Watson Coleman: “I would like to welcome over 30,000 young men to Washington D.C. for the 2005 National Boy Scout of America Jamboree. I…”

“I would like to welcome over 30,000 young men to Washington D.C. for the 2005 National Boy Scout of America Jamboree. I would also like to give my sincerest condolences to the families of the four Boy Scout leaders who were tragically killed Monday afternoon in an accident while setting up camp. Occurring every 4 years, the national jamboree is one of Scouting's grandest traditions. It is a chance for thousands of young men to come together and celebrate our shared values and traditions as Americans. In a world that too often celebrates our differences, the National Boy Scout Jamboree is a unique opportunity to celebrate the qualities we all share as Americans. It is also a chance for these young men to visit our Nation's Capital to be inspired by the monuments, to learn from our Nation's artifacts, and to see democracy in action. To those of us who work in Washington it is sometimes easy to forget just how amazing it is that a place like this, where free men can gather, debate, and decide their own fates, even exists. I was recently reminded of the significance of Washington by a young boy scout from Plymouth, MN, named Eyan R. Lason. In anticipation of his trip to the National Boy Scout Jamboree this week, Eyan wrote an essay on what the trip and Washington mean to him. Eyan did not write his essay as a requirement or to win a prize. In fact, until the other day Eyan didn't even know that I had read his essay.…”