Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL

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Q.  When do you meet?
A.  Monday evenings, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Q.  Where do you meet?
A.  Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 8730 E. Skelly Drive Tulsa, OK 74129

Q.  When do you camp?
A.  Once a month. Rain or shine. We go!!

Q.  Who is your Scoutmaster?
A.  Bill Shaffer has been the Troop 26 Scoutmaster since 1969; 53 years! Bill was also member of Troop 26 as a boy. Bill is a Wood Badge Trained leader and has served on the Council’s Wood Badge Staff several times. The most advanced junior training for scouts in the Indian Nations Council is known as the Pine Tree Training Course. Bill has been the scoutmaster of the training experience three times. Bill was awarded the Silver Beaver, the highest award a Council can bestow upon an adult leader, and has been awarded the Silver Antelope, the highest award a Region can bestow upon one of its leaders. To our knowledge, Bill is one of only two Scoutmaster’s to have ever received the Silver Antelope. Bill has also received the Outstanding Scoutmaster Award from the National Eagle Scout Association. Bill has been on ten Philmont Treks, one Sommers Canoe Base Expedition, seven National Jamborees, and 36 consecutive Council Summer Camps.

Q.  Who runs the Troop?
A.  Every six months, the troop’s youth membership (not adults) elects a new Senior Patrol Leader. The SPL selects a First Assistant SPL to work with him for his six-month term. The SPL also selects a Head Quartermaster who will handle all of the troop’s equipment needs for six months. Our Leadership Corps, made up entirely of Eagle Scouts, selects their own chairman. These four scouts carry the traditional Scout Staves and are known in our troop as “The Stickmen.” They serve as the Scoutmaster’s Advisory Board and they run Troop 26. The Scoutmaster and an excellent group of dedicated and trained adult leaders support this group of young men in the decisions they make.

When the Stickmen go out of office at the end of the six-month term, they automatically become part of the Stickman Society. Shown in the adjacent photo, there were twelve Stickmen, four current and eight former, attending this year’s Summer Camp at Hale Scout Reservation. That level of leadership support from Troop 26’s youth leaders is unparalleled in other units. In addition to the Stickman Society, the Senior Patrol Leader is supported by the Troop’s Leadership Corps, mad up entirely of Eagle Scouts. There are currently 21 Eagle Scouts in the Troop 26 Leadership Corps.

Q.  What is a Court of Honor?
A.  One of the most important ingredients of any Boy Scout troop program is the Court of Honor. Troop 26 has built an incredible Court tradition through its Special Medal program, its Stickmen Awards, its various ceremonies that have been done the same way for years. Fathers are watching their sons go through the same ceremonies they went through as boys. At each Court of honor, the Troop 26 Museum is displayed. Photos from times past, current activities, old uniforms and badges and books, flags and banners, an incredible array of Troop 26 history and scouting in general. It helps a young man see that he is part of something bigger than himself. A young man can see himself growing up in the pictures displayed in that museum. Courts of Honor are held two to three times a year and they are a major event in the life of our troop. Eagle Scout Awards are presented on those nights. This is Scouting’s ultimate award. It is a night that a young man will never forget. Please accept our invitation to come see a Troop 26 Court of Honor.

Q.  What Trips have you taken as a troop?
A.  In addition to the summer camps mentioned in the summer camp portion of this invitation , Troop 26 has had an extensive history. We have attended Boy Scout National Jamborees in 1973, 1981, 1985, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2005, and 2010. Plans are currently underway for 2013. They are normally held every four years and this year, the National Jamboree will be at its new permanent home, The Summit, in beautiful West Virginia. Our older scouts, all Eagles, travel to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, have explored the boundary waters in Canada from Sommers and Atikokan Canoe Bases, and have sailed and dove with scuba gear from Florida’s Sea Base. The troop is making plans to attend summer camp in Hawai’i in 2015!

Our troop has met three United States Presidents. Gerald Ford came to Tulsa to present Eagle Scout Awards for our troop. Members traveled to California at the invitation of President Ronald Reagan. Troop members went to southern Oklahoma to the campus of Carl Albert Jr. College to meet President George Bush.

We have visited a lot of places. We have seen the site of Custer’s last stand, Mount Rushmore, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Jamestown, the Statue of Liberty, the Jefferson and Lincoln and Roosevelt Memorials, and the White House.

The most notable, however, was in August 2001 when Troop 26 visited the World Trade Center. That visit will forever be on the minds of the troop members who stood on top of a building that doesn’t exist anymore.

Q.  What is the Official Uniform?
A.  The Official Uniform is a short-sleeved or long-sleeved Scout Shirt, Indian Nations Council patch, red shoulder loops, Scout Shorts or Scout long pants, scout socks, green Scout Belt, Neckerchief Slide, and the Troop 26 red Neckerchief.

Q.  What is a Class A Uniform?
A.  The Full Uniform consisting of Scout pants or shorts, Scout belt, Scout shirt, neckerchief and slide. Class A is usually worn during the Fall/Winter months. The Senior Patrol Leader will announce the date when Class A’s will be worn.

Q.  When do I wear the Class A Uniform?
A.  The Class A Uniform should be worn for Fall/Winter months Monday night Troop meetings, Boards of Review, Chapel services, and travel with the Troop.

Q.  What is a Class B Uniform?
A.  A Class B Uniform consists of a Troop 26 T-shirt, scout shorts/pants, scout socks, and Belt.

Q.  When do I wear the Class B Uniform?
A.  The Class B Uniform should be worn for Spring/Summer Monday night Troop meetings, and other troop physical activities. The Senior Patrol Leader will announce the date when Class B’s will be worn in the Spring.

Q.  Where do I get a Class B Troop 26 T-Shirt?
A.  The Class B Troop T-Shirt should be provided to you when you join the Troop. Also Summer Camp Troop T-Shirts can be worn.

Q.  What is a Class A+ Uniform?
A.  The Class A uniform with merit badge sash and award medals such as God and Country, Eagle, and other medals.

Q.  When do I wear the Class A+ Uniform?
A.  The Class A+ uniform is worn at the Court of Honor ceremony and other formal ceremonies.

Q.  Who do I contact for Additional information?
A.  You may contact the Senior Patrol Leader or the Scoutmaster if you need additional information.