Boy Scouts Try to Make the Best of a Jamboree Gone Awry

They had traveled far after waiting four years to come here. And on Thursday, they seemed determined not to let anything ruin what they had heard was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the 31,788 Boy Scouts at the National Scout Jamboree, the week had already been marred by tragedy and hazardous weather. On Monday, the first day of the event, four Boy Scout leaders were electrocuted and three other adults were injured as they set up a large canopy near power lines.

On Wednesday, President Bush was supposed to give a speech at the camp, but he canceled late in the day because of impending thunderstorms and strong winds.

Before the announcement, thousands had waited patiently in the heat and humidity to catch a glimpse of the president’s arrival or to snag a good seat for his remarks. About 300 Boy Scouts, adult volunteers and staff were treated for heat exhaustion and dehydration.

But by Thursday, many of the Boy Scouts were in good spirits. They had found ways to deal with the heat and humidity that had plagued them for the first three days -- sitting in the shade trading patches, or trying scuba diving and snorkeling. They also said they were having fun making friends, a main reason for attending.

For Brett Alden, a 17-year-old from Denver, the highlight has been meeting people from around the country and the world. “I like learning about different cultures,” he said.

That, a Boy Scout spokeswoman said, taps into the core of what Scouting is all about.

“The jamboree is based on Robert Baden-Powell’s belief that boys from different regions should come together,” spokeswoman Renee Fairrer said, referring to the founder of the Scouting movement.

“That’s how they grow. If they can do that, the rest of us can do that in the world.”

The jamboree, begun in 1937, is held every four years. Ft. A.P. Hill, an Army base about 80 miles south of Washington, has been the site for the event since 1981. This year’s Jamboree ends Wednesday.

Alden’s troop had asked that an overseas group join them, Scoutmaster Bill Van Horne said. Now, four Scouts from South Africa are camping with them.

The South Africans are missing two weeks of school to attend the jamboree, said Peter Niddie, who led the four boys from Cape Town to join Van Horne’s troop. “But this is the university of life,” he added.

Two of the international visitors, Mujahid Carlie and Meeka’eel Abrahams, both 16, said their favorite activity was shooting rifles.

“What do I hate the most?” Abrahams asked. “The heat.”

The American Boy Scouts echoed his complaint. “I was sweating in places I didn’t know I could,” said Rob Meyers, 16, of Denver.

Dr. Steve Lomber, the jamboree’s health and safety chairman, said how Scouts dealt with the heat depended on where they lived. “Scouts from the South are used to this kind of weather,” Lomber said. “But others, like Scouts from Maine, are not. The guys from Texas thought the weather was normal.”

The heat and humidity became a serious issue on Wednesday, when hundreds fell ill after sitting in the sun waiting for Bush.

“We were sitting in the back of the arena and we saw people getting sick,” said John Snediker, a Los Angeles Scoutmaster.

Of the 300 who became ill, about 60 were sent to a hospital, Lomber said. Most were given water and taken to an air-conditioned facility to recuperate. Fairrer said two stayed overnight, and both were released Thursday morning.

Two California Scouts -- David Kogen of the San Fernando Valley and Nick Briseno of Saugus, both 16 -- had been selected from their troop to sit in the front row for Bush’s speech.

“We were supposed to meet him,” Kogen said. “It’s disappointing that he didn’t come.”

Other Scouts reacted with humor.

“I’m a Democrat now,” Adam O’Brien, 15, of Salt Lake City said with a laugh.

But his friend Tom Robertson said he wasn’t surprised that the president didn’t show: “He didn’t come last time, and I had a feeling in my bones he wouldn’t come this time.”

Four years ago, Bush canceled and spoke via videophone the following day. Bush had planned to visit the camp Thursday, but jamboree organizers asked that he come instead on Sunday -- the same day a memorial service is planned for the Scout leaders who died Monday.