During the 1940’s and continuing into the 1960’s there were various programs for Senior Scouts. Typically those over 14 years of age. Two area which have a strong collecting following are Air Scouts and Air Explorers. These links lead to pages which provide an overview of the programs and picture many of the items issued for these programs.
These items tend to command a premium compared to other collectibles from those eras.
From merit badges:
Or community strips:
or insignia:
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“Better prepare for confrontation than hope that the enemy will not come;
Better ensure one’s defense is impenetrable than hope that the enemy will not attack.” – Sun-Tzu The Art of War, 6th Century, B.C.
Oddly, though, I believe the khaki versions of the Air Scout MBs are actually rarer than the blue ones. If I understand it correctly, there weren’t that many Scouts who were interested enough to earn the badges without being interested enough to get involved in the Air Scout program. So the badges on khaki twill without the blue embroidery are the ones that are really hard to find.