2005 National Jamboree

The 2005 National Jamboree is now in the record book. Memories that will last a lifetime. Some good, some not so good. I have seen a great deal written about the Jamboree so far, both in regular newspapers as well as in our troop's E-mails. All from different perspectives. I decided to add my own view to those comments, in an attempt to vent some of my own frustrations with a national system that I am powerless to control and also to give a written account of our trip from my own perspective.

It was the best of times and the worst of times. Somebody important said that once. Of the eight Jamborees I have attended, this has been the most problematic. The incredible highs and the incredible lows. The tragedy and the triumph.

WE set off for the Jamboree with clean uniforms and high expectations for a lifetime experience. We set off as friends and, in most cases, we returned as friends as well. But in all truthfulness, a Jamboree experience can be extremely hard on friendships. When tragedy, death, heat, frustration, and sore feet are all added together, they cause us to have unrealistic expectations of each other. And it causes each of us to have personal difficulty in living up to the expectations that others have of us as well.

Philomont works that way also. The power of the experience brings out the best in some and the worst in others. Years from now, we will look at the photos we have taken and the patches we have collected and we will not remember the various ways our own personalities were tested.

Our tour of New York City was wonderful. We stayed at a Boy Scout Camp outside the city. Bo Kaczmarek and his father treated us to a wonderful breakfast on one of the days we were there and our tour was exceptional. Who can see the Statue of Liberty without feeling that sense of longing for freedom and opportunity that countless millions of people have felt as they came to a new country in search of a new life for themselves and their children. It was wonderful to see her standing in all her majesty. On the other side of that emotional coin was ground zero. Where two amazing towers once stood, a hole now exits. An undescribable feeling of loss so quickly after the uplifting feelings of seeing the Statue of Liberty made for an interesting morning.

We had planned a special challenge ceremony, The Twin Towers Pledge, for our scouts inbetween the Statue of Liberty and ground zero. In honor of the over two thousand people that lost their lives on 9-11, the scouts of Troop 26 pledged to earn their Eagle Scout Award. Bill Kelshaw had prepared a special banner with every scouts name embroidered on it. Next to each name was a pin. The pin had the two towers, the Pentagon, and an Eagle on it. Each scout removed the pin next to his name and pinned it on their shirt. The pin will return to the banner the night they earn the Eagle Scout Award and will remain as part of our Court of Honor museum for years to come as a symbol of dedication and achievement. All Eagle Scouts, twenty four of them, accepted a sealed envelope with the names of scouts who are not yet Eagles. They pledged to assist them in their quest for the Eagle Scout Award. When all the names on their special pledge cards have completed their quest, the Eagle Scouts pins will return to the banner.

A special part of the pledge ceremony was the reading of a letter written to Troop 26 from Governor Pataki of New York, welcoming us to the city and congratulating us on our ceremony. He talked about the tradgedy of terrorist bombings shared by our two great states. The full text of the letter will be available later. The pledge ceremony was remarkable and the kids took it so seriously. I was very proud of them.

Each scout received a special coin (arranged through Donalyn Zvacek) to commerate the event.

Next came a visit to the same aircraft carrier that was used in the movie "National Treasure". Some of the scouts insisted on being photographed in the exact spot where Nicholas Cage jumped over the side in the movie.

When we arrived late at the Jamboree it was hot. The three scoutmasters got the contingents cehcked in. Putting up tents and gateways after unloading the buses was a real test.

In fact, we were tested early. Four deaths had already occurred when we arrived. Four leaders from the Alaska contingent. Four men with smiles and hearts and an incredible passion for the youth they served. They went down in their prime, serving an event they loved.

As my Senior Patrol Leader, Eagle Scout Andy Points, and I sat at that first meeting, little did we know that before the day was much older, we would be tested again. I was summoned to the medical tent as that first meeting had barely started, and told about the accident that took Gary Fennema from our ranks. He was badly burned from a pot of boiling water that fell on his feet and ankles. The ambulance was coming to take him to the military base medical facilities. I was so proud of Gary. He was hurting but he was trying so hard to be brave in the face of what had to be severe pain. I left that tent and got in the ambulance convinced that he was much more of a man than I.

