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In 2005, a federal district court in Chicago sided with the ACLU and ruled that the military’s support for the National Scout Jamboree - held once every four years at Fort A.P. Hill in Fredericksburg, Virginia - unconstitutional. The case is Winkler v. Rumsfeld, No. 05-3451 (7th Cir.). The ACLU’s claim is that the Scout Oath’s “duty to God” makes the Boy Scouts a religious organization, like a church, and that military support for the Jamboree violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. If the ruling stands, the military may not lend equipment or provide logistical support to the...

Contractors with a now-defunct Virginia tent company said they never solicited help from four Boy Scout leaders electrocuted while setting up a large dining tent on the opening day of last summer's National Scout Jamboree, according to a report released yesterday. This contradicts a statement issued during the jamboree by officials from the Western Alaska Council, in which they said the contractors asked some of the leaders to help raise the tent. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's report also states that the federal agency would have issued a citation to the Boy Scouts of America for exposing employees to...

This is the text of the "Support our Scouts Act".SEC. 8173. SUPPORT FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS- (a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Support Our Scouts Act of 2005'.(b) Support for Youth Organizations- (1) DEFINITIONS- In this subsection--(A) the term `Federal agency' means each department, agency, instrumentality, or other entity of the United States Government; and(B) the term `youth organization'--(i) means any organization that is designated by the President as an organization that is primarily intended to--(I) serve individuals under the age of 21 years;(II) provide training in citizenship, leadership, physical fitness, service to community, and teamwork; and(III)...

Ninety members of Congress filed a brief yesterday with a federal appeals court declaring support for the U.S. Defense Department in its sponsorship of the Boy Scouts of America's national jamboree. The department's backing of the quadrennial event, attended this year by more than 40,000 Scouts, was opposed in a 1999 lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU contends federal government sponsorship violates the First Amendment, because the Boy Scouts require members to swear an oath to "do my duty to God and my country." The next jamboree is scheduled for 2010 to coincide with the 100th...

Home Photo Gallery News & Facts Activities Jambo Map Exhibits Schedule Visiting “Ask Bob” BSA HomeJoin Scouts! Jamboree Today: August 2 August 1   July 31   July 30   July 29   July 28   July 27   July 262005 Jamboree Today Collectors Edition CD Order Form  Memories Are Made Of Presidents, Eagles And Starbursts.....GOPedro Burrowed In At National Exhibits.....GOTalent Search Uncovers Hidden Skills And Abilities.....GOA Letter Of Thanks From Western Alaska Troops.....GOScouts Had Loads Of Fun, Accomplished Much.....GO Memories Are Made Of Presidents, Eagles And Starbursts President George W. Bush shakes hands with Scouts after his address at the closing arena show. (Photo by...

A week ago yesterday President Bush spoke before the more than 30,000 Boy Scouts attending the 16th National Scout Jamboree. The tragic deaths by electrocution of four adult Scout leaders on July 25 dominated news of the Jamboree, and the coverage of Bush's speech was perfunctory at best. Like many of President Bush's formal speeches, however, his remarks are worth reading in their entirety. They are eloquent, funny, personal, and moving. Bush first noted that the "Scouts have set a high standard of service and duty to God and country." He observed that "through the generations, Scouts have made America...

FORT A.P. HILL, Va. -- About 43,000 Boy Scouts departed this Army installation Aug. 3 after 10 days of scouting, camping and learning. As part of the 2005 National Scout Jamboree, Boy Scouts nationwide gathered to make new friends, practice their scouting skills and earn "merit badges." Thanks to retired Lt. Col. Tom Sawner, a former pilot, about 1,000 of those young men left the Jamboree with a new merit badge and a greater appreciation and understanding of aviation. The aviation merit badge is particularly difficult to get, Colonel Sawner said, because the resources needed to complete the requirements for...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2005 – President Bush praised Boy Scout values of patriotism, integrity and citizenship July 31 at the organization's 16th National Jamboree held at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. The 30,000-plus scouts attending the jamboree from around the world "are carrying on a tradition that dates back almost seven decades," Bush observed, noting that President Franklin Roosevelt came to the first jamboree in 1937. Over the years, millions of Americans have recited the Scout oath, which begins, "On my honor, I'll do my best," said Bush, who was a Cub Scout during his youth Midland, Texas. Bush said he...

Today President George W Bush used his constitutional authority to appoint John Bolton to serve as America's Ambassador to the United Nations. The President said that John Bolton will be an important member of his State Department team, led by Condoleezza Rice. Over the weekend the President had a routine physical on Saturday at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethseda, Maryland. He was pronounced fit for duty and above average fitness for a man of his age. Afterwards he visited wounded sailors and Marines recovering at the hospital. On Sunday evening the President spoke at the Boy Scout National Jamboree...

Bowling Green, Va. -- Succeeding on his third try to visit them, President Bush comforted thousands of Boy Scouts on Sunday at a national jamboree marred by the electrocutions of four leaders and stifling heat that sickened 300. "The men you lost were models of good citizenship," Bush told the estimated 50,000 Scouts, leaders and visitors attending the event near Bowling Green, Va., where boys yelled "Boy Scouts Rock!" "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...

