Jamboree: The experience of a lifetime

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXAN) - Boy Scouts and their supporters descended on the greater Washington, D.C., area for almost two weeks to celebrate 100 years of scouting at the National Boy Scout Jamboree.

From the photos and video taken by local Scout Grant Butler between July 24 and August 4, you can catch a glimpse of why Grant says Scouting has something for everyone.

Writes Grant: "Or maybe you can ask another Boy Scout who has been to the National Jamboree - there will be one in every town that you go to. Some Scouts will tell you it was fun because of the activities, and others will say that it is the trading of patches. Still others will say that there were soldiers there to talk to them and trade patches with the Scouts.

"Many enjoyed meeting Scouts from other states, like the Scout that came from Alaska, high above the Arctic Circle. Several got to ride in a Blackhawk helicopter. The memories that the Scouts made will last a lifetime as they pass down their experiences and stories to their friends and their children.

"The Boy Scouting tradition has been around for 100 years, and we all know that it will be around for at least 100 more!"

Read Grant's diary of the trip:

SCOUTS IN D.C. (Sat. July 24)
On Saturday, approximately 200 scouts from the greater Austin area arrived in D.C. They toured the memorials (WWII, Boy Scout, Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam, FDR, Iwo Jima, & others) and visited the Capitol grounds. At the WWII Memorial they stopped to take a picture of a few members of the Texas group in front of the memorial that says “Texas”. They also toured several museums as well.

SCOUTS IN D.C. (Sun. July 25)
On Sunday, the Boy Scouts went to Arlington National Cemetery for a service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the service, the Boy Scouts dedicated a wreath to the Unknown Soldier. The service was about the soldiers that have fought for us through the years. Then after the ceremony, some soldiers visited with the Scouts about how important Scouting was to them and how it helped them in their military careers.

At 1pm there was the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) Grand centennial Parade in D.C. The parade was from 7th to 17th Street on Constitution Avenue. Normally only four parades are permitted each year in Washington, D.C., but they made an exception this year because it is the 100th Anniversary of Scouting and because “of the historical significance and contributions of the BSA to the fabric of American society”. This parade was just as big (if not bigger) than the Rose Bowl or Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. It started out with a GIANT American flag being carried by Scouts representing each of the 50 states.

Following that, there were 50 Scouts each carrying a flag from their home state. Then America’s oldest musical Scouting Band marched by playing. They are English Sea Scouts. Then twirlers from France went by followed by a marching band. Then a band dressed like English soldiers from the Revolutionary war came by. There were giant helium floats like a huge campfire (logs with a fire in the middle…see video/photo) and another of a Scout surrounded by all the points of the Scout Law. Another float showed what a Scouts campsite looks like complete with a tent and trees. There was a float representing all of the awards that Scouts earn. The Merit Badge float showed the different kinds of merit badges that scouts could earn while they are a Boy Scout.

SCOUTS ARRIVE AT FT. A.P. HILL (Mon. July 26)
At the minute of arrival, the Scouts began to immediately unload the supplies from the 18-wheeler that drove from Austin full of their trunks and cots. It took about 5 hours to unload the truck and set up the tents. To entertain the Scouts while they were setting up, the United States Air force put on a show diving out of Blackhawk helicopters with parachutes. (See photos) They were doing stunts in the air, like flips and turns. Everything was set up by nightfall.

SCOUTS AT FT. A. P. HILL: DAY TWO (Tues. July 27)
Today was the dedication of the United States Postage Stamp to commemorate 100 years of scouting. The Military officer there for the dedication is a former Boy Scout himself and he holds the honor of being an Eagle Scout as well. He told the crowd how important Scouting is. (See video and photos)

SCOUTS AT FT. A.P.HILL: DAY THREE (Wed. July 28)
During the day, the Arena Show took place. On a very large stage, speeches were made by important dignitaries in Scouting and the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Mr. Gates was not only a Boy Scout, but he was an Eagle Scout. (See video for speech) The United States Air Force Drill team performed with their guns. The two-millionth Eagle Scout talked to the crowd and the WWE wrestlers came and spoke about how scouting is such a great program. At the beginning of the show Boy Scouts were carrying flags from the different states. From Broadway singers to soldiers that drove up in their heavy tanks, it was an entertaining event.

