many soon baled out to join the Civil Air Patrol where they could actually train for a pilot's license.

Air Scouts wore sky blue uniforms and worked on a series of four advancements: Apprentice, Observer, Craftsman, Ace. The unit was called a squadron, and the Scouts were referred to as "cadets".

Despite the "no-fly" rule, Air Scouting grew rapidly during WWII until it ran into turbulence in 1945. Charges of increasing militarism were leveled at BSA's National Office for developing an agreement with the Army Air Force to supply liaison officers to the Air Scout program, and for allowing Air Scouts to camp at West Point where Army enlisted personnel taught boys marching drills, Army songs and how to get ready for inspection like "regular" soldiers.

Members of Unadilla's Air Squadron One probably weren't aware of the turbulence that clouded the branch's early years when they became a specialized Explorer Post in 1951. Squadron cadets might not be able to actually fly a plane (in 1946, flying, but not pilot training was approved for Air Scouts) but on the ground at least they could get up close to real aircraft, get a rare chance to sit in the cockpit of a juggernaut and "fly" on adolescent dreams. If they were ever, say, called upon to go exploring with Byrd in the Antarctic or ocean hopping with Lindbergh, at least they would "Be Prepared!"

She'll Be In The Air Soon---This is one bird (translated, plane) that won't be grounded long if 23 members of Unadilla Air Squadron One have anything to say about it. Working busily at assembling the craft are, above, Richard Knowlton, Bradford Gay, Frank Pazel, Emmett Kilmeir, David Sommers, William Bauer, Roger Bard and John Baker. Standing in foreground is Stanley Campbell, chairman of the sponsoring committee. (Oneonta Star Staff Photo, 3/13/52)

'Listen Carefully Fellows'-- Attentive scouts of the Air Squadron listen as George Humphrey, instructor [fifth from left] explains plane instruments. [from left] John Baker, Richard Knowlton, Frank Pazel, William Bauer, Emmet Kilmeir, Stanley Campbell, chairman of the sponsoring committee, David Sommers, Bradford Gay and Roger Bard. (Photo by Ludwig of Unadilla, 3/13/52)

"I was the adviser for an Explorer Post specializing in emergency preparedness," says John Compton, "when George Humpfrey approached us with the idea of developing the post into an air squadron. Being a pilot myself, I thought this was a good idea. We formed a committee of like-minded adults, signed a note at the Unadilla Bank for $1,000 to purchase the first two planes and supplies, and set up shop in the back of the Unadilla School Bus Garage."

The boys that joined Unadilla's Air Squadron One may have had visions of adventure flying high on silvered wings, but the squadron's organizers were a little more grounded in the rewards of aircraft repair. They planned to teach the boys basic airplane mechanics, renovate old planes that were a little beat up and sell them for a profit, meanwhile keeping a couple for their own use. Walter Brooks, a charter member of the squadron, remembers "We had a couple Piper J3 Cubs and an old Stinson Voyager. Mr. Humphrey and some of us boys got the plane out of a barn up near Herkimer somewhere, all covered in hay and chicken manure; I remember we spent hours and hours sanding down the frame, recovering the wings with new fabric and paint."Early Aircraft Designs from a two-page spread in the 1942 Airplane Design Merit Badge pamphlet. The sketches were drawn by Remington Schuyler, a popular Boy Scout illustrator in the 1920s-1940s

Intentions were that the boys would also receive flight instruction, and when they were 17, would be given tests for private pilot licenses. But none of the boys ever reached the pilot's seat while they were Scouts in the squadron. "I probably came the closest, says Walter Brooks, "when I took pilot's training in Indiana in 1958 but I never flew solo on my own.

By March of 1952 the squad had expanded to twenty-three Unadilla youth, signed up the enthusiastic George Humphrey as a licensed pilot flight instructor, acquired Morris Taylor of the Oneonta Airport and Civil Aeronautic Administration as adviser, and seven [or parts of] planes to repair--the two Piper Cubs, one of which reached completion stage, one Taylor Craft, two Stinsons, one Aeronea Champion and one Tensco Globe Swift. By April 1, two more joined the flight line. There was talk about town of building a hanger and a grass strip runway for all the airplanes.

Air Squadron One had an ambitious but short-lived existence in Unadilla. From the start, it had set out to teach boys the basics of aircraft mechanics, aerodynamics, and aircraft business acumen, but the project crash-landed a year and a half later when their star pilot-adviser George Humphrey suddenly left town under a dark cloud of suspicion, presumably to fly over green-backed pastures of opportunity elsewhere. A couple years later, the flying yearbook and class ring salesman, spark plug of the squadron, turned up in Worthington, Massachusetts [pop. 515] in a 1957 Time Magazine article, charged by the FBI with embezzlement of company funds and counterfeiting.

