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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| horible scouting trajedy |
| 2005-07-27 |
| nuthin funy bowt this at all. as em former star scoutima extremely sadend by this: BOWLING GREEN, Va. -- They were deeply devoted to the Boy Scouts, traveling thousands of miles to the woods of northern Virginia for 10 fun-filled days of fishing, archery and storytelling beside the campfire. One of their first tasks: Set up a large tent. But the task went terribly awry when they lost control of a giant tent pole and it hit some nearby power lines, killing four Scout leaders as horrified youngsters looked on, said Bill Haines, a Scout executive in Alaska. Karl Holfeld said his 15-year-old son Taylor, witnessed the accident and was on his cell phone to his mother back home in Alaska when the electrocutions occurred. The boys "all started screaming," Holfeld told the Anchorage Daily News. "He said, 'Oh my God, oh my God, the tent is on fire, they're being burned!'" The Scouts spent Tuesday reviewing safety procedures and mourning the deaths of the four men, but said the event would begin Wednesday as planned, with an evening speech by President Bush. A memorial service will be held during the opening ceremony of the Jamboree, which draws more than 40,000 Scouting enthusiasts from around the world. Scout adviser David Tracewell, 54, of Kansas City, said that the mood "became very somber" as word of the tragedy spread around Fort A.P. Hill -- a sprawling Army base about an hour south of Washington. "These scout leaders ... get to know these kids very well," he said. "I'm sure these kids are devastated. They're their mentors, their leaders that become like their second dads." The dead were identified as Michael J. Shibe, 49, Mike Lacroix, 42, and Ronald H. Bitzer, 58, all of Anchorage; and Scott Edward Powell, 57, of Perrysville, Ohio. Shibe had two sons at the Jamboree and Lacroix had one; the three children all returned home to Alaska. more at leenk. say em prayer fore thees kids an teh scowt leeders familys wuld ya. a trajik time for em dying american enstetooshen. ima gotta see how ima can hep scowts in em austin area. |
| Posted by:muck4doo |
| #8 Ship, my cousin was electrocuted with the associated burns when the Hobie cat she was on hit a power line crossing a reservoir in Texas. Lucky that she lived. I wonder if the assholes at the ACLU who are trying to eliminate the scouts held a party after this? Did I tell you they are assholes? Cause they are. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2005-07-27 16:04 |
| #7 But the task went terribly awry when they lost control of a giant tent pole and it hit some nearby power lines, Like Frank G... WTF were they thinking setting it up so close to power lines?... Sympathy to the families, but... Darwin Award? |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-07-27 14:55 |
| #6 Your right Frank bad business. Low power lines scare the hell outta me. Hobbie Cat launches around here can make you scream with dismay. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-07-27 14:52 |
| #5 "So throw another Boy Scout on the fire..." |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-07-27 11:20 |
| #4 I saw the general layout of the tent/poles on Fox. WTF were they thinking? The power lines couldn't have been more than 15' above ground and the poles were 20'+ for a big ass tent....bad move. Condolescences, obviously.....a purely avoidable tragedy |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-07-27 10:06 |
| #3 My wife works for the Scouts and a lot of her people were in the vicinity when it happened. They included doctors, EMTs and firefighters and they told her it happened so fast there was nothing they could do. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-07-27 09:10 |
| #2 They and their families are in my prayers. |
| Posted by: BA 2005-07-27 09:09 |
| #1 Our receptionist at work knew the three Alaska scout leaders and their boys. I found her sitting outside the office yesterday when I came into work. She saw the item on the news when she opened up the computer. Pretty devastated. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-07-27 09:00 |