Pacific Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts
sharpen their skills at Okinawa camp
By Mark Oliva, Okinawa
bureau
Mark Oliva / Stars and Stripes
Chris Bohn, 8, of Cub Scout Pack 115, waits for the command to fire while at Cub Scout
camp on Okinawa. |
CAMP HANSEN — Nearly 170 Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts invaded
Okinawa’s Central Training Area for a week of traditional scouting camp and summer
fun.
The Far East Council drew troops from mainland Japan, Taipei, Taiwan
and Changmai, Thailand.
“It brings the boys together,” said Byron Fastnacht, camp
director for both the Boy Scout’s Camp Okinawa and the Cub Scout’s Camp Akela.
“They’ve been working on different skills all year long and here they’ve
got a chance to put them to use.”
Campers arrived Monday and Tuesday at Okinawa’s Central Training
Area, in the shadow of this Marine base. Military general-purpose tents, along with a mix
of smaller domed-shaped tents, dominated the landscape.
“The camp broadens their knowledge,” Fastnacht said.
“They apply different thinking skills to different activities. We hope to develop and
hone these skills for them or at least set them on the right track.”
The skills and activities spanned the usual summer camp activities
from BB guns to archery and boating. Boy Scouts also used the camp to earn merit badges, a
requirement for promotion within their ranks.
“For a lot of them, I see the confidence they have in camping
increase,” Fastnacht added. “Some, especially the Cub Scouts, are camping for
the first time.”
Mark Oliva / Stars and Stripes
Marine Lance Cpl. William Devillier helps Cory Gottfredson, 13, with a leather project. |
Chris Bohn, 8, a Cub Scout with Pack 115, said firing the BB guns was
the highlight of his camping trip, “because it’s cool.”
“I really wanted to try to use a BB gun,” Bohn said.
“This is my first time. I was nervous. It was kind of hard to pump. I’m happy
because I got really high scores.”
For older Boy Scouts, the camp focused more on developing leadership
and cooperative skills while working as a group, said Reggie McKenzie, scoutmaster for
Troop 110. He brought 10 boys in his troop, four of whom are new Boy Scouts.
“I want them to make mistakes in a controlled environment so we
can guide them to a solution,” McKenzie said. “If we’re always teaching
them, they don’t learn the real reason why we’re teaching them the way we do. By
letting them take the lead, and make mistakes, we can provide them a good decision making
process to accomplish their goals.”
The Boy Scouts were responsible for their own campsites. They also
cooked lunches and taught some classes.
Mark Oliva / Stars and Stripes
Chris Cornman, 6, of Cub Scout Pack 104, tears strips of newspaper during an arts and
crafts session at the Cub Scout Camp Akela, in Okinawa's Central Training Area. |
“The older boys work with the younger boys,” McKenzie said.
“It’s give-and-take. The boys tend to learn more from a subject when
they’re the teachers.”
For some scouts, though, the trip was more than just an escape from
video games. Troops from Taiwan and Thailand got a new experience traveling to another
country.
“Communication and organization are the biggest skills
we’re learning,” said 16-year-old Ben Thompson, who came to Okinawa from Troops
713 in Changmai, Thailand. Thompson is working toward the Boy Scouts’ highest rank
— Eagle Scout. “It’s pretty important for us. It’s a whole different
atmosphere to see the way the other troops organize things. It’s probably a
once-in-a-lifetime chance for most of us.”
Zach Peters, an 11-year-old from Changmai, said making the trip was
nerve-wracking. “I was nervous,” he said. “I didn’t think about it. I
just kind of packed and went.” But, he said, seeing more familiar American sites
common to Okinawa was refreshing. “The highlight besides swimming was Taco
Bell,” Peters said. “I’m amazed by the American goods. We can’t get
that in Changmai.”
Summer camp, for many scouts, is the highlight of the year and
culmination of a year’s work earning badges and studying camping skills, Fastnacht
said. Still, the camp wasn’t all work and no play.
“I want them to remember the excitement and the fun in their
track to achieve their goals,” he said. “They’ve got a place where they can
bring their values from the [U.S.] and everything between them is basic and common.”
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