2005 Jamboree Report To Parents From SM Joe

        Hello everyone, this is your contingent scoutmaster ( Joe W.). Well, I guess I survived the first week of the Jamboree. I apologize for not sending pictures and messages on a timely basis like I had planned, but resources were not available for me to do so. I appreciate Allen's efforts to communicate as best as he could under the circumstances. Let me begin by filling you in on the trip thus far.

        The trek up to Virginia was slow and arduous. I arrived with the van right at midnight Sunday. The traffic was  similar to a week day. You would think that people would stay home on 
Sunday. As you know, we experienced tremendous heat the first three days of the Jamboree. The temperature was in the low 100's with the heat index rising to nearly 120 degrees.   It was so hot that the medical tents would fly a red flag and ask everyone over a loud speaker to stay cool by keeping activity to a minimum and drink lots of water. They would even shut down the events for the afternoon. As for our troop, we filled our coolers many times during the day in order to keep the kids hydrated. Many of the boys took their shirts off just to cope with the heat. 

            On Wednesday, the entire camp basically shut down in order to force all boys to go back to their camps and fill their bellies with food and water in order to get ready for an early arena show. We had a few hours in camp before it was time to gather on the road at around 3:30pm. It was then that we began what I call the death march. As it turned out, about 500 boys and leaders made a visit to the medical tents and some even to local hospitals. It took us around two hours to walk 1.5 miles to the arena.  The northern scouts were not the only ones that fell prey to the oppressive heat. While we were sitting in the Southern section of the arena, both boys and adults succumbed to the heat all around us. The constant sound , "medic", could be heard continually throughout the next hour while we were waiting for the show to begin. Helicopters were flying all around us as if they were watching or protecting the area. One actually landed to take people to local area hospitals. To my knowledge, no one died that day. Some of the boys even commented on the spectacle stating, that it is not normal".  Fire trucks would drive down the side of the crowd nearest our group and shower us with a splash of that cool liquid we would almost give our right arm for. 

        Then when it seemed that we couldn't wait any longer, a pristine blue Air Force Helicopter proceeded to land carrying whom it seemed to be the president. The aircraft was too far away to focus in on who the dignitary really was. A few minutes later, the chairman of the jamboree walked up to the podium and stated, "I have some bad news and some good news". My heart sank in my chest as if I had just broken up with my high school girlfriend, and he muttered, "We must regretfully cancel the arena show for this evening due to the coming of bad weather". Of course I was puzzled since there was not a cloud in the sky. Then he said we have the honor of listening to Senator Frist who is the U.S. Senate majority leader from Tennessee. Senator Frist stated that the house and the Senate had passed a bill that the U.S. military would support the Boy Scouts of America 100% with a vote of 98 yes and 2 no shows. 

        Right after that, we were released to go back to our camps and batten down the hatches. As soon as we passed a group of trees where I could see the horizon, it was evident that a storm was almost upon us. Having not been accustomed to a Virginia storm, I urged the boys to high tail it to the camp and prepare for the worst. Not too long after we arrived to camp the bottom fell out and it rained for a half hour or so. We had to take our tarps down in fear that they would blow away in the wind. It was a good thing we did. The wind did cause damage to tents and tarps in other camps, but troop 1520 escaped the storm with only one tarp broken. This was to be the most severe storm of the trip. The weather after that was back to normal Mississippi type climate, and the camp resumed normal daily activities. 

        The big event of the week was patch trading. The boys all around became overnight entrepreneurs. Wheeling and dealing their way to the coveted council strip or OA flap. The most popular seemed to be the Halo patch, after the X-box game. The boys could also earn segments and patches simply by reviewing the requirements and visiting the various action centers, expo's, outback centers, stage shows, etc. On Friday, myself and 7 other boys took part in the 5K run, walk, crawl. We woke up at 5am that morning. The event began at 6am.

        One of the biggest hits was the National Guard displays. The boys could try out the simulators, look at various helicopters and tanks and climb the most challenging rope tower. In return for having fun, the guardsman would hand out Army video games, hats , patches, etc. Robert Harrell wanted to try the Navy SEAL challenge and invited me to go with him. As proud as I was to be considered a capable candidate, I reluctantly declined due to a foot injury. (Well, what Robert doesn't know, won't hurt him.)  I encouraged Robert to go with his buddy anyway. 

