Arkansas Boy Scouts Invade D.C.

Editor’s note: Andrew Futter is a Boy Scout with Troop 316 in Fort Smith. He will report on the 100 years of Scouting from the Scouting National Jamboree.

story by Andrew Futter

On July 22nd, tens of thousands of Boy Scouts headed into Washington D.C. This was a trip we took before the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.

There were tour busses as far as the eye could see. Each and every Scout was anticipating the arrival to the Capitol. Almost every time you turned your head, there would be a group of Scouts walking by. The Scouts flooded across the sidewalks to the monuments. Any time you went to a monument, there would usually be a Scout there whether it would be the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building.

Every once in a while you would hear, “Come on troop hurry up!” or “Do you have any patches to trade?” Any time you went to a monument, you would see several boys in a khaki shirt or a shirt from their troop.

The thing you would notice the most was how much water every Scout was drinking since it was about 90 to 100 degrees each day.

The Scouts were at Washington, D.C. for one reason and that reason is to have fun and to have an once-in-a-lifetime event. Some of the monuments the Scouts visited included the Capitol, the Washington Monument, Mount Vernon, and the National Cathedral.

Can you imagine that many scouts in one area? There were probably thousands of pictures taken that will be shown when the Scouts get back home.

Sure the Scouts are probably missing their parents but their parents are just as proud that their son is at a once-in-a-lifetime event. In addition, the boys know that they are having a fun time and that this will be the safest, most exciting, and awesome time of their lives. Not to mention all of the activities there are to do.