Features Editor

Once every four years there comes along a Scouting opportunity of a lifetime.

This is the year, and five members of Boy Scout Troop 41 of Troy are taking advantage of the opportunity, along with two adult leaders.

Ben Faulkinberry, Brad Lilley, Andrew Dragsten, Aaron Barr and Steve Davis and Scoutmaster Chuck Faulkinberry and leader Aaron Rascoe, left at noon Friday for the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. Another member of Troop 42, Garrett King, is on staff at the Jamboree and is already on site.

"We’ve been working toward this for about a year and we’re all excited about attending the Jamboree and visiting our nation’s capital," Faulkinberry said.

The Troy Scouts met the contingent from the Alabama-Florida

Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Dothan Friday and traveled by bus to Washington, D.C.

"On Saturday, we’ll visit some of the sites in Washington, including the Holocaust Museum," Faulkinberry said. "We’ll also be given a special tour of the White House. On Sunday, we’ll attend a worship service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and hear an address by the commandant of the United States Marine Corps. The trip to Washington should be educational and inspirational."

Monday, the Scouts will check in at the Jamboree, along with about 40,000 other Scouts from the United States and several other countries.

"The Scouts will have opportunities to work on merit badges and participate in a variety of activities including water adventures, pioneering and skill shooting," Faulkinberry said. "There are so many activities that it’s hard to get around to them all. Many of the Scouts will take this opportunity to earn merit badges and advance in rank. Some Scouts could earn as many as 15 merit badges."

One of the highlights of the Jamboree is the trading tent where Scouts trade patches and pins.

"Our council patch is very unique," Faulkinberry said. "When you’re inside, the patch has very little color, but when you get outside, the sunlight brings out the colors. It should be a popular patch to collect. I’m sure our Scouts will have a lot of fun and meet a long of people while trading."

The Jamboree begins on Monday, but the opening ceremony will not be until Wednesday night.

"Of course, it’s tentative, but President Bush is scheduled to address the Scouts at the opening ceremony," Faulkinberry said. "The closing ceremony will highlight the brotherhood of Scouting and should be very impressive."

For the five Scouts and for their leaders, the National Boy Scout Jamboree promises to be an experience of a lifetime.

"We are fortunate to be a part of a Jamboree and we hope to have much to share when we return," Faulkinberry said.