Members from Boy Scout Troop 115, part of the Baltimore Area Council, teamed up with Guantanamo Bay’s BST 435 to deliver tins of popcorn to Marines with Marine Corps Security Force Company Guantanamo. This distribution of the confectionary corn snack is the first of many which is intended to reach every service member here at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.

Air Force Lt. Col. Denise Boyer, commander of the 474th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron, coordinated much of the effort to get the popcorn down to Guantanamo Bay. Her two sons are scouts in Maryland, and upon seeing the large number of Girl Scout cookies delivered here earlier this year, she wanted to get Boy Scout popcorn here.

“Every year my boys sell Boy Scout popcorn, and one of the options is to make a donation to the Service members,” said Boyer. “Our Boy Scouts distribute at Baltimore Washington International Airport when Service members are coming back from the field. Most service members say they would rather have it in the field than when they come home.”

In order to have the popcorn reach Service members in the field, Boyer arranged transportation for the popcorn with the Office of Military Commissions flights from Andrews Air Force Base.

“I approached the subject of getting stuff down here, and talked with the local service members and to the one back in Baltimore to figure out some way to get some donated popcorn here,” said Boyer. “The Baltimore Area Council approved to send 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of popcorn to Service members stationed at Guantanamo. It is overwhelming to see how much popcorn they were willing to send here.”

Shipments are arriving, and Boyer’s two sons and husband made the trip to distribute the first tins alongside the local service members. The plan for distribution was first to the MCSFCO who work outer security for the naval station.

“The first people we wanted to give to were the Marines at Guantanamo who work the fence line,” said Boyer. “For many of them, this is their first deployment. Sometimes it will be their very first time away from home for Christmas. We wanted to do something special for them.”

Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron Purkiss, a MCSFCO member and Eagle Scout, said he enjoyed the visit from the scouts and the work they are doing.

“Boy Scouts always have that spirit of helping out, doing some service for others and doing what is right,” said Purkiss. “Thank you, Boy Scouts of America. Thank you for coming here and treating us.”

Continued distribution of the popcorn is expected in the coming weeks to reach all Joint Task Force and U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay service members.

For more information about Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit the Web site at www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil.

Article by Spc. David Mclean, Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

There was also a short video clip that was produced about this story:

Jamboree-on-the-Air is an annual Scouting and amateur radio event sponsored by the World Scouting Bureau of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. Thousands of amateur radio stations
around the world participate.

The 52nd annual Jamboree-on-the-Air will allow more than 500,000 Scouts from around the world to exchange experiences and share ideas by making contact through amateur radio. The event is an official Jamboree, so it contributes to the world brotherhood of Scouting by promoting communications and understanding among Scouts from all over the world. Individual Scout units can operate on the air for any part of the 48-hour weekend event.

JOTA welcomes participation by Scouting and amateur radio enthusiasts of all ages – Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers, Girl Scouts, and, Scouters.

JOTA is traditionally held the third weekend in October, and this year will be no exception. The event will begin on Friday, October 16, at 22:00 hours local time and will end on Sunday, October 18, at 23:59 hours local time.

Patches are available. JOTA cards for recording contacts are also available.

For more information and JOTA Scout frequencies, and how to order patches and JOTA cards, visit the national BSA Web site:
www.scouting.org/international/highlights or download the 2009 JOTA Flyer (pdf).

Check to see if your District or Council will be holding any JOTA activities that weekend.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education and President of the Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association, H H Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, yesterday delivered a $3 million donation to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Honorary Chairman of the World Scout Foundation. The donation will support the Gifts for Peace program, an initiative created under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in November 2001 at a Scouting conference in Riyadh.

“King Abdullah is committed to peace, and his initiatives — including the Arab Peace Plan, the Interfaith Dialogue Initiative and Gifts for Peace — aim to bring people together in peace,” stated Prince Faisal.

The Gifts for Peace program is the World Scout Foundation’s key centennial program for all Scouts to tackle local issues and make a difference in their communities. It includes Scouts in more than 100 countries. This latest donation from Saudi Arabia brought the Kingdom’s total contribution to Gifts for Peace to approximately $7 million since the program’s inception in 2001.

“Gifts for Peace, which his Majesty King Abdullah so kindly initiated a few years ago, has done a fantastic job of reaching out to promote tolerance around the world,” stated King Gustaf.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) recently signed a historic agreement with the Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association to participate in a youth and leader exchange program to further promote understanding of different cultures.

Following a breakfast with Scouts from the Boston Minuteman Council of the Boy Scouts of America today, Prince Faisal joined King Gustaf during the Volvo Ocean Race while touring the Boston Fan Pier.

This press release was distributed by Qorvis Communications, LLC on behalf of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.