August 4th, 2010 - Day 12

The morning came early…very early…as everyone crawled out of bed for the first time just after 3 AM. We needed everyone up to help pack the rest of the truck as much as possible before the rain hit. After rushing around for 30 minutes everyone crawled back into their tents just minutes before monsoon season began at Fort A.P. Hill.

It was a wet morning and thankfully we left up just enough tents to get us through the night. However we didn’t stay dry long because as soon as the bus arrived everyone had to battle the rain and small lakes scattered throughout the campsite to pack the rest of the remaining gear. Water was everywhere and to say that anyone was able to stay dry would be a total lie. At some places in our camp standing water was close to 6” deep and the once dry shoes, socks and other clothing items were soaked with the hard rain that seemed to never let up. Once everything was loaded up and ready to go we piled onto the bus dripping from head to toe, ready to leave and start our journey back home. The bus trip back to Washington D.C. allowed several to get a little more sleep, eat breakfast and try to dry off as much as possible before our day of sight seeing.

Our first stop landed us at Mount Vernon, were we spent a good part of the morning touring the home and the grounds of George Washington’s estate where he lived for 45 years. It was very interesting to hear and learn about our nation’s first president and how he lived during the formation of the United States of America. One little known fact however was that George Washington was actually a Mic-O-Say tribesman and has the claws to prove it! The house featured pieces from the time and was fully restored back to before Washington’s death making several of the artifacts over 200 years old.

After a quick lunch at Roy Rodgers we were on our way to the International Spy Museum were our boys got to see spy gadgets that have been used by spies throughout history. Cool items like the James Bond car, miniature microphones and transmitters, compact cameras, and weapons were common place throughout the museum. With pieces dating back several decades our young men got to see just how far technology has come in the spy world.

Our next appointment was scheduled at the Newseum; a museum about the news media’s history and its role not only in America but around the world as well. The museum featured the history of several major stories that hit world and American headlines with an emphasis on how the media covered each story. Displays at the Newseum depicted history throughout the years with a reporter insight that gave a first hand look into the role that the media has played in our society. Included were photos from iconic Sports Illustrated magazines, Nobel Prize winning photographs, the front page from most major world newspapers, September 11th display, Elvis Presley memorabilia, a news chopper, part of the Berlin Wall and much much more.

With most of our touring over with for the day we got back onto the bus and headed to an early evening meal at the Ronald Regan Building. Again much like the meals before the National Jamboree this was a ticketed meal where the boys had a selection in which they could choose what they would like to eat from a variety of restaurants. Shortly after our meal but before we departed we thought it would be a good idea to get one last picture of just the adults and our tour guide in order to mark a successful trip.

We arrived at our hotel a little earlier than planned in our itinerary but I can tell you it didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings to be able to jump into a hot shower and relax before our last day away from home. Although the Clarion wasn’t quite as fancy as the Hyatt, it seemed as though it was fit for a king compared to the accommodations that we had grown accustomed to at the Jamboree. Finding ways to keep entertained and make “good” use of their spare time at the hotel, the boys kept life interesting by assuring that there were no dull moments.

August 3rd, 2010 - Day 11

The last full day at the Jamboree was a busy one for everyone, as boys scrambled to complete activities, pack up our campsite, and perform 2 Mic-O-Say dances. The boys were told to be back in camp by 2 PM so we would have enough time to pack up most of our gear and get it loaded onto the truck. I personally decided to spend most of the day in camp to try and help organize the campsite tear down process, but several of the boys had other plans for the morning to try and get the most out of the Jamboree. A good sized group decided it would be fun to try and meet snowboarder Shaun White who was visiting the Jamboree over near the Mountain Boarding area on the other side of camp. Others went to the Mysterium Compass and some went back to some of the other areas that they had done before and had fun at. Either way it was a good time and everyone got have some last minute fun before the hard work began.

A few scouts showed up after lunch to begin helping tear down camp, and the rest trickled in as it got closer and closer to 2 o’clock. Personal gear was packed up first so tents could be cleaned and swept, and then came tables, dining fly and other troop equipment. This went on for a few hours until we stopped for our beanie weenie supper, as scouts sat on top of their gear boxes to eat their last cooked meal at the Jamboree.

It wasn’t long after supper that we began to get dressed for our last 2 Mic-O-Say dances bringing our total to 3 for the trip. Our first dance was performed just outside the staff dining tent for subcamp 11 as several Jamboree staff members watched as they ate their meal. Warm applause was given after each dance letting us know how much they appreciated their dinner and a show. Our second dance started about 45 minutes after the first one ended and was performed to an audience of central region action center staff members. This was our biggest audience that we had performed for so we made sure to put on a good show. For many this was also their 3rd dance which made them eligible for their first dance coup. Several yellow coup were handed out to all those that completed 3 dances and 3 practices. Also some red dance coup was handed out as well to those older tribesmen who had completed 9 dances and 9 practices.

With our dancing performances over with for the Jamboree we hiked back to camp to get undressed and finish packing most of our gear. With a quick trip through the shower to get cleaned up for our early morning departure everyone crawled into a crowed tent for one last night at Fort A.P.Hill.

