2010 National Scout Jamboree Blog

Today started out with a tour of Independance Mall in Philadelphia. Home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two of the most significant symbols of the American Revolution. A revolution that is only 12 generations removed from today.

The tour of Independence Hall was very thorough and the Scouts really for a lot from it. From there we took a walking tour of Philadelphia with our guide Susan. She showed us places iin the city that were very significant to the revolution and our early established federal government.

The day ended with a great visit to the Constitution Center devoted to the US Constitution and Articles of Confederation. This center's message is enlightening and empowering as we see that "We the People". Is still alive and well Throughout the country and throughout the world.

Tomorrow we visit one of the most hallowed places in America: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 

For 2010 National scout Jamboree Troop 809
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster.

Espionage, Mystery and Intrigue. Today started off with breakfast and a visit to the International Spy museum. What an incredible place. Anything and everything you can imagine has been transformed into a camera, listening device, message system or weapon. There are examples of spycraft and equipment from the dawn of our Nation's history through today. This museum was lorth a full day to itself if we had the time.

Next was the US Capitol Bldg. We toured this enduring symbol of American Democracy. What an incredible building, story, History, and institution. The Halls of Congress are beautiful and majestic in scale and powerful in the form of "The great Compromise" government we established with the early continental congresses.

Each state is allowed to have two statues on display in the Capitol. California has Father Junipero Serra, the founder of the California Missions, and Ronald Regan, one of the most beloved Presidents in recent History.

We were also able to view the US Supreme Court Bldg and the Library of congress. Very imposing edifices to be sure.

A visit to the US Naval Museum was appreciated by the kids and adults alike. This was such a great place with displays of every fighting ship in the history of the US and from ancient navies.

Before Dinner we visited the Scouting Memorial on the National Mall Elipse. This was a very popular place for all the jamboree Troops visiting Washington (and there are a lot of them believe me). They have recently completed the pool and fountain below the statue and it was in full operation when we visited.

At the end of the day we got to swim in the hotel pool and have pizza in our rooms. Most of the boys used this time to have a special bonding time with their patrols. It was an incredible day again on the road to the 2010 Jamboree!

From Washington DC
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster Troop 809

Day 5 of touring came in like a lamb and out like a Lion.  As we were touring on the National Mall we got surprised by a freak storm.  It had very high winds, driving rain and lighting and thunder.

A couple of our troops holed up inside the Lincoln Memorial.  Troop 809 was asked to sing Happy Birthday to an 82 year old Korean war vet.  The man absolutely broke down and fell in love with the scouts.  It was a great moment for both the birthday boy and the scouts.

The storm knocked out power to the Hotel so we eventually had to be moved to another one about 30 min down the road.  The fact that out Senior Patrol were put up in a ritzy suite helped ease the fatigue a bit.

We woke up late and hit the US Marine Corps Museum.  It was an amazing experience.  Were all glad we had the opportunity to see it. After the museum we made it to Jambo and set up camp.  This was the most frustrating 24 hours for everyone.  The next 8 days should be a lot more fun for adults and kids. Tomorrow the Jamboree begins in full glory.  WE MADE IT!

From the 2010 National Scout Jamboree,
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster Troop 809

Early is not quite the word for the time we got up this morning.   5:00 am comes too soon after a late night with the boys.  We Marshaled the troops in the subcamp road and mobilized to the welcoming Arena show.  We were greeted by celebrities from the moment we entered the arena. 

We heard a fantastic speech from the secretary of Defense Robert Gates.  Secretary Gates is also a Distinguished Eagle Scout and is the father of an Eagle Scout.  He also served as the President of the National Eagle Scout Assn.

Also speaking was the Chief Scout Bob Mazzuca.  When ever Bob speaks about Scouting he shoots straight and its from the heart.  He related his experiences of traveling in uniform and how the general public reacted to him and the shirt.  It was the same reaction we get when we traveled as a Jamboree troop.  Men and women recount their early days in scouting to us all the time.  Its really a great experience.

We had a speech from Miss America  that started out on the wrong foot and went down hill from there.  She's got the look but she's not spoken in front of 50,000 + men and boys before so she was very very very very very very flustered and spoke about a mile a minute. 

There were stars from the WWE including Sargent Slaughter.  He barked at the Maggots to keep true to their goals.  It was pretty funny. 

We witnessed some freefall skydiving and great music from the BSA honor band and the US Army Herald Trumpets accompanied by the US Army artillery battery in base with their Howitzers.  It was awesome.

the boys did some .ore patch trading.  The Cahuilla Lodge set is currently the second most sought after set at Jambo and the fender guitar JSP set is driving great patch trades all over the encampment.  Even us adults are getting in the act.  Its a crazy way to spend the day...

