BSA Natl Jamboree

[Bruce Day]

Some folks know I am in northern VA now on BSA Central Region Staff and I will show a few photos. I am doing the Bikathalon, a biking and riding event.

We have about 200 staff and about 9000 boys in our action event area, total about 5000 staff and 40,000 boys in the whole jamboree. Had an arena show today, usually the president appears but today Sec of Defense Gates came in his place as unfortunately Obama was too busy today taping an appearance with Oprah Winfrey. I understand he will not be here at all, first pres in a long time not to come.

Egyptian, Honduran, etc scouts are here also.


The cops meet every morning in front of what else, the donut shop.

A freind of mine and his asst leader had to stay in quarantine because one of their scouts got the 24 hr bug and the Va Dept of Health quarantined them.


The Bikathelon event is a timed riding and shooting event. Some boys are great shots and riders, others have never shot a gun. Then we had a blind scout and one of the guys put him on a bike and pushed him around the course and helped him aim . We are constantly reloading the pellet rifles , a 12 round wheel, and helping boys control breathing and aim point after riding hard. The targets are silver dopllar sized and at 25 feet. Easy to miss.

[Dean Romig]

Great stuff Bruce. The future leaders of America... Teach 'em right!
It is wonderful to see the dedication of both the staff and the boys.

You didn't really expect to see this POTUS at the jamboree when he wouldn't make time to attend three other, equally important national events this year did you?

[Bill Murphy]

Bruce, I remember wonderful days at Fort A.P. Hill, then Camp A.P. Hill when I spent time there in the late sixties while employed by my Uncle. The good part was that I was close to home for weekend duty. Camp Hill was the staging area for those of us who were planning to protect the Nation's Capital from the liberal invaders in 1968.

[Bruce Day]

I've heard a bunch of quail down here, Bill, if you have hunting privileges on post.

Dean, I'm sure that Oprah has a tight schedule for producing her shows. I've never seen one, I understand its some sort of women's daytime TV talk thing.

[Austin W Hogan]

I attended the 1950 Jamboree in Valley Forge. President Truman welcomed us, and General Eisenhower was our 4th of July speaker.

Best, Austin

[Bruce Day]

Great Americans, Austin, of courage, ability, integrity and histories of achievement. However, Truman must not have been much of a politician because he didn't take the easy ways and was a direct, plain speaking person. And Eisenhower wasn't Ivy League educated, just a farm boy from Kansas who served his country in the Army.

[Chris Baumohl]

I was at the 1980 Jamboree at Ft. AP Hill. Several of us were on staff at summer camp and took off right after camp ended. Couple of our buddies were on staff. We got there and got to play "stage security" for The Oak Ridge Boys. Great time!!!!!

Great pics

[Bill Murphy]

Francis, yes, there were weekend warriors at Camp Hill and in D.C. in 1968, but I was active Army and had real bullets in my rifle. We were put up at a women's dorm at Georgetown University and patrolled from M Street to Washington Circle or a little east, a very safe part of town, even during the riots. The weekend warriors, apparently without bullets, patrolled the bad part of town well north and east of the White House.

[C Roger Giles]

Has anyone at The Jambore ran into Destry? I think he would be found in the vendors area.

Roger

[Bruce Day]

Roger, patch trading is a big deal with some here but no patch vendors and it is closely regulated. Adults cannot trade with boys, only adults, and it must be a one for one trade with no money exchanged. All adults must be active scouters and have applied many months ago, and be assigned a job.

T storm moved through a while back, our bike course is a mudhole so we cancelled this afternoon. Some tents down and wet. 97 degrees and high humidity. Sitting and sweating.

I was mistaken about Pres Obama and the Oprah show, turns out to be Whoopie Goldberg and Barbara Walters and some program called View. I'm told thats also some daytime show where women talk about how horrible their lives are and how they search for fulfillment, meaning and purpose. Anyway, off for a while and then on to help some of the kids.

