what counts and what doesn't

Ever since I found myself having juniors in BB, there was always something at the back of my mind. During full-U parades, I would wear the black patch on my right arm with pride because I had one or two more white stripes than them. Sounds silly, but it happens.

One thing they always pointed out to me though, was my rather obvious lack of badges. I had barely filled up two rows (but those I did had lovely red and white backgrounds). First would come the surprised contemplative look, followed by the familiar question "why so little badges?" Some people two years younger than me already have more badges than me.

Truth be told, those little buttons never meant much to me. They were symbolic of what I had done in the past, but nothing else. I never did much in BB, anyway. My first two and a half years in the Brigade were nothing more than a mere existence. I showed up, did the usual "present, sergeant" procedure and was promoted up the ranks for spending my Saturday mornings in blue.

It was only when I put on my gleaming white Primers' uniform that I realised how dull my badges were. Most of them were three years old, and their age began to show. Bits of rust had formed where the pins went through the cloth on the chevron, and the parts which would once glisten in the morning sun no longer shone with as much vigour as before.

What the badges represented were in no better condition. I could barely remember my stage one or two assessments, and whatever knowledge acquired then has either blended in with everything I know to form my general knowledge or has disappeared completely.

What did I get out of these four years?

A bit of drill, a bit of first aid, a bit of adventure, a bit of this and that. What would I remember most, say, ten years down the road? How to tie all the knots in the adventure handbook? Unlikely. My memories would consist mostly of the fun we had on and off parade, the camps we had and the multitude of people I had gotten to know over the course of my stay in the Twelfth.

My dear juniors, the point of BB was never to collect four rows of badges or to get all the fancy awards. I walked in a recruit, spent my time wandering around the programme and marched out a different person. I didn't have any of the important awards they encourage you to strive for, but who dares say my time here was wasted?

I built relationships. With man and with God. These will last longer than any badge two dollars (and form 32A) will get you from HQ. The experiences BB has left me I would not trade for anything in the world. The friendships I made through BB I value more than silver or gold. Because one day your badges will grow rusty and fall away. Your rank will be remembered by none. Your awards will be listed in a dusty old book in the store room. But the memories will stay with you a lifetime. Your friends will walk with you through all your years, and God will be next to you for eternity.

Don't spend your time longing after temporal things. Badges, awards and ranks now; money, popularity and pleasure later. Remember that one day you will have to take off your chevron. One day you will have to remove your titles. All that you have ever accomplished and accumulated will be left behind. These things moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal.

Fix your eyes instead on what will last.

-Jont