Figure 1.--The various levels of American Scouting are organized into operational units. For Scouting this is the troop. This is Troop 550, we think in 1914. The troop was located in Midway, but we are not sure where that was. Notice how large the neckerchiefs were in the 1910s.

American Boy Scouts are organized into troops which are the organization's primary operating unit. Actually the overall organization of the BSA is more complicated. The names of the operation units vary depending on the level. The operating units are: packs (Cubs), troops (Scouts), teams (Varsity Scouts), (teams), crews (Venturers), and ships (Scouts). These units numbers are assigned by councils. Thus there are many identical unit unmbers, but not within a council. These units are further broken down into smaller groups. Scout troops are composed of patrols and Cub packs are comosed of dens. Cub Scout packs are normally linked to a Scout troop and share the number. Most boys are either Cubs or Scouts, the other levels are much smaller. The trrops and packs belong to regional groups called councils. Most states have several councils. Some organized around metroplitan areas span state boundaries.