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Cootie Pup
Tent 6
Regular
Scratch
1st Monday of
each month
Seam Squirrel
- Don Lynch
Cootie
Auxiliary
President -
Camelia Stuckey
2008 Wisconsin Cootie
Convention was held at VFW Post 1865 and hosted by our own Pup
Tent #6
(Click on the photo below to open the
photo gallery)
(Thanks to Gene
Smith for all the photos)
Cooties at Work and Play
(It's hard to tell the difference)
See anyone you know?
Photos from 2006 & 2007,
courtesy of Gene Smith
(Click a photo to enlarge)
THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE
COOTIES
Just as members of the United Spanish American War Veterans (USAWV)
had much to do with the foundation of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars (VFW), they also had a prime part in the start of the
Military Order of the Cooties. In late 1919, several USAWV,
members of the Imperial Order of the Dragon or IOD (a higher
degree of the USAWV), conceived the idea of a similar order
for the VFW. Fred C. Madden, a Past Grand Viceroy of the
Dragons, was assisted by another Past Grand Viceroy, F. L.
Gransbury and several other IOD members.
The VFW was nearly as old as the USAWV and grew due to the
influx of members from World War I, which they thought could
be helped with the formation of an Honor Degree with fun as
one of its objectives. The rolls were opened for membership at
the Oxford Hotel in Washington, D.C. on September 17, 1920,
when nearly 300 VFW members signed up to join the new
"Military Order of the Cooties." Fred C. Madden became the
first Supreme Seam Squirrel; and a complete list of Officers
was ratified at a special meeting held in the Calvary Baptist
Church in New York City. Madden developed the constitution and
by-laws. F. L. Gransbury authored the rituals and became
editor of the "Cootie Tickle," six issues of which were
printed prior to the VFW National Encampment in Detroit.
At the VFW National Encampment in Detroit, a committee was
formed consisting of Commander-in-Chief Woodside, Past
Commander-in-Chief Hartund and VFW Council Members Allen of
New York, Jones of Oregon and Jones of Washington. They met
with Supreme Cooties Gransbury #3 and E. S. Davis #12, to make
the Military Order of the Cooties a part of the VFW. The
favorable report of this committee was accepted by the VFW
National Encampment on September 24, 1921, making the Order a
part of the VFW. At midnight that same day, acting Assistant
Supreme Seam Squirrel Davis called the first Supreme Scratch
to order, reported the result of the committee conference and
VFW endorsement and conducted the first Supreme Election.
William E. Eighmey was the first Supreme Seam Squirrel to be
elected.
In 1922, William Kime was elected Supreme Commander at
Seattle, Washington and reelected in 1923, at Norfolk,
Virginia. During his term of office, the first Cootie Uniform
was approved and became the official uniform of the Order. A
committee was appointed to prepare By-laws for the Order and
to rewrite the Ritual covering the Third Degree. The new
By-laws and change in Rituals were adopted at the Supreme
Scratch in 1923. The Order grew over the years as a "Honor
Degree of the VFW," utilizes a three-degree secret initiation
ritual, and is presently composed of 37,000 members in 1,000
units called "Pup Tents."
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