August 2nd, 2010 - Day 10

As the Jamboree starts to draw to a close many of the participants feverishly make their plans for the next two days in order to complete everything they wanted to accomplish during their stay. The maps were spread out on the tables and groups were starting to form to make a detailed timeline of where and when they were going to be. Everyone really wants to complete each of the 6 activity segments, so teamwork was being used to get the job done. However before the day begins we all gathered around to participate in a daily devotional in order to complete the last requirement for the Duty to God segment; seen leading this devotional is one of our Patrol Leaders’ Ethan Nichols.

As I went about my daily rounds I decided to head east from our campsite and take a stroll through Merit Badge midway one last time to take part in some of the activities and see the Indian Village. The Indian Village is used for dancing by the Order of the Arrow members at various times and has seating surrounding the arena. Also located near by were some tipis, various artifacts of Native American culture, and a Lewis & Clark exhibit. On the west side of merit badge midway I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a cool looking car so walked over to see what it was. It turned out to be a brand new Chevy Camaro with a military inspired paint job that really made the car stand out and get noticed. It was truly a beautiful paint job and a real joy to take in from a spectator’s point of view.

As I left merit badge midway I walked by the NESA (National Eagle Scout Association) tent and saw that they had one of their bald eagles out and doing a presentation, so being the curious person I am I went over to get a few pictures and listen to what was been told. This eagle is one of several that the National Eagle Center watches over and takes care of in a controlled environment. They have been taking care of this bird for a few years now and will not be releasing her back into the wild at any time. She got hit by a car and broke her left wing in so many places that it will never fully heal, so they have chosen to keep her to do presentations and keep her living as long as possible. The presenter was very knowledgeable and seemed to love what he was doing making the presentation that much better.

Later that evening as we finished supper we had a special ceremony in our campsite to honor those that advanced in scout rank while at the National Jamboree. Our court of honor was held for Morgan Farrell and Tristan Meyer as they received their new scout rank. Morgan was presented with his Star Scout badge and Tristan with his Life Scout badge. Another award was handed out as well during this ceremony as both Mack Cory and Drew Davies received a patch set from the Cascade Pacific Council. Assistant Scoutmaster Ken Siemens presented the patches to the two well deserving individuals, as a gift from a long time scouter Mike Parnell who now lives in Oregon.

In order to properly celebrate we had another delicious cake delivered to be eaten later as a cracker barrel before we headed to bed. But the evenings activities were far from over as several of the boys decided to participate in the Rock Band video game competition. Making teams the boys headed to the central stage to show off their skills trying to take home the win. When they arrived at the stage there was already a live band performing and the boys quickly jumped in and sang along as the military group performed songs that everyone knew the lines too. Shortly after the band was done packing up the competition began and even though everyone tried really hard, unfortunately none of our guys won. As night came so did the hungry mouths of cake deprived boys as we devoured our 2nd cake of the trip before hitting the hay for the night.

August 1st, 2010 - Day 9

A Scout is Reverent! That is the 12^th point of the scout law and as scouts it is our duty to do our duty to God. Through out the Jamboree on Sunday there were plenty of services for the boys to choose from in order to appeal to every religious preference. Services started at 9 AM and ended at various times depending on the length of the service. For almost all of our boys this is how their morning began but for one his morning started a little earlier with a very cool and unique opportunity.

Mack Cory and several other boys from the central region had their name put into a drawing in which the winners got the opportunity to participate in the flag raising ceremony at 8 AM sharp. Mack’s name was drawn and was chosen to represent our troop and help assist with the ceremony by raising the Missouri flag at the court of flags. The court of flags has a total of 53 flag poles which hosts a flag for each state, the American flag, the Jamboree flag, and the international scouting flag. This was a very special opportunity and Mack did an excellent job representing our troop and our council.

As we got back to camp after the flag raising Mack took charge and made sure everyone was accounted for and had a plan for the morning services. Once this was done he sent them on their way for the day in order to make it on time for the various religious services to begin. Every boy was eager to attend a service of their faith because this put them one step closer to earning their Duty to God rocker patch. One of the requirements is to attend a faith service and what better time to complete that than on Sunday morning.

After services ended many of the boys came back to camp to gather their things for the day and relax a bit before activities started up again. Most activities didn’t start till 1 PM with a few starting on the noon hour, which gave the boys a chance to catch their breath from the fast paced life that we call a National Jamboree.

With a shortened day of activities I decided not to venture very far from the campsite, I went and picked up lunch at one of the kiosks and swung by the patch board again to see how well it was filling up. The board was gaining momentum and filling up fast, I think it had to do with the free t-shirt incentive that they started doing. If you donated a patch to the board that they didn’t have already you got a free t-shirt and it was apparent how well that was going by the large jump in patches on the board. However onto lunch, it was like always your typical cold cut meal for the on the go scout with a frozen juice pack that seemed to grace almost every lunch no matter when you picked it up. After lunch activities continued for the boys but if I remember correctly I chose the napping activity so not many pictures were taken that afternoon. On a side note though, I can say that I wasn’t the only one working on the napping merit badge. Sorry John but I promised I would put it on here.

Later that evening we had another special opportunity when we swapped 10 of our boys for 10 boys from another troop for supper. This exchange was great for the boys because they got to experience how to be a host to some young men from Utah. Everyone had a blast as they swapped stories and patches making it a fun evening for everyone involved. Before they left to go back to their own campsite we thought a picture needed to be taken to mark the occasion, so we lined everyone out in front of the gateway for a snapshot to use as a reminder of the fun times we had that evening.