When I returned to my troop the following morning at 4:30 AM after an all night walk from the medical hospital at Wilcox back to subcamp 17, assisted in the last leg of the journey by three great soldiers in a military vehicle who insisted that I ride the rest of the way, I was already reeling in shock at what had happened on the first day.

We were blessed with some incredible guests from the Philippines. Getting to know them was a highlight that we will always remember.

Our next major test, if you don't count cooking, was the "death march". We started mobilizing at 2:30 in the afternoon to go to the arena show where, along with nearly 75,000 people, we were to see the President of the United States. White House metal detectors, helicopters, Secret Service agents scanning the horizon with binoculars, guards and dogs and guns, and the everpresent military. Bags had to be searched, water bottles had to be empty and upside down with the lids off so that the Secret Service could see that there were no biohazardous chemicals in the canteens. Then they changed the rule. Then they changed it again. The only constant was the inconsistency. We had no idea what rule they would come up with next.

Once we arrived at the arena site and everyone was seated, they cancelled it and said that the President wasn't coming. Very difficult march. Very hot afternoon. Very anal security precautions. All added up to great disappointment.

We got back to our campsite just in time for the wind and the storm to roll through our campsite, knocking down our gateway and lifting our tents off the ground. It was hot, then it was not. It was dry, then it was wet. It was still, then it was gale force winds. Then it was over. Sleep was a welcome guest in our campsite that night. Everyone was exhausted.

When all was said and done, over 2,800 scouts and leaders received medical attention after the Death March. I heard that the hospital ran out of water. Ambulances were working overtime and helicopters were airlifting people out of the arena site.

Laying in my cot that night, I was amazed at how well the Troop 26 contingents handled the pressure of the day. I will always remember Charlie Spears leading cheers and songs and ridiculous rap routines from the time we left our subcamp to the time we arrived at the arena show site. Nothing seemed to be able to dampen his spirits. Andy Points and Michael Craddock and Foster Carlock and David Osborn and David Goldsmith and Zach Vetal were doing everything they could to keep spirits up. Our three troops were seperated during the march (they insisted that we call it a "walk" or a "stroll") and I know the other Troop 26 contingents had similar stories.

They rescheduled the opening arena show for the following day. All that pressure, all that heat, all those rules......again. Then they cancelled that one too. Again, the President wasn't coming.

The jamboree itself was amazing. so many things to do and see. Patch trading everywhere. Our kids really got into that. They traveled all across the jamboree site to get patches that they had seen or heard about. One of the best and most sought after was a Star Wars "Yoda" patch for Eagle Scouts. A group traveled to the other side of the jamboree site, subcamp 6 to be exact (we were in 17) and were told that the patches were all gone. We could purchase one for a $100 "donation". (how unrealistic was that???) But I was so proud of the kids. They gathered and talked about pooling their money to buy one for Gary Fennema. When scouts will pool their own spending money to buy something for somebody else that they would like to have themselves .... well, that is what friendship and compassion is all about.

The final arena show was good, exceptionally good, amazing, unforgettable, bad, exceptionally bad, and horrible. All rolled into one. The President was amazing. His talk was so appropriate and inspiring. His message, "there is right and there is wrong and we have the skills to know the difference". He urged kids to listen to their mothers. It was great. Also amazing was the group of "living" explorers all on stage together. The guy who went around the world in a hot air baloon and one of the two people to go to the lowest point in the ocean's floor, just to name two of the twenty. Amazing men. And the last minute and a half of fireworks at the end of the arena show was amazing as well. Everything else was pretty mediocre and had obviously been planned by older gentlemen who hadn't a clue what kids would like to see. But all in all, it was OK.

We were seated in the center with an asile right behind us. Former Troop 26 member and Eagle Scout Whit Fields, now a Federal Marshall, was working security on that asile and we got to introduce many of our scouts to the man that our Troop 26 Advancement Medal is named after. Whit was our youngest Eagle Scout back in the 70's. We made it back to our camp without incident and without losing anyone in the dark.

We got to see a President of the United States in person. How unforgettable is that? Amazing.

