Bush Comforts Thousands at Scout Jamboree

Bush Comforts Thousands at Scout Jamboree

NewsMax.com Wires
Monday, Aug. 1, 2005

BOWLING GREEN, Va. - As President Bush took to the podium in front of the enormous crowd at the National Boy Scout Jamboree, two troops of Scouts from Alaska stood up and cheered loudly along with their peers. But as Bush began to speak about the tragic electrocutions that had taken the lives of four of the troops' leaders, the youngsters' grins faded and several stared at the ground.

"The men you lost were models of good citizenship," Bush told the estimated 50,000 Scouts, leaders and visitors attending the event at Fort A.P. Hill, the Army base hosting the Jamboree.

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"As Scout leaders, they devoted themselves to helping young men develop the character and skills they need to realize their dreams. These men will always be remembered for their leadership and kindness, and you Scouts honor them by living up to the ideals of the Scouting they served."

It was the president's third attempt to visit the Jamboree, a 10-day gathering that has been plagued by one trauma after another — first, by the deaths of the four Scout leaders and then by stifling heat that sickened hundreds.

On Wednesday, Scouting enthusiasts waited hours in the brutal weather for Bush, who later canceled his appearance because of threatening storms. Scouts began collapsing from high humidity and temperatures in the high 90s. More than 300 people were treated for heat-related illnesses.

Bush's second attempt to visit the Jamboree was postponed from Thursday at the Scouts' request. Officials wanted to review safety procedures for large crowds and replenish water and other supplies.

The illnesses came as the Jamboree participants were still trying to overcome the deaths on Monday of four adult Scout leaders who were electrocuted when a metal pole at the center of a large dining tent they were erecting touched nearby power lines. An investigation into the accident is underway.

The day before, a volunteer was taken to a hospital where he died of an apparent heart attack.

Members of the two troops who lost their leaders in Monday's accident appeared to be enjoying themselves for much of the event, rocking back and forth to the music, laughing and playing with miniature American flags.

Moment of Silence

After the president departed, the crowd held a moment of silence to honor the men killed.

The weather was considerably cooler Sunday, but Scout officials took extra precautions. Scouts hiking to the arena from the most distant subcamp about seven miles away set out at 3:45 — more than an hour later than Wednesday — to give them less waiting time in the sun.

"The groups overall were a lot smarter when they left camp," said Eugene Woehrle, 18, of Madison, Wis. His group took extra water with them on their three-mile hike to the arena.

Several buses with signs on the windshields reading "Cooling Station" were available, there were more tents to provide shade, and stretchers were spaced out over the field in case they were needed.

Cases of bottled water dotted the sloping lawn of the arena like hay bales.

"This is the anti-Wednesday," said volunteer David Pickler, as he ushered Scouts to their seats.

After the president's speech, one boy, his hand draped over his flushed face, was rushed out of the crowd on a gurney. Scout officials said they had no information on what had happened.

Marine One landed in a grassy field and Bush, a former Cub Scout in Texas, was ferried by van to a stage where he was met by a sea of cheering Scouts wearing fatigue green uniforms covered with colorful patches and badges.

As the sun set, Bush told the crowd that the first man he often sees every morning, chief of staff Andy Card, is a former Scout from Massachusetts; Vice President Dick Cheney was a Boy Scout in Wyoming; and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was an Eagle Scout in Illinois.

Bush's speech was about patriotism and community and military service to the nation, but he also recalled how his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, was the den mother of his Scouting troop. "It's about the time her hair turned white," he joked.

Before Bush arrived on stage, an Army band performed and a man wearing an Army T-shirt led groups of Scouts in chants of "OO-rah" and "U.S.A." Tall pines provided a backdrop for blue, red and black hot air balloons emblazoned with military and Scouting emblems.

The day was not without incident.

A Blackhawk helicopter carrying several photographers made an emergency landing at the Jamboree after its engine failed Sunday afternoon, said Jamboree spokeswoman Renee Fairrer.

"We're looking into exactly what happened," said Maj. Vince Mitchell, a spokesman for the Joint Task Force National Scout Jamboree.

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