SCOUTS AT FT. A.P.HILL: DAY FOUR (Thurs.July 29) INTERNATIONAL DAY
On the 4th day there, the scouts celebrated International Day. The Boy Scouts that were from Saudi Arabia taught the crowd some of their Boy Scout songs that are sung in their country. I interviewed one of the Saudi Arabian scouts that was with the Austin contingency. Two Saudi Arabian scouts were in my patrol.

Here's an interview with Abdullah Al-Khulayfi, lit with a flashlight because it was done inside our dark tent!

In video interview that I have with Abdullah Al-Khulayfi (an 18-year-old) you can see what a great Boy Scout he is and how excited he is about Scouting. In the interview Abdullah said that he really liked the ice cream at the Jamboree and that one thing that he really enjoys about Boy Scouts is the camping. The other Saudi Arabian in my patrol was Abdrabuh Al-Hazmi and he is a Prince back home. The Saudis and the Americans had a lot in common, and one thing in particular is that they both enjoyed trading patches, which is very popular at the Jamboree.

Besides trading patches, they also trade Boy Scout clothing items like hats, pins, shirts, belts, scarves and necktie rings. I traded for a Saudi belt and handkerchief slide, which has the Saudi Arabian symbol on it.

The National Rifle Association was there with the shooting ranges. We were able to shoot 20 gauge shotguns at clay pigeons and there were several different ranges to shoot at.

A typical day for some of the patrols is that they would wake up at 5:45am and have a quick meeting about the day. Then the scouts would cook their own breakfast, clean up and then they were free to do what they wanted (which were many, many different & exciting choices) until 5:00pm. They would cook their own dinner and clean up from 5:30-6:30. On many of the nights there were nightly activities that took place from about 7-8pm. Then the Scouts would visit and show what patches they had traded that day until bedtime. Some Scouts would stay up till midnight.

At the National Jamboree, they had many famous people and dignitaries visit. Snowboarders Shaun White & Gretchen Bleiler signed autographs and Miss America spoke. Because there were 40-50,000 Scouts there and at times visitors equaling 275,000 people, there had to be police. The police at the Jamboree were Army M.P.’s.

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From earning merit badges for rank advancement (or for fun) to making new friends, it was an opportunity not to be missed. Some Scouts were even allowed to ride in a Blackhawk helicopter.

The Boy Scout National Jamboree was built overnight and instantly became the third largest community in Virginia. It had all of the characteristics of a town with its own transportation system, police station, and Scout-run radio show. There were many activities for Scouts to do, such as scuba diving, fishing and rifle shooting.

These activities were set up all over the jamboree grounds at Ft. A.P. Hill. There was also BMX biking, sailing, repelling and many more. Scouts were always busy, but one thing that Scouts really enjoyed was patch trading. Patch trading is where scouts trade with other scouts for patches that are from across the nation. The area from where a Scout hails from is called “their council”. Austin was called Capital Area Council. Scouts trade their Council patches for other patches from different Councils. On the side of pedestrian roads, Scouts would lay out towels and on top of these towels, they would place their patches that they were willing to trade. Also, the Scouts would trade patches with soldiers. Everybody wanted the patches that the soldiers had to offer especially the Airborne Rangers patch. Sometimes the soldiers would take off their Velcro rank patches to trade. These were a hot commodity!

There were many activities to keep the scouts busy during the day. One of these was BMX Biking. There was a giant racecourse with professionals to run the track. Several scouts at a time would get on special bikes and race around the track.

Then there was also Brown Sea Island. This is where there were British Scouts would show Scouts what it was like at Brown Sea Island England. They showed Scouts old-fashioned games that scouts played in the olden days. These activities they showed the Scouts consisted of using roping, whaling and midway-type games. There was the Disability Awareness area. This is where there were games available to show you what it is like to be handicapped and to play sports. There were many games such as Wheelchair Bowling, Wheelchair basketball, and Beep Baseball. In these games they would try to make it as realistic as possible.

For example, in Beep Baseball they would give the scouts glasses where they could not see. They would then have to depend on their hearing to be able to hit the ball and run to the beeping bases while the other scouts are trying to listen to be able to find the baseball. Action Alley was also fun. It's where scouts