2010 National Jamboree Opening Arena Show!

The jamboree officially began on Monday, but Wednesday's opening arena show made it feel like the party was just getting started.

This morning's show at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree boasted an impressive guest list, great entertainment, and a spirit of patriotism. It all took place on a 395-foot-wide stage outfitted with three huge screens, dozens of lights, and powerful sound.

After a welcome by Anthony Thomas, the 2 millionth Eagle Scout, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates took the stage. Gates, a Distinguished Eagle Scout and past president of the National Eagle Scout Association, told about serving as a troop leader and director of the CIA at the same time.

That had its challenges, said Gates, pictured above addressing the crowd.

"I think the edge gets taken off the wilderness experience when 100 yards away there are three large black vans, a satellite dish, and armed security guards," he said, drawing a laugh from the massive crowd. "It's a challenge no scoutmaster ever anticipated."

Gates said he's thankful for the Boy Scouts of America for guiding him through his career's early stages.

"When I joined the CIA at age 22, I had no connections and didn't know a soul," he said. "The only thing in my life that led me to believe I could make it was my Eagle Scout badge. It was the only thing that distinguished me from most high school kids."

Gates was hardly the only noteworthy name in attendance at the arena show. Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca addressed the crowd, telling a story about how traveling in his BSA uniform led him to meet so many interesting current and former Scouts and Scouters.

Before Mazzuca's speech, the show opened with a tandem of reality TV stars: Alex Boylan, winner of the second season of "The Amazing Race," and Burton Roberts, who was a popular contestant on the Pearl Islands season of "Survivor." Boylan and Roberts kept the Scouts entertained while the arena quickly filled with people.

Later, the crowd got pumped up by members of the WWE, sponsored by the National Guard. Included among the WWE personalities was Sgt. Slaughter, who offered this advice to the boys: "As you go through life, never, ever let your enemy eat your breakfast."

The Scouts and Scouters also offered a warm welcome to Bob McDonnell, the governor of Virginia, and Caressa Cameron, the current Miss America. Cameron offered some high praise to the BSA, speaking on behalf of her fellow Miss America contestants.

"You guys are the type of men in this world that we are looking for," she said. "There might be a future husband of a Miss America in this crowd."

Check out the article at the Scouting Magazine Blog.

Looks like it was an awesome opening arena show!!! There's my boy there in the middle, standing in front of the Stryker. Talked to him the other day and he's having the time of his life!!!

Check out these Jamboree links:

• Jamboree Troop 1528 Blog
• Boy Scouts of America's photostream
• Official Jamboree Website
• Scouting Magazine Blog
• Boy Scouts of America Facebook
• "A Shining Light Across America" live arena show broadcast - 7/31/10 @ 8pm ET

BSA Grand Centennial Parade

Cyclists, tourists and the occasional jogger stood out in the sea of Boy Scout troops wearing tan shirts, green shorts and thick green-and-red socks -- some rolled hastily down to their ankles. Spectators lined the sizzling sidewalks along Constitution Avenue in clusters wherever they could find shade.

The troops and accompanying bands were all smiles and appeared to be unaffected by the heat as they marched to celebrate the group's 100th anniversary.

The Grand Centennial parade marked the first time since 1937 that Boy Scout troops had marched through the District. The last time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited them to convene on the Mall for their first jamboree after a polio outbreak led to its cancellation in 1935.

On Sunday, troops young and old marched in the parade, and some stood cheering. Among them was Ted Parker, 71, of Oakton. He joined Troop 1956 as a child in Portsmouth, N.H., and said he made lasting friendships while learning values that served him throughout his life.

Parker said most of the troops marching Sunday were probably too young to understand the importance of the program's moral teachings -- such as being honest, respectful and open with others. Time, Parker said, would unveil the importance of these values to the young men.

"They grow up and they're confronted with various issues throughout life, and I think they see the meaning," he said. "As I come here and watch, it's sort of generational in many ways."

