By JACOB MARX
From Touring Washington, D.C., and the Federal Bureau of Investigations Academy in Quantico, Va., to going to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Va, the Boy Scouts of Troop 1010 of the Three Fires Council have done a lot during the past few days.
When they first arrived in D.C. on July 24, they headed to tour the Washington, D.C., area. Some of the highlights included visiting the Capitol building, International Spy Museum, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy, where they watched as the F.B.I. Hostage Rescue Team practiced fast roping out of a helicopter.
But not all was easy during that weekend. A storm in the afternoon of July 25 knocked out the electricity at their hotel in Maryland. Thankfully, the scouts were prepared and had their flashlights ready so they could get to their hotel rooms.
On July 26, 45,000 scouts descended on the Jamboree site. As the scouts of Troop 1010 unloaded the truck full of their gear, they realized how bad the heat was going to be. The temperature hit a sweltering 95 degrees with high humidity on that day. The scouts made sure to keep hydrated and to drink at least a quart of water every hour.
One of the most popular activities that has gone on at the Jamboree has been patch trading. How patch trading works is that a scout will approach another scout and ask to trade patches. If the other scout agrees, they will then look at each other’s patches and they will try to bargain and deal for the patch they want. One of the most popular patch sets that are at the Jamboree is the Blues Brothers set from the Northwest Suburban Council in Illinois.
On July 28, the Jamboree had an arena show that featured a flyby from the United States Air Force F-16’s, speeches from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, and performances from the United States Air Force Honor Guard drill team and the United States Army Golden Knights jump team.
One of the most popular guests was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who is an Eagle Scout and has been awarded numerous Boy Scout honors. During his speech, he said, “A Scout is marked for life as a role model as what boys and men should be.”
• Jacob Marx is 15 years old and attends DeKalb High School. He will be sending stories from the National Scout Jamboree during the next 10 days. Visit the Daily Chronicle’s blog The Fence Post at daily-chronicle.com/blogs/thefencepost/ to read his reports
.