[Bill Murphy]

Bruce, the storm went through here 35 miles north of D.C. just before 1:00 PM I think. Lots of rain, lots of lightning, not as much wind as the fatal storm last week. Sun is out bright right now. I hope you guys can get back in business now that the storm has passed.

[Bruce Day]

Hello Bill. Trap, five stand and all shotgun sports are open, archery, fishing, rapelling, zip lines, rifle range, most open except us. We are a mudhole and would be risking broken collarbones if we opened. The tires had churned the dust to fine flour consistancy and its slippery than owl ----. Accident free so far, except for the occasional wipeout that the kids love to talk about , and nothing serious enough to call the medics....and we aim to keep it that way. We are running about 300 boys per day through our event.

[Gill Frye]

I attended BSNJ in 1973, still got all my patches and a new jamporee shirt still in the plastic.....great memories! I don't remember the president showing up though.

[Francis Morin]

But his Veep- Michigan's boy (by way of Nebraska) Gerald R. Ford was an Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow- 1973- Nixon still lying to the voters, as he did in 1969 about how we were NOT in Laos or Cambodia (and the Ho Chi Minh trail was paved in cement with lane markers)--

Mr. Murphy- I meant no slur on the reserves and week-end warriors, our second Prez. name of Bush was one- ANG in TX-- In 1968 in Detroit, the riots- Guard Units were sent back from their two week summer tour at Camp Grayling to Detroit to protect the brave firemen from the rioters and looters- they were issued live rounds for their M-16's I was told-

Col.-- I like your analysis of the Ladies show "The View"-- our current POTUS seems to like the "distaff side"- with two daughters, Hillary as Sec'y of State, and two recent female noms to The Supremes-- but if you look back over our Nation's History- rich (Oprah) and college educated or otherwise motivated "Do-Gooders" have been responsible for, in the end result, more Sturm und Drang than any men have wrought- Harriett Beecher Stowe and Julia Ward Howe- their "do-gooder" words got us embroilled in a War that killed over 600,000 Americans and accomplished very little as a result- better they should have "goosed that faceful lighting with their own Swiss swords"-- Carrie Nation and her ilk- lead to the Volstead Act of 1919- which gave us Al Capone, Bugs Moran, Heimie Weiss, the Purple Gang etc-- and wasn't removed until 1933- by a Pres. who loved his dry martinis at his infamous "Children's Hour"-- Dorothy Sanger, whose efforts allowed the Gov't to meddle in the bedroom and later, vis a vis the Hayes Act- Hollywood and the Stage- and who was the most influential in the Suffragette Movement which allowed women the right and option to vote and meddle in politics- And then we were "blessed" with the infamous poor little rich gal Patty Hearst and her entics with the SLA and the gals who followed Charles Manson--who knows, if the current trend continues- we will see our beloved BSA merged with the GSA and become known as the "Persons Scout of America"--:bigbye::rolleyes::bigbye:

[Dave Suponski]

Francis,What the h--l are ya talking about?

[Jack Cronkhite]

Not to answer for Francis but I'm thinking BSA + GSA = PSA which in most jurisdictions is a freebie but nothing to do with the great outdoors, unless purely by chance. Also, POTUS + V or + O = increased probability of FV in a possibly desperate move to garner 2ndT. Or something like that. Maybe I confused myself. Bottom line is maybe something like be very careful not to snub the BSA as there are many MV's for the next contender and any POTUS worth "his" salt was involved with the BSA. Not too sure about NG and TX, although I understand both references. Maybe something like "rations un-delivered" = RU, which makes sense maybe as NG + TX + RU can = X-GRUNT, which we all understand is tied directly to FREEDOM, a pre-requisite to pursue the happiness some find right here.

Or, maybe ......... nah, I'm way too confused now.