Bob Hoffman, 46, of Ijamsville, Md., stood on Constitution Avenue next to his 11-year-old son, Hunter -- a third-generation Boy Scout -- wearing a matching uniform. Bob looks forward to guiding Hunter toward appreciating the values his father passed on to him when he was Hunter's age.

"It teaches young men and women how to think for themselves, how to work as teams," Hoffman said. "It really gives them a good tool set for handling things in the future."

Hunter, a member of Troop 268 in New Market, has been scouting since kindergarten and moved up from Cub Scout to Boy Scout in March.

"In Boy Scouts, you're more independent than in the Cub Scouts," Hunter said. "With Cub Scouts, your parents help you earn badges and stuff. But in Boy Scouts, you earn them on your own."

Boy Scouts can earn as many as 124 merit badges for mastering certain skills.

To Bob Mazzuca, chief scout executive for the Boy Scouts of America, there was no place better than the District for troops to celebrate 100 years of service, even if they had to do so in blazing heat, oppressive humidity and then a thunderstorm.

"This is where it's at," he said. "We're part of the fabric of American society and have been for 100 years. So there's no more appropriate place to proclaim that than the capital."

A 30-foot-long U.S. flag was one of the first displays crowds saw marching down the parade route from Seventh Street to 17th Street NW on Constitution Avenue. The giant flag was followed shortly by 50 marching scouts who each waved smaller flags in one hand while waving to the crowd with the other.

The Grand Centennial parade kicked off this year's Boy Scout National Jamboree, a 10-day meeting of about 50,000 troops at Fort A.P. Hill near Fredericksburg.

The event was pushed back by one year so it could coincide with the organization's 100th anniversary. The National Jamboree has grown to include troops from Asia, Europe, and South and Central America, Mazzuca said.

Check out the article at The Washington Post.

What an awesome event! I'm proud to say that my son is up there with Jamboree Troop 1528! They wrapped up their Philly and DC touring this weekend and are heading to the first day of Jamboree first thing in the morning!

Check out these links:

• Jamboree Troop 1528 Blog
• Boy Scouts of America's photostream
• Official Jamboree Website
• Scouting Magazine Blog
• Boy Scouts of America Facebook
• "A Shining Light Across America" live arena show broadcast - 7/31/10 @ 8pm ET

F-18 Hornet Crash Photos!

A pilot managed to eject from his jet moments before it crashed in a ball of flames Friday during practice for the Alberta International Airshow in Canada, the Vancouver Sun reported.

Capt. Brian Bews was piloting the Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter when the crash occurred just after noon at the Lethbridge Regional Airport.

Witnesses told the Calgary Herald that Bews managed to pull his parachute and eject from the plane only moments before it erupted into flames on impact with the ground.

He had been practicing for the air show, rehearsing low-level maneuvers.

He was about 100 feet (30 meters) from the ground when he ejected and came to rest near the exploding jet.

The experienced pilot was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital with minor injuries.

Witness Ryan Giffin told the Calgary Herald he could tell the plane was in distress as he watched it from his office desk near the airport.

He said: "Oh my god, it's crashing. Everybody looked and it was already hitting the ground. There was a massive fireball."

"You could tell something was going wrong. It was going way too slow. There was a sputtering sound and two puffs of smoke from the engines.

"It started to nose dive, banked to the right, and the pilot ejected."

The CF-18 Hornet was to take part in the two-day air show in Lethbridge, beginning Saturday.

Check out the article at Fox News.

Awesome crash photos!!! I'm glad nobody was hurt.

Before anyone tries to knock the F-18 Hornet, keep in mind that it is one of the most reliable military aircraft in the world, with a top-notch safety record. It is worth noting that the pilot was trying a very difficult maneuver, the High Alpha Pass, 100 feet off the ground traveling at a very low rate of speed. In those extreme conditions, one stall is all it takes.

Makes you wonder why the Navy has gone with the F-35 Lightning, with its single engine, as the future replacement carrier aircraft. At least if the F-18 is over water and has an engine problem, the pilot still has another engine to limp back to the ship on - the F-35 in the same condition will end up as an artificial reef. I'm just sayin'