Before we leave the jamboree narrative and move on with our post jambo touring, I want to congratulate several people. As you know, our Troop 26 boys had to be divided up into three jamboree contingents to meet jambo size standards. They were troops 1743, 1744, and 1745. I took 1743 and chose Dennis Zvacek for 1744 and JJ Jorishie for 1745, to serve as Jamboree Scoutmasters. I want to thank the men and boys of troops 1744 and 1745 for using some of their spending money to buy gifts for Dennis and JJ. Being a Jamboree Scoutmaster is an honor for any leader and an experience a leader will never forget. I talked to both Dennis and JJ towards the close of the trip and they were both so honored and humbled by the expressions of gratitude from the boys from their two troops. That is the first time that I have seen Dennis moved to tears as he told me about the gifts and about his special group of kids in Troop 1744. Memories of a lifetime. I was so proud of them for taking the time in a hectic and sometimes overwhelming trip, to simply say "thanks" to Dennis and JJ. These men put their hearts into planning this trip. They loved the boys in their respective troops as if they were their own. It was great to see that the boys felt the same way towards them. Thanks Dennis. Thanks JJ. And thanks to 1744 and 1745. You made it all worthwhile for these two amazing gentlemen.

As we left the jamboree and headed for Washington DC, the trip reached new levels of excitement. We toured Congress with all its new security precautions, toured the White House and felt especially honored to do so since White House tours have been greatly reduced after 9-11. Thanks to Ed Hobbs for getting that set up for us. My special favorite was the visit to the new Native American Museum. A wonderful collection of artifacts and art from all across the width and bredth of Native America.

I also want to take a minute to talk about the new World War II Memorial. It was stately and elegant in its simplicity. Beautiful white marble with pillars dedicated to each state that had lost its native sons on foriegn shores. My mom would have loved it. She was so bitter towards the end of her life that memorials to both the Viet Nam conflict and the Korean War had been completed before the men and women who died in WWII were honored. She felt that the sacrifice made by my dad and the thousands and thousands of men and women who fought in "the great war" had been unappreciated. She would have loved the new memorial. It was definately worth the wait. It sits between the Washington Monument and the tidal basin and with the Lincoln Memorial across the water. We took some amazing photos that I know you will all enjoy.

The Lincoln Memorial was majestic, as always, and the Viet Nam and Korean Memorials were very impressive as well. The kids bought pins and took photos and got the true feeling of our nation's rich heritage.

We met another famous Troop 26 graduate at Arlington Cemetery. Former member and Eagle Scout Thad Bibb, now a Major in the Air Force and working at the Pentagon, came to Arlington and spoke with the group as a whole and with lots of individaul scouts as well. Our Troop 26 Citizenship Medal is named for Thad. Many scouts who were interested in a service academy (Thad attend the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs) talkd to Thad about how to go about getting an appointment. Thad was one of Randy McGuire's best friends when they attended the troop together as boys. It had to be special for Randy, seeing his old friend.

Thad said that someday he will retire and return to Tulsa. He said that he would like to be an Assistant SM with Troop 26 and see his son go through the program. Will I last that long? Who knows. Life is so unpredictable. It would be nice to see that happen.

While at Arlington Cemetery, four of our scouts were able to place a wreath on the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. That ceremony, along with the changing of the guard, continues to be a highlight for me. So serious and impressive. It is an honor for a soldier to be selected for this duty at the tomb and it was an honor to seem them provide this service for our nation's honored dead. To be able to participate in it was a special treat. Lots of photos of this as well.

Baltimore. Home of the hated Ravens. (Gooooo Dallas!!!) Lunch at the ESPN Zone and a visit to the Baltimore Hard Rock Cafe. A tour of the ship "The Constellation", sister ship to "The Constitution", was great. We all had a new understanding of and respect for the men who served on ships like that.

Annapolis. Home of the Naval Academy. We got a tour and our group (we had to divide into four groups) was led was led by a graduate that had attended the Academy with Roger Staubach. He stopped and showed us the two Heisman Trophies won by Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach on display there. We got to see the grave of John Paul Jones as well. Very impressive. Some of the scouts mentally put the Naval Academy on their list of universities to consider as they get older.

Last day. Breakfast with a church that he have eaten with on many previous jamborees. These people were the poster children for hospitality. So kind. I was very proud of our scouts who were gracious in their expressions of thanks. Food and fellowship were great and the troop presented the church with a special gift that will hang on their wall for many years.

