In 1963, Judge Irvin Pruitt, took a patrol from the Lonesome Pine Council to the World Jamboree in Greece. Most of those guys still live around here. All of them are extremely successful and well respected. The one thing that they all say about the World Jamboree is that "it changed my life". I learned about the 2007 WJ while at McKee during the 2005 season. I got one of the papers at the Thursday Scoutmaster's dinner. I didn't think much of it. I did look at it again and figured that my son was barely old enough, only by 4 days. So when I get home, I mention it to the wife. She asks where is it? I tell her London, England. She loudly tells me no way, they are bombing the subways over there. We don't get much CNN at Campsite #4 at McKee.
$4,000 is a lot of money to plunk down for a Scouting event. Paul Pruitt, Irvin's brother, told me that he sent his son to Greece, because he thought it was important. So important, that he went to the bank and borrowed the $1,000 to send him. It was the first money that he ever borrowed. Now Paul is tighter than anyone I know. So, I asked him, was it worth it? He said, yes. Very much so.
So, after many weeks of deliberation with the wife, she said that our son could go only if I went. I didn't want to go, but that was the deal. I applied, went through an interview, didn't think that I had a chance, but got picked to go.
William Hogg, William Goff, Don Combs, Viet Pham, Devan Allara, Andy Smith, Alex Hill, Stephen Burke, and I will give it a try this summer.
I wonder in 40 years, will they think back and say "it changed my life"?
I think so. Very much so.