BOWLING GREEN, Va. -- Their motto is: "Be prepared." But as the disaster-riddled National Boy Scout Jamboree carries on following five deaths and hundreds of heat-related illnesses, event planners from across the country are wondering just how prepared the Scouts were. "That's the part that breaks my heart _ there are things you can avoid and things you can't," said Phyllis Cambria, an event planner from Boca Raton, Fla., who has written several books on the subject. "This one sounds like it was an avoidable one." Scout officials say they are not ready to place blame and are still investigating...

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) came to Fort A.P. Hill July 27 to address the 2005 National Scout Jamboree. Foremost on his mind was the importance of the U.S. military’s support to the scouts gathered before him. “Federal support for the jamboree -- what we are doing here today -- is important in helping to train our brave men and women in the military,” he said. Frist said he was proud to announce the “Support Our Scouts Act of 2005” as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Bill that he sponsored. “The vote was ninety-eight to...

WASHINGTON — Larry Call told his wife that he wasn’t sure if it was a few seconds or a few minutes. But as he gripped the metal pole and hoisted it beneath the sprawling white canopy, he found himself suddenly paralyzed, full of electricity and a pain he has not yet found words to describe. He was jolted to the ground and lay there, barely conscious under the canvas, Paula Call said in a telephone interview from Alaska. This was the end, he thought. He looked around at it. There, hurled to the ground along with him were the men...

BOWLING GREEN, Va. -- About 300 people, most of them Boy Scouts, were sickened by the heat Wednesday while waiting for President Bush to arrive at a memorial service for four Scout leaders who were killed while pitching a tent beneath a power line. The president's visit to the Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill was postponed because of severe thunderstorms and strong wind. Instead, Bush is scheduled to visit the gathering Thursday. But before the president's appearance was called off, many Scouts fell ill from temperatures that rose into the upper 90s, made worse by high humidity. Half of...

FORT A.P. HILL, Va. (Army News Service, July 27, 2005) – About 42,000 Boy Scouts and adult leaders from around the world have arrived at the National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Va., and following an accident July 25 in which four adult leaders were killed, activities continue with an added emphasis on safety. A safety review was conducted by the joint task force supporting the jamboree after the four scouting leaders were electrocuted while setting up their tent. Both scouts and about 2,000 service members of the task force have been cautioned to adhere to all safety procedures,...

BOWLING GREEN, Va. (AP) - The four men electrocuted while pitching a dining tent at the Boy Scout Jamboree had ignored scouting teachings by putting the tent under a power line, a spokesman said Wednesday. The Scout leaders also had taken the "somewhat unusual" step of hiring a contractor to help with the task, Scouts spokesman Gregg Shields said. "Boy Scouts are taught not to put their tents under trees or under power lines. I don't know what happened in that case," Shields said. The four leaders killed Monday were to be remembered Wednesday at a memorial to be attended...

President Bush went to Capitol Hill this morning, accompanied by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, to meet with and speak to the House Republican Conference and discuss issues and encourage support for CAFTA. Later he welcomed March of Dimes National Ambassador, Navy Anderson of Logan, Utah in the Oval Office, and then greeted the 2005 Boys and Girls’ Senators in the East Room. The Senators were selected to represent their states by the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary. Tonight the President will be traveling to Ft. A.P. Hill in Virginia to address the Boy Scout Jamboree meeting there,...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush was offering comfort Wednesday to thousands of Boy Scouts mourning the deaths of four of their leaders, telling their national jamboree that the men who died in this week's tragic accident should be honored and remembered. Bush's speech Wednesday evening at the Boy Scouts of America's quadrennial jamboree — initially intended to celebrate volunteerism and military service — was turned into more of a consolation session after four men died on Monday while erecting a large dining tent at the gathering. Military and Scout officials were investigating the incident, in which the adult Scout leaders lost...

BOWLING GREEN, Va. - The National Boy Scout Jamboree reopened its gates Wednesday for a somber visit by President Bush and a memorial for four Scout leaders electrocuted in front of stunned children. Timmy Smith, 16, of Wheeling, W. Va., said his troop donated patches to the grieving Anchorage, Alaska, troop that lost the adult leaders Monday when a tent pole came into contact with power lines. "It would feel bad if my dad got affected like that," Smith said. "Scouts are supposed to be kind and help each other out so we helped them out." Some scouts watched in...

Boy Scouts 'All Started Screaming' Jul 26, 9:28 PM (ET) By LARRY O'DELL and JEANNETTE J. LEE (AP) A day following the deaths of four Boy Scout leaders at the National Jamboree, Boy Scouts line up...Full Image BOWLING GREEN, Va. (AP) - They were deeply devoted to the Boy Scouts, traveling thousands of miles to the woods of northern Virginia for 10 fun-filled days of fishing, archery and storytelling beside the campfire. One of their first tasks: Set up a large tent. But the task went terribly awry when they lost control of a giant tent pole and it hit...