Jack

[Francis Morin]

Obama could give a large rodent's posterior about the BSA- first, he and Michelle have two gals- secondly, most Scouts aren't of voting age yet- and I am guessing we will get our senses back and he, like the first CT. old money aristocrat Bush, will be a one-tripper- He (Bushie) screwed up with Desert Storm, now Obama pulls our troops out of Iran and sends fresh reserve units to bleed and die in Afgah-land- what's the difference- more body bags embarked at Dover AFB morgue- more graves in Arlington and we win Nada- just like in Vietnam--

ANG and TX- second Bushie Potus (he got two tours) Texas Air Nat'l Guard, he was a first Looie and a pilot- when he showed up for week-end duties once a month- His Dad was a decorated Naval aviator in the Pacific in WW11 (the last war we really won), little GW flew recon missions to keep Nieman-Marcus safe from Uncle Ho's long range bombers- good work.

Two certificates I am most proud to possess- no, make that three: Honorable Discharge from the USMC, Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow and God and Country awards, and my Life membership in the NRA--

As for Dave's ??- Hey, I have many Polish and Jewish buddies at the Legion and VFW-so I get some of their expressions- heck, I'm part Czech, which is as close to being a Pollock as being Dutch is to being a German perhaps- But Dave, no dis-respect, but we are waaaay different wave lengths- also age gap, as I'm looking down the barrels of 70 this Fall- Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise- so, in all fairness, I can't answer a question I don't comprehend- Just as a PRC 10 has different crystals/diodes, whatever than a PRC-25 do--:cool::cool::whistle:

[Dave Suponski]

Jack, Thanks for clearing that up for me..................I Think...:fg:

[Bruce Day]

There are about 40,000 here, not a significant number when you consider the millions who sob along with Oprah or Whoopie on a daily basis. There are about 1,000,000 presently registered in Scouting but many more who were once in Scouts and remember it fondly. Of course the boys don't vote, but their parents and many alumni and friends of Scouting do.

[Jack Cronkhite]

Any time Dave - I think.

So Francis, would this be "The Summer of '69" - again???

Jack

[Dean Romig]

This former Boy Scout votes in every election and have done so ever since I became eligible.:usa:

[Dean Romig]

Will somebody please grab his soap box and burn it.... :eek:

[John Dallas]

Perhaps it's time to bring out the Morin-o-Meter, which measures the angular deviation from a given topic, multipied by the number of arcane references. I think a couple of the posts in this thread would rate a 9 or 9.5 out of 10.

[james van blaricum]

Bruce: sounds like you are having a very good time. I was at the Nat. Jamboree
right after the end of WW2.It was at Valley Forge, Still have my patches and vest and I am sure I have all the slides I took, some place. Will never forget the
trip on the train from Dodge City Kansas. An old troop train. Hope the weather is better than it is here .!00 degrees + . Have been in Colorado for two weeks and came home to this. James Van Blaricum:bigbye::bigbye:









City

[Jack Cronkhite]

As a youngster I went through the Cub Scout program, ending it as the Senior Sixer for the pack. I learned there not to lead with my chin in the boxing ring and understood that "seeing stars" can actually happen. The time did instill life values of "doing your best" and "doing a good turn every day". I think I missed a few days of that along the way. I moved on to Boy Scouts and only lasted a couple of meetings. Of all things, money was the issue. Folks too poor to handle uniform costs, having added two more mouths to feed since I got my Cub gear. So no national or international jamborees for me. I have a great respect for the Scouting movement.

