Quote Originally Posted by Eric C. View Post
As a way to get them into a controlled herd.
Here's the thing, it used to be true long time back, but by the time we were kids, the pioneer organization had no practical militaristic meaning whatsoever. We just used to have fun. And yes there were still some remnants of the original military structure and purpose, but that was just perceived as a kind of fun. Something similar to scouts: go to the forest, camp in the tents under the sky, make an open fire and cook on it. These things peacefully co-existed with a rather popular at the time hobby of hiking. Just a means to get out of the dense cities, get some fresh air and sing simple guitar songs under the open sky. I think that's why there seems to be a gap between your perception of the pioneer organization and ours.