Tonight the OA held a Pow Wow.  Some of us Arrowmen attended and we had a great time watching the dancers and seeing some pretty spectacular regalia.  Some of our boys for into the dancing as well as one of the biggest kids, Robert Camerota my 2nd ASM. Were utterly exhausted and loving every minute. 

From the 2010 National Scout Jamboree,
Matt Flanagan,Scoutmaster Troop 809

It was a day of extremes today.  Very high heat and humidity interspersed with incredible thunder storms which include what Forrest Gump calls "sideways rain".
The Boys enjoyed programs like the bikathalon where they ride bicycles around a course dotted with air rifle targets.  The best scores of the day are awarded a special patch.

Shooting sports are a big hit with the kids as usual.  They love shotgun shooting and archery.  The Brownsea Island encampment is a great place to go see how it was done "back in the day". 
Today many of us participated in the 5k walk /run at 6:00 am.  What a great walk for us.  The weather was perfect for us today and we hope for no more rain. 

Patch trading is still going strong as well.  Our CIEC patches, Cahuilla Lodge Flap set and even out contingent T-shirt are most prized here at Jambo.  Us adults are getting others coming to our camp to trade from councils all over the country and the encampment. 

Now that my blackberry is drying out Ill be able to post more pics on my Facebook in the days to come.

From Subcamp 8
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster Troop 809
2010 National Scout Jamboree.

A Shining Light Across America, The BSAs ultimate celebration for the 100th Anniversary of Scouting in the US. This was billed as the ultimate party for our favorite youth movement. 

Well it certainly lived up to its billing. We had a great inspirational message from Bob Mazzuca our Chief Scout, a great keynote speaker in Mike Rowe from the Discovery Channel. We had entertainment from some great bands including Switchfoot. Then when it was all winding down we lit our 90,000 candles in solidarity and extinguished them to take a reaffirming oath to our Scouting Principles. We were treated to one of the most incredible fireworks displays I've ever seen, and I have seen some great ones.

Some of our boys stayed afterwards to clean up aftrr the throng of participants and visitors. I'm very proud of their efforts to lend a helping hand. After the ceremony and after we got in the bunks for the night it started to rain and kept raining all night.

Today was Sunday and that meant worship services. Our many Roman Catholics celebrated Mass with the local Bishop and his auxillary Bishops and the Chief Scout Bob Mazzuca. Our LDS scouts and scouters were treated to a message from one of the 12 Appostles. They will also be able to spend some time with a general authority on Monday evening. Some of the boys attended the Budist service near camp.  

Some of us stayed in camp and cleaned up after the storm with a promise of Ice cream from the. Scout Master as a reward. That sure was a good incentive.

The day was overcast and cool. All in all it was a great day. Tomorrow is our next to last day on the Hill...I have mixed feelings about going home. I a. Looking forward to seeing my family again after being gone for 2 weeks but it also means my time with these great young men is coming to a close. We've been a troop for a year and 8 months now and the separation axiety is already setting in.   I have been truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve as their Scout Master. Their parents and home unit leaders should be very proud of them upon their return. I sure am.

From a still soggy subcamp 8 Ft. AP Hill, VA
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster T 809

Today was day 8 of the 2010 National Scout Jamboree; a great day to start the wrap up process of finalizing Merit Badges, getting activity passports stamped, making last minute purchases and of course that final flurry of patch trading, short swapping and uniform exchange that has been the hallmark of Jamborees past, present and future.

The weather last night was rainy and balmy.   Today was ideal again with a but of sun poking through the overcast skies. The boys hve more energy when they're not heat stressed and it certainly showed today. 

Tomorrow we visit the technology Quest area and Mysterium Compass. We'll visit the Conservation Trail and take advantage of presentations and demos that are in that venue. We'll check out disabilities awareness area and the Brownsea Island encampment while were in that neck of the woods. 

Tomorrow we'll also start the tear down process for the troops in subcamp 8. It will be a bittersweet thing. We all smell the barn, we want to go home to our family, friends and creature comforts. But we will miss most of what the Jamboree is: the Brotherhood of scouting as it is lived every day here at Ft. AP Hill. This is the last Jamboree at this site. The next jamboree in 2013 will be held at the new Bechtel Summit in West Virginia. And believe it or not the planning starts for the next Jambo when we return. 

I know CIEC will once again be well represented by the best of the best with respect to our kids and our adults. 

From the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, Subcamp 8
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster Troop 809

The day started out overcast and cool. Breakfast wasn't too bad. We told ourselves that by the time the kids figure out how to cook and clean properly we will be headed home. As it turns out we weren't too far off the mark. Haha.

The troop had tickets to the Technology Quest, a new multi venue event in place of the Arts and Sciences expo. The old staff from Arts n Sciences were there and sine I worked with them last time in 2005 I got to catch up on the good stories and gossip...always lots of good stories and gossip on staff.