Francis: In my own way, I was trying to help Dave understand, since he asked :) Yes, I am Canadian eh. I agree Blue Hockey and Walleye are all good. I also feel I'm a citizen of the global village. Scotch Rugby and Char are also good. I'm not above enjoying squashed grapes from Chile, Italy, France, Australia or the Napa Valley. Summer of '69 ?? A musical reference to follow your looking down the barrels at 70 and surmising you might be 69 during this summer. You have a few years on me, if that is the case - my next b'day being 63.
X-GRUNT was a way to recognize Vets for whom I have great respect. My father was RCAF and father-in-law ARMY. No matter what one's politics might be, I believe those who served the aims of their nation while recognizing it may well end their personal "tour" on this planet deserve respect. Vietnam was a divisive war on the US home front but I was dismayed, at the time, how some returning military were being treated. Never met a "Hippie". I don't abide criminals, regardless of gender. I also believe that both genders can and do contribute to improving the human condition but I do not think humans, as a species, can achieve peaceful co-existence. I always wonder why that is so elusive, as when traveling abroad and meeting ordinary folk, we all seem to have the same basic goals. Happiness and a better future for our kids. For me to apply the bumper sticker would not be right, as I wasn't there. But, I would display the sticker on a "steel tomb", if it were signed by one who was there. I would enjoy sharing a beverage of choice. We would not see eye to eye on everything but then what would the world be if we all thought alike. Debate is good.

Cheers,
Jack

[Francis Morin]

Thanks Jack-- and for those who want me to burn the Soap Box- "A Boy Scout is Brave, Clean and Reverent" with the emphasis here on CLEAN- as in Dial soap- the old 5 S's every day of my life, one of them being Shower-

For my critics here, let me remind you that All the Ten apply, especially the First- another gent raised the question about out POTUS not attending the BSA event- I don't agree with our POTUS (My right as a citizen, Veteran and voter, as it is yours too) and as a member of the BSA, I voiced my distain for his absence from said event- If you don't like my responses, or try some BS (Boy Scouting) meter, perhaps you might want to use your delete button in the future-

Our Great Country is going to Hades in a handbasket, and I refuse to sit back quietly and watch it happen without protest or comment. And yes, I blame the "Do-Gooders", many of whom are female (or were, if past tense is involved) and if that makes me a anti-fem, so be it- I still open doors for them and say Yes M'am- even when I have no idea what they are about--:bigbye:

[Bruce Day]

The Jambo ends today and everybody leaves tomorrow. Its been an interesting exp-erience, from helping physically and emotionally damaged youth to the majority who are just boys even though they may be 6ft 5, weigh 250 lbs of muscle and look like college football players....they are kids having fun and maybe we have future national leaders here.. The West Point booth was packed with interested boys.

So these are kids like kids have always been and we emphasize the Scout law...trustworthy , loyal,l helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave clean and reverent . So a few of us leaders went out to dinner about 12 days ago while we were setting up and this rode hard 30ish waitress with one arm covered with tatoos starts asking about Boy Scouts because she says she has several boys so we tell her and then she says she wishes she had gone with a Boy Scout alum when she was in her teens.... she might not have a bunch of kids and trying to kick a drug and alcohol problem.

I'll post photos when I can...somehow can't do it tonight , internet issues, etc.

[Francis Morin]

Not all Scouts became POTUS as did Gerald R. Ford- but he certainly lived up to the code of conduct Lord Baden-Powell set out back in 1910. I often wonder if he were with us today how he would see a greatly changed world indeed. 31 July 1910-- No Titanic tragedy, no 1914 shooting of some Duke in Sarajevo that led to WW1. It was indeed a man's world back then, and the Scout Oath reflected the steps a lad should follow into manhood- and not too far from the Ten Commandments- Now prayer in schools, the wording of "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag- I can only wonder what his reaction would be.

I also hope that the "rode hard and put up wet" waitress with the two boys (most likely without a father in the picture) will find sponsors that will get them into Scouting and on the right path for life-:bigbye:

[Bruce Day]

Here's the last of the pictures from our Bikathlon area. After 10 days and 3600 people through our station, we had trashed half our bicycles and pellet guns. For the bike, they were never designed for a teenager standing 6'4" and weighing 250lbs.

Great time, great kids having fun, and fine people. I think we did well and we did good. I have high hopes for the future.