Boy Scout Tragedy

The national organization has adopted political stances that I don't agree with. But down in the trenches, at the unit level,no other national organization does a better job of building leadership skills, developing character and integrity and instilling confiDence and self-reliance.

And when properly administered, the work is done by boys leading and teaching boys with the volunteer adult leaders offering guidance from the back row.

Notably, one of the 14 year old boys who was killed in this tragic event, was on the staff of the youth leadership program being delivered at the camp.

Some Thoughts on the Tragedy at Little Sioux

June 12, 2008 01:39 PM EDT

Today the American Flag flies at half-mast in front of Little Sioux Scout Reservation in Iowa. Four Scouts died and upwards of forty were injured when a tornado struck the camp about 6:30 last night. Little Sioux is a high adventure, wilderness camp located amidst rugged terrain and a mile back from the nearest road.

As rescuers cut their way through a mile of downed trees to reach these boys, the scouts reacted as they have been trained to do and in the immediate aftermath they began to take care of each other. Reports said these scouts were attending youth leadership training. All have had at least some training in first aid, emergency preparedness and other skills that are useful in the aftermath of an event such as this.

I listen to the reporters asking questions and they seem determined to try and blame someone for this tragedy. They are pursuing the wrong story. We learned that the boys received at least a few minutes warning because someone was listening to a weather radio. On hearing the warning, they triggered the tornado warning siren that the boys themselves had installed the year before. This allowed most of the boys to get to shelter. Unfortunately, the structure they sheltered in was simply not strong enough to withstand the fury of Mother Nature.

Emergency responders reported that the boys themselves began to perform triage and apply first aid to the injured. Some reached out to help others in spite of their own injuries. Had this been any other group of young people at camp the toll would likely have been far worse.

I hope the news media follows up in the quiet aftermath of this tragedy. We are certain to hear stories of uncommon leadership and courage and testimonials to the value of the training these boys have received

Events such as this imbue these boys with great strength. Few groups would be any better prepared to deal with the immediate aftermath of such a trauma. These boys knew what to do and most had the confidence and courage to implement their training.

I have had the privilege to sit on several Eagle Scout Boards of Review. We always ask these boys about their most memorable scouting experiences. They never talk about the trip where the weather was perfect and the food was great. They tell us about the time their tent blew down, their campsite got flooded, they forgot half of their food, it unexpectedly rained or got cold. They tell us about the unexpected challenges they encountered and how they rose to meet those challenges. The boys that survived will be better scouts and ultimately better men for having met the challenge.

The Boy Scouts make the news far too often because of some unfortunate incident or tragedy or legal dispute rooted in political correctness. I do not always agree with every position taken by our national leadership. But as a unit commissioner, I get to see the good work that scouting does at the individual unit level. I see boys accepting and meeting the challenge of leading and teaching other boys, overseen and guided by a dedicated Corp of adult volunteers. This is a story that needs telling.

All over America, thousands of boys are away from their families at summer camp. Tens of thousands more are looking forward to camp in the weeks to come. We are a fraternity sharing a common bond and experience, but make no mistake, today, all over America, millions of scouts and scouters are weeping and praying for the scouts that were injured, the scouts that were lost and their families.

I concur it is not surprising that the casualties were few and far between. These are the future leaders of the world... they may well be more equipped to rise to the challenge, take responsibility for their actions, hold others accountable for theirs and make reparations to the bad conditions of the world we've been given by the failures in present state of our nations government.