Yesterday and today were quite busy and the rain yesterday played a bit of havoc with my posting, so sorry for the lateness of yesterday's experiences. I was thrilled to have Major Ralph Hood's sister drop by and chat for a bit about her two Eagle sons. I also had some folks from the troop we charter in Oceanside stop by. In the dinner line last night, I had a chance to chat with a Scouter mom from Los Angeles and I made another new friend.
Today the temperature was quite a bit cooler thanks to yesterday's storms and my fatigue uniform was much more bearable. It is fun alternating uniforms and surprising my neighbors by showing up one day in my Scout uniform and the next in my Army one. Among those I met today were Advisory Board members from Virginia and Illinois as well as some more Scouts from our troop in Ventura, CA.
One thing that struck me again as I was sitting at dinner tonight was the commitment of the folks in the Longstreet Staff dining area. When one considers that roughly 95% of the Staff at the Jamboree are volunteers who have paid their own way and taken time off work to be here, it is staggering. Between registration fees, travel and time off I would have to guess that the average volunteer is contributing between $2,000 to $3,000 to spend 10 to 14 days in the summer heat, sleeping in a tent and working 10 to 12 hours a day so that 45,000 Scouts can have a life-changing experience. If you ask me, many of us could learn quite a bit from the example these folks have set.