Posted on 07/25/2005 6:18:31 PM PDT by SandRat
BOWLING GREEN, Va. -- Four adult Boy Scout leaders were killed Monday afternoon in an electrical accident during the opening day of the organization's 2005 Jamboree.
Jamboree spokesman Gregg Shields said the accident occurred between 4:30 and 5 p.m. while the leaders were setting up camp.
One other leader and a contract worker were injured, and were hospitalized in stable condition, Shields said. No youth Scouts were seriously hurt, he said. He did not say how many might have sustained minor injuries.
Shields did not have additional details about the accident, including the victims' names.
"We have an investigation under way," he said.
More than 40,000 Boy Scouts, leaders and volunteers from around the world are attending the 2005 National Scout Jamboree. The event Monday at the Army's Fort AP Hill, a 76,000-acre Army training base about an hour south of the nation's capital.
The Jamboree runs through Aug. 3 with President Bush scheduled to speak Wednesday evening. Scouts ages 12-18 are to spend 10 days camping in tents and doing activities that include archery, fishing and a GPS-based scavenger hunt.
The Boy Scouts of America have held the event since 1937 with the next gathering set for 2010, the Scouts' 100th anniversary.
___
On the Net:
http://www.scouting.org/jamboree
http://www.aphill.army.mil
Or being the Pop-Corn Kernal, the emegency point of contact for outings, publicity, historian, transportation coordinator,.........................
Back in may we had a long time Adult Leader on the District Committee pass away. At the funeral service we had over 60 Scouts in uniform (adults and youth) then when the casket was being brought out of the church we had 10 uniformed Scouts on each side of the sidewalk that gave and held the Scout salute until the door on the hearse was closed. We also had over 45 Scouts graveside.
Carolyn
weaponeer's #78 is exactly right.
Tragedy is part of life, and each of us have to learn to deal with that. There is no better environment that I know of for children to learn the proper attitude.
During my 8 years as counselor at Scout camps, plus 5 other years as a Scout myself, there were many injuries and several deaths - ranging from lightning death of a Scouter, many Scouts witnessing a (non-Scout) helicopter crash into the lake, broken bones and sprains, and burn injuries from fire-fighting. Never did we send anyone home or terminate the activities. We DID have memorial services, and we honored the life and MEANINGFUL DEATH of the Scouters, and used injuries as lessons, and prayer opportunities.
I appreciate your "respect for life" attitude, but must ask you reconsider this situation yourself. It is my opinion that by taking a "cut and run" attitude, that dishonors the attitudes that these Scout leaders were working to instill.
In this case, if anything strongly out of the ordinary is to be done, I believe it would be far better for each Scout to all chip a buck into the hat, and fly the families of those Scouters into the Jamboree for a memorial service to honor their lives.
You're going to continue to be "Just a lonely voice crying out in the wilderness..... LOL!"
Amen.
and, thanks.
Duke's expansion and explanation of the Scout Law ought to be required reading for all youth, not only Scouts. I have seen it several times over the years, and thank you for reposting it.
My 8yo daughter will be seeing it tonight.
Thanks.
I believe it would have a negative impact on the scouts if they went home early . . . more than if they stayed.
---->
EXACTLY! Imagine the outcome of those alternatives five or twenty years from now. I've been there. Far better for all concerned to carry on.
Prayers in the Name of our Lord Jesus for the families of those killed, and for all those in attendance at the Jamboree. May they be comforted and find strength during this time.
Thank you for linking this very informative article Kathy. Our troop has several attending the Jamboree. My heart is heavy this morning.
Prayers up for these men and their families.
"... and a good old Eagle, too" C-19-96
"I used to be a Staffer ...." C-31-02
I was a Troop Guide at the latter Course; it was our Council's first "Wood Badge of the 21st Century" course. A bit of a change, certainly, and there was some grumbling from the old guard. I never minded the old instructional methods of occasionally putting you in a trick bag and letting you figure your way out; that's real life, isn't it? But not everyone responded well to that, and the additional emphasis on management (and consequent de-emphasis on outdoor skills) is probably necessary and useful. But what that means is that we as leaders need to identify those Scouters who lack outdoor skills and get them trained up to speed on them.
"As we communicated yesterday, four BSA leaders were killed in an electrical accident at Fort A.P. Hill between 4:30 and 5 p.m. yesterday, while setting up camp. The four individuals are Michael J. Shibe, 49, Mike Lacroix, 42, and Ronald H. Bitzer, 58, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Scott Edward Powell, 57, of Perrysville, Ohio. Three other men were also injured in the accident. One is a Boy Scout leader and two are contract workers. They are in stable condition. The injured leader is Jay Lawrence Call, 43, of Anchorage, Alaska.
One Scout suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. Our hearts go out to the families of these devoted Scout leaders who gave so much to their sons, their troops, and their communities.
At this point, although it does not show in the transcript, Mr. Shields had to stop to gather his composure.
A thorough investigation into this accident is underway. We will share any additional information as we can.
Today, at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree, the Army has instituted a day of safety stand-down in preparation for up to 25,000 visitors on Wednesday for the opening show. Entry of guests will be restricted on Tuesday, participants will be reminded to drink plenty of water, and we will be reviewing safety precautions. As planned, the public is invited to visit the jamboree from Wednesday, July 27, through Tuesday, August 2."
Tragic. Was it a lightning strike or some other kind of electrical accident?
It appears that the gentlemen involved were setting up a tent that used aluminum poles to hold it up. Apparently they were setting it up underneath some electrical wires, and contacted a wire with one of the poles. What we may have here is a fatal error of judgement.
Whatever happened to hosting the jamborees at Gettysburg?
Perhaps a memorial service will be held during the Jamboree. I think that could be comforting to all of the Boy Scouts and their leaders.
An easy variant is to have the candidate sit on the ground and put a big tarp over them so all edges touch the ground. Then tell the candidate that they have something on that they don't need and to remove it and hand it to the instructor. You'd be surprised at how long it sometimes takes before they realize that the unneeded item is the tarp.
My guess is the Environmentalists crying that it was destroying/damaging a National Treasure or whatever.
Prayers on the way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.