In technology quest we were treated to NASA engineers, Astronomers, physicists, etc and Robotics specialists as well. We spent time with the good people from the National Geographic Society and explored our world through Critter cam technology, geography, and World Heritage Sites.

We learned that the average American uses some ungodly amound of water waxh and every euy' a number in the hundreds of gallons, and that a poor family in the developing world used less than 5 gallons a day...for the entire family. Wow what an eye opener.

I visited the geocaching area and was overjoyed to learn that one of our councils pinewood derby car with a travel bug attached was the first to arrive at Jambo. I've also been asked to bring back a few others to get them started on the race again.

There were demos of hydrogen explosions, electrical super conductors , composites and so much more. Oh and at this display was a demo of a new solar power device that works even in cloudy conditions. Solar film...would have nice to have that at our camp to charge our stuff.

All in all it was a great new event even though the Arts and Sciences expo had been taken out of the lineup. 

We also got to experience the Mysterium Compass. this was part of the OA shows and was a show making the kids check their moral compass and decision trees.   It was attached to the Mysterium Vault, one of the best Scouting Collections Ice ever seen.

The day ended with the boys and adults breaking down camp and getting ready for our eventual trip home tomorrow. Every tent was packed up and were hoping for fair skys tonight through tomorrow morning when we actually will load our things on the truck.

The boys of Troop 809 are sleeping under the stars tonight.   The other three troops haven't taken their tents down just yet. Were Man Scouts Now says one of the kids. Haha..I suppose we are at that.

From our last night in subcamp 8
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster Troop 809

The day started out overcast and cool. Breakfast wasn't too bad. We told ourselves that by the time the kids figure out how to cook and clean properly we will be headed home. As it turns out we weren't too far off the mark. Haha.

The troop had tickets to the Technology Quest, a new multi venue event in place of the Arts and Sciences expo. The old staff from Arts n Sciences were there and sine I worked with them last time in 2005 I got to catch up on the good stories and gossip...always lots of good stories and gossip on staff.

In technology quest we were treated to NASA engineers, Astronomers, physicists, etc and Robotics specialists as well. We spent time with the good people from the National Geographic Society and explored our world through Critter cam technology, geography, and World Heritage Sites.

We learned that the average American uses some ungodly amound of water waxh and every euy' a number in the hundreds of gallons, and that a poor family in the developing world used less than 5 gallons a day...for the entire family. Wow what an eye opener.

I visited the geocaching area and was overjoyed to learn that one of our councils pinewood derby car with a travel bug attached was the first to arrive at Jambo. I've also been asked to bring back a few others to get them started on the race again.

There were demos of hydrogen explosions, electrical super conductors , composites and so much more. Oh and at this display was a demo of a new solar power device that works even in cloudy conditions. Solar film...would have nice to have that at our camp to charge our stuff.

All in all it was a great new event even though the Arts and Sciences expo had been taken out of the lineup. 

We also got to experience the Mysterium Compass. this was part of the OA shows and was a show making the kids check their moral compass and decision trees.   It was attached to the Mysterium Vault, one of the best Scouting Collections Ice ever seen.

The day ended with the boys and adults breaking down camp and getting ready for our eventual trip home tomorrow. Every tent was packed up and were hoping for fair skys tonight through tomorrow morning when we actually will load our things on the truck.

The boys of Troop 809 are sleeping under the stars tonight.   The other three troops haven't taken their tents down just yet. Were Man Scouts Now says one of the kids. Haha..I suppose we are at that.

From our last night in subcamp 8
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster Troop 809

Its 3am. We hear an announcement about a encroaching storm. An MP wakes up a leader in a troop next to us and tells him we have 20 min to find shelter.   Two of our contingent troops are sleeping under the stars so its 80 people into the open space in the staff dining hall and commissary. We get the boys up and moving. There is already a troop sleeping in the space so the boys are very quiet and courteous.

We get to sleep for a little more than 2 hours when its time to get up and attempt to load the truck with our personal equipment and the troops equipment which is all soggy from being left out in the rain.

The four troops worked to get the truck loaded so we could leave on our way home. Troop 809 was ordered off the Jambo grounds by the subcamp chief so we loaded the bus and headed out to Washington DC and the Smithsonian. We let the boys loose with the hopes they'd find their ways back to where we left them. Us adults spent our time at the newest building, the American Indian Museum. What a great place to spend a day. 

We did all arrive at the bus and headed for Baltimore Airport. We got into the plane and pulled away from the gate when Air Traffic Control halted departures due to weather issues in the area. So here we wait. Sitting on a 737 with 160 scouts n scouters that have been camping for 10 days.   Needless to way our accustomed level of olfactory comfort is being challenged from many angles.

Were looking forward to getting home...eventually.

From the tarmac at Baltimore Washington International...
Matt Flanagan, Scoutmaster Troop 809