JUST OVER 30 AREA SCOUTS ATTEND NATIONAL JAMBOREE

FORT A.P. HILL, Va. - Thirty-one Boy Scouts from Southeast Missouri are among 30,000 Scouts from around the country attending the 1993 National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill.

The Scouts left July 28 and arrived at the jamboree Tuesday. The week-long event began officially Wednesday. Jamborees are held every four years in the United States to provide a chance for Scouting fellowship and for boys to learn about other parts of the country.

One of the questions asked most often by Scouts from other areas of the country is: "What's the flood like?" Those of us from our area have not really thought about it, but the flood is affecting the entire country.

The jamboree also shows Scouts the importance of the democratic process by allowing them to vote on where they want to tour. Before arriving at the jamboree, the Scouts from Southeast Missouri toured Washington, D.C. They were allowed to tour in groups of four or more.

Each scout was given an opportunity to have a picture taken with our representative, Bill Emerson. Then, they toured the Capitol Building and saw where our laws are made.

"It was cool being able to see the old Senate wing and the old House of Representatives wing," said Kyle Hoppmann of Troop 5 in Cape Girardeau.

The Scouts also toured the famous mall, which has all of the famous monuments and museums in Washington - the Capitol on one end, the Lincoln Memorial on the other, and the Washington Monument in the middle. The Smithsonian Museums are along the sides of the mall.

Marcus Duschell, also from Cape Girardeau, after visiting the National Archives where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are stored, as well as other artifacts from our nation's history, commented: "It was exciting to learn about our country's past."

Many Scouts in our troop toured the Vietnam Memorial. On the wall, they were able to find the names of family or friends who were killed in the war. The Scouts also visited Arlington National Cemetery and saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame over John F. Kennedy's grave.

The Scouts were lucky and were able to see the changing of the guard and the wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier. They were amazed at the precision and concentration that the guards have watching over the tomb.

For many of the Scouts, Washington was the first large city they were allowed to tour by themselves.

Scouts will return to Sikeston on Aug. 12.

This is the fourth time the jamboree has been held at the Virginia site. During the time the jamboree Scouts are assembled, Fort A.P. Hill is the fifth largest city in Virginia.

Jim Hendrickson of Cape Girardeau is serving as scoutmaster of the Southeast Missouri jamboree troop. His assistants are Bill Wickham, Virgil Jones, and Rhett Hendrickson, all from Cape Girardeau.

Scouts attending from Cape Girardeau are: Matthew Lovewell, Aaron Moore, Chris Patterson, Kensey W. Russell, Nicholas Ryan, Stanley Clark, Hunter Cook, Marcus Duschell, Ryan Hendrickson, Timothy Hite, Kyle Hoppmann, Marcus Jones, and William York.

Attending from Jackson are: Ryan Kasten, Frank Miller, Ryan Shelton, Michael Smith, and Reid Cranmer. Scouts from Scott City are Michael Gardner and Robert Gardner, Jr.