When George bought a 15-room colonial house in Worthington and moved his family in, he claimed he was a publisher, running a little printing firm that turned out yearbooks and similar publications. He liked to drive around in a $10,000 Continental Mark II, and was known to be a mite expansive about his moneymaking prowess; ironically, he also gave the impression that he was related to the former U.S. Treasury Secretary George M. [Magoffin] Humphrey. His wife, Jean, once a Radio City Music Hall Rockette, opened up dancing classes at Worthington's Town Hall.

When U.S. Treasury agents arrested George and two other men in Boston, they found in George's cellar a complete counterfeiting setup, a small printing press, and $5,500 in inexpertly printed $10 and $20 bills, as well as negatives and plates for making Canadian currency and American Telephone and Telegraph Co. stock certificates.

Left holding an empty wind sock, so-to-speak, the Unadilla committee sold the remaining planes, paid off the $1,000 loan, and disbanded the squadron. All the talk of Unadilla aerodromes and boys' broken dreams of flights among the clouds soon faded away. "We made a couple attempts to track George down," said fellow-pilot and committee member George James, "but we didn't know where he had gone to until the article appeared in Time magazine. It was obvious that even if we had found him, he would never make good on his debts here."

With George in jail, the Humphreys lost their mortgaged house and most of their belongings. The townsfolk, though they did not make friends easily, rallied to the friends they had made. Neighbors called on Jean, offered shelter for her and her four children, furniture, food. In gratitude for their charity, the ex-Broadway hoofer offered free dance classes in Worthington's Town Hall.

--D. Tuttle
_________________________________

Charter Members of Air Squadron One--Unadilla, 1951.

Back Row [l to r]--Paul Knowlton, Silvester Lord,Elliot DuBoise, Bill Bauer, Jerry Kniffen.
Front Row [l to r]--Robert O'Connor, Dick Knowlton, Squad Leader John R. Compton,
Walter Brooks, Roger Bard.
(Photo courtesy of Walter Brooks)

_________________________________

Air Squadron One Members, March 1952
Paul Knowlton
John Baker
Roger Bard
William Bauer
Walter Brooks
Elliot DuBoise
Bradford Gay
Emmett Kilmeir
Jerry Kniffen
Richard Knowlton
Silvester Lord
Howard Paris
Robert O'Connor
Frank Pazel
David Sommers

Air Squadron One Committee:
Stanley Campbell, committee chairman
John Compton, pilot
George James, pilot
Herman Bard
Donald Baldwin
George Humphrey, pilot (and later, a very poor counterfeiter)
Morris Taylor, Oneonta Airport and CAA liaison

The Unadillan News Notes of the Boy Scouts

The Unadilla Historical Association recently was given several copies of The Unadillan, a monthly magazine published by Unadilla High School students during the late 1920s and 1930s. The issues we have at hand are 12-page staple-bound magazines with covers, commercially printed compendiums of school news, sports, articles and poetry written by the school's students, and news of the clubs and groups that met in the school. It's the Boy Scout News notes that interest us here.

The Boy Scouts, October 1929: "Last week, September 23, the Boy Scouts met and registered for another year. There were about 25 boys who were registered. Within the past week Rev. Yale Lyon received a letter from headquarters that he is the Scoutmaster of the oldest troop in America, since he started this troop in 1910. We hope to make many advancements this year as we did last." (Penciled note added: YL had met Sir Baden Powell at Oxford, Eng.)

Girl Scouts, October 1929: "The Girl Scouts held a corn roast on the Ontio hill, September 6. This was in honor of Scout Kenneth Gurney, who went on the Boy Scout (World) Jamboree to Europe this summer. Many scouts as well as invited guests enjoyed the talk Kenneth gave us. Although it rained everyone seemed to have a good time." (Penciled note: I ate 8 ears!)

The Boy Scouts, November 1929: "The Boy Scouts met on Monday, November 4. The Court of Honor was present and several boys tried tests before them. We have organized permanent patrols and each patrol studies by themselves. We hope to make many advances in this manner. After a period of study, we play games for awhile and then the troops are dismissed."

Boy Scout News, October 1930: "The Boy Scouts started the year's program with a meeting at the Rectory, September 8, when the Hon. Arthur North showed several reels of film, and with the first Board of Review, October 13. The regular meetings are held each Monday night at the High School gym. Board of Review being there the first Monday of the month. The Scoutmaster, Rev. Yale Lyon, and Assistant Scoutmaster Monrow Cole have received registrations from 21 boys, including four new members."

"Wednesday, October 1 Gray McClintock lectured for the benefit of the Scouts on his adventures as a pioneer and woodsman in northern Canada. Although there was a small attendance, the amount made will help with expenses."

"As an indication of progress, during the past year 14 boys became Second Class, and 13 First Class Scouts. Ninety-seven merit badges were awarded."