Then, on to one of America's most special places. Thomas Jefferson's home. Montecello. One of America's most important statesmen and founding father. To walk in the halls and rooms where he contemplated the birth of a nation and sat at the desk thinking about the phrases he would use in the Declaration of Independence was truely inspiring. It was a beautiful home. We hit the gift shop and then headed for the buses with thoughts of Tulsa in our heads.

The trip was almost over. In just a day, "my family" would be going home to their own families. And I would be alone with thoughts of 2010. Another set of kids. Another jamboree. Another incredible trip.

I want to close, and I'm sorry this has already been too long, with thanks for some special people. To all our men who couldn't be on the contingent staff but elected to go on the regional commissary staff so they could be close to our kids...thanks for all you did to make our troop better. jeff Weaver, Ed Hobbs, Dennis Kielbarth, and Weldon Levacy. A special thanks to Steve Fennema whose trip was cut short. We missed you and Gary more than you will ever know.

Thanks to Ken Wolgemuth, serving on the merit badge midway in the Geology Booth. To Richard Spears and Robert Yerton who served as subcamp chaplains. To Ed Yob on the regional medical staff.

To the men who served the three troops in the capacity of assistant scoutmasters. Steve Metcalf, Tony Wright, Randy McGuire, Frank Parks, Bill Kelshaw, Jim Hunter, Jim Osborn, Jeff Hartung, Rick Hayes.

Thanks to Dennis Zvacek and JJ Jorishie for their job of accepting responsibility for a portion of my kids. They did an amazing job.

Thanks to Eagle Scout Ryan Smith who served as the contingent SPL, Eagle Scouts David Osborn and Daniel Rusco, and Star Scout Trent Wood for serving as Busmasters, and Eagle Scouts Jake Jorishie (1745), Matt Carney (1744) and Andy Points (1743) and their Jr. Staffs for the great job they did with their respective troops.

To all the people behind the scenes who helped get us there, Donalyn Zvacek, Carol James who prepared the Twin Towers Pledge certificates, John Points who kept families updated with blast E-mails on our progress, the doctors, Tony Wright and the equipment guys, Mrs. Kelshaw, Mrs. Hehmann, and all the other ladies who asisted with uniforms and patches and jackets and hats and duffle bags, etc.

To all the men who assisted in the planning and the itenary selection and the building of tables and the puurchase of tents and the painting of gateways and the handling of medications and medical records. I'm forgetting so much but you all know what I'm talking about.

And finally, thanks to Assistant Scoutmaster Randy McGuire. He served again as the consumate trip planner, coordinating efforts from lots of assistants to nail down meals and lodging and tickets and buses and spending money and traveler's checks and all manner of incidental details, all of which made the trip better and any of which, if overlooked or done incorrectly, could have sank the ship. His efforts cannot be measured with a simple "thankyou." I will be doing something special for him and for Donalyn Zvacek to let them know how much I appreciate their tireless comittment to my scouts. They have both become icons of service. Anyone wishing to assist me in coming up with a special recognition for these two outstanding servants of scouting, please let me know.

I end this tour down memory lane by telling you what an honor it is to be associated with these outstanding men and these wonderful scouts. It is an honor to know them and to work with them.

As I returned home to family tragedy and was reminded that we are not guaranteed a tomorrow, I am going to take the time to personally thank the people who have enriched my life. The 2005 National Jamboree will always be one of the highpoints for me. I thank God for the blessings of today, the wonderful memories of the past, and the promise of tomorrow.

I want to close by saying what I have told our boys a million times before. The things that are hard are the things most worth doing. Those things that test us are the very things that teach us. Adversity is the door through which we reach experience and understanding.

This jamboree wasn't easy. But through the difficulties it presented, it made us closer friends. Through the loss of Gary, we learned the true value of friendships and how dear those friendships are. The jamboree made us more compassionate humans as we grieved for other scouts who lost their leaders. The jamboree made us more appreciative of our friends and families and the support they provide back home. We were all more thankful for what we were returning to in Tulsa. All in all, the 2005 National Jamboree made us stronger and better people. It made us more able to face the uncertainties that life will present later in our lives.

I close this chapter in my life with thankfulness to those who helped make it happen, and with a vision for the future when, God willing, I'll do it again. The book closes on what was, and the joy and anticipation for what will happen next begins.

"Do it again, in 2010".

I continue to be honored to be your friend and Scoutmaster.
Bill Shaffer