Winston scouts, leaders attend National Boy Scout Jamboree

On the morning of July 23, ten Winston residents embarked upon an adventure of a lifetime along with 40,000 people from all over the world. The adventure took place at Fort A P Hill, Va. Fort A P Hill is an army base that subsequently turned into the fourth largest city in Virginia in less than 12 hours with the arrival of boy scouts and leaders, all of which was just the beginning of the National Boy Scout Jamboree 2001.

Winston can proudly say that six boys attended as participants and four adult leaders attended as staff members. The boys attending were Keith Ayres, Brad Edwards, Derek King, Kenny Lee, Jody Michael and Daniel Williams. The adult leaders attending were Daniel Ayres, Brenda King, Melvin Lee and Joe Michael. Joe is the Scoutmaster of Troop 167 Winston, and the other nine are all members of the troop. The above ten people helped represent the Boy Scouts of America, but also our small mid-western town.

The boys were part of a contingent of 36 boy scouts from the Pony Express Council. The boys had to fill out an application and be interviewed, if they wanted to participate. There are approximately 2,800 boys in the Pony Express Council. Winston Troop 167 sent one sixth of the Pony Express Council contingent to National Jamboree. Once a boy was selected to go, they had several camp outs and shakedowns to attend in preparation for the Jamboree. The boys flew with their contingent to Washington DC and spent two days touring before arriving at Fort A P Hill. Once the Jamboree was over, they went back to Washington DC for one last day of touring, before flying back home.

The adult leaders who attended spent three days at Fort A P Hill, preparing various activities and booth areas, to help ensure that the Jamboree was – that once in a lifetime experience. Dan and Joe were part of the Buckskin Games staff. They helped teach the boys how to shoot black powder rifles, how to throw tomahawks, how to brand (they used various items: hats, breech cloth, shirts and belts), how to throw knives and how to use a bull whip. Melvin was a staff member at Trap Shooting. He helped instruct and encourage the boys on proper trap shooting techniques. Brenda was a staff nurse. She was stationed at a clinic with five doctors and three other nurses.

There were a variety of activities to participate in, such as completion of merit badges, boy’s life exhibits, a 5K run, various stage shows, numerous outdoor activities, ranging from games to learning about conservation, patch trading and experiencing the history of scouting and its beginning in England as well as in America. Boy Scouts of America was first started in 1910, so in a few short years, members will be celebrating 100 years of the scouting experience. There was an exhibit that started with the founding of American Boy Scouts and proceeded along a time line up to Jamboree 2001. It was amazing to see the changes, but also how so much has stayed the same.

On Aug. 1, 2001, the makeshift city of boy scouts started dwindling as fast as it had grown just ten days previously. The boys and staff members who had the privilege of attending started packing to return home. With them they brought new friendships, unique scouting items, fun scouting experiences and wonderful memories that will never fade. Remember a boy scout is always trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.