        Another big hit was the disabilities awareness facility. The boys could play a game of baseball blindfolded. The pitcher would pitch a soft ball under handed to the batter. The ball would continually beep. Very few boys could actually hit the ball. What was funny was watching the infield chase after the ball. Another hit was wheel chair basketball. Some boys actually got the hang of it and excelled rather quickly. As you all know, one of our boys is blind. I was worried at first if we were going to be able to make this a fun trip for him. (It is obvious 
that I haven't been around the visually disabled much.) David took to the Jamboree like bees on honey. David actually got to do as much if not more than the rest of the boys. Some of the boys would take turns escorting(?) David since he was able to get into the front of the lines. (Scouts are resourceful.) 

        One day David met another boy that was also blind. At camp, I asked David how his day had been. He commented that it was great. David is an inspiration. He is always smiling and has a great sense of humor about him.

        Most of the adults viewed the conservation area. This area was filled with interesting and interactive displays of land, air and water issues affecting us today. One display really got me motivated on the need to recycle more. I intend to bring this knowledge back to my home town and hopefully persuade the mayor to reestablish our recycling program. 

        Sunday was the day for the  big arena show. The final extravaganza. President Bush spoke for several minutes telling the boys of their responsibilities as scouts and what their presence means to the future of our country. Among the dignitaries present was our sub-camp representative Dr. Ballard, a marine biologist explorer. Troop 1520 had four home town news correspondents who were close to the stage as the president spoke. Those boys were: Ben Bailey, David Bouchard, Tom Boggess, and Matt Jones. Along with these boys were two of our top junior leaders who were chosen to sit closest to the president, Jack Owings and Jim Giesemann. Once the speeches and stage shows were complete, the boys enjoyed an hour or more of a spectacular fire works show. Surely a night to remember. The last group of boys made it back to camp at around 1:30 am. 

        Monday, the boys scrambled to get the last patch trading accomplished and see some of the events they were lacking to complete their cards. On Tuesday, our troop was able to see a theater production of  "12 Cubed". This production was an excellent portrayal of the 12 scout laws and the three promises of the scout oath. This play was done professionally by the boys in the OA in an air conditioned tent. The rest of the day was packing up and getting ready for the trip to Washington D.C. 

        The troop left early Wednesday morning to Fredericksburg and ate their last kiosk lunch while doing their laundry. Their next stop was to check in at the hotel Harrington where they dropped off their supplies and headed out to the Ford Theater. The Archives bldg. was next on the list. This is also were they filmed part of the movie, "National Treasure". Next on the list was the Museum of Natural History, The Museum of American History, and the old Post Office (est. 1889). They also climbed up to the top of the clock tower. This is the second tallest building in the city. We're not done yet. The boys also visited several monuments including; The Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and The WW-II Memorial. The boys got in after midnight, took showers, and went to bed. I am sure everybody enjoyed long hot showers this day. 

        Thursday the troop started their trek in DC mid-morning and visited the capitol building. They visited the Union Train Station were they had lunch. Over 100 venders offering foods from different countries were there every day to serve the locals and tourists. Next stop was the Columbus Monument, The National Museum of The American Indian, The National Air and Space Museum and The White House. Finally, dinner was served at the Old Post Office. The boys were also able to visit an arcade and the ESPN store.

        On Friday, August 5, 2005, The troop will begin their trek back home making one final stop at the King's Dominion Roller Coaster and Water Park. They will leave the Hotel Harrington at 9am and arrive at the park at around 10am. They will spend most of the day their and leave at 6pm to Creedmore North Carolina where they will stay the night in the gym of the 1st Baptist Church. The Bus will leave Creedmore at 7am ET and arrive in Columbus at 6pm CS. I will get a call when the bus arrives in Birmingham, approximately 2 hours before arriving in Columbus. I will e-mail everyone promptly if their are any changes at that time. Parents, don't forget to inform your home town newspapers that we will be coming home from the Jamboree on Saturday night. It would be nice to add a welcome home picture from your local newspaper to your personal scrap book. See you there.

Joe W.