DATE: Saturday, August 2, 1997              TAG: 9708010147

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEDYARD KING, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: FORT A.P. HILL                    LENGTH:  160 lines

SCOUTING: JAMBOREEEVERY FOUR YEARS, THOUSANDS OF BOY SCOUTS FROM AROUND THE NATION ENCAMP. THIS YEAR, THEY ARE AT FORT A.P. HILL FOR AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME.

But it wasn't just about the overnight camping trips, the activities such as archery and canoeing or even the companionship of his buddies. It was the status.

``I remember in my fourth-grade elementary class, if you weren't in Scouting, you weren't anything,'' he remembers 30 years after leaving the ranks.

But as more than 30,000 Boy Scouts celebrate their heritage on the meandering meadows of Fort A.P. Hill this week, Scouting has lost some of its swagger.

``These kids don't talk about it,'' said Ausmus, 42, sweating under the shade of a tent as his troop set up camp around him Monday. ``You go to school and you don't mention it.''

As if to make his point, Ausmus, 42, of Chesapeake, declined to volunteer the name of his 14- year-old son who is in the troop. Ausmus, first assistant scoutmaster for Troop 1530 of the Tidewater Council, is afraid students at his son's high school would tease him unmercifully if they found out his secret.

But here, at the 10-day Boy Scouts of America Jamboree, the only secrets Scouts keep are the special handshakes they don't want to share with visiting civilians. Here, Scouting pride takes a back seat to nothing.

Seventeen-year-old Eagle Scout Ben Matchett of Virginia Beach, a member of Troop 1529, says he swells with pride ``when you go to the shows and (there are) 35,000 kids all in Scout uniforms as far as you can see into the night.'' For Matchett and millions of his colleagues, the jamboree is mecca, Scouting's holy ground.

For 10 days, they fish from lakes freshly stocked with bass, take on obstacle courses that were just built and learn such ancient crafts as blacksmithing.

Here, in the lush bosom of a military base, they celebrate Scouting as an optimistic and wholesome pursuit in a society gone cynical.

They live by an old-fashioned credo that espouses honesty, obedience and reverence. They sport clean uniforms and, for the most part, short haircuts. They hand out merit badges for citizenship, salesmanship and nature. Sixty years after their first jamboree, they still talk about building character.

And they boast the likes of Jimmy Stewart, Jimmy Carter and Ross Perot among the ranks of Scouting's devoted alumni.

``Something that's right can't be stopped,'' explains Frank McAllister, an Arizona mining company executive and former Boy Scout who attended the 1957 jamboree at Valley Forge, Pa. ``We stand for right principles, and that will never be defeated. To teach trust, to teach honesty, they will stand the test of time. A person living by these ideals can't go wrong.''

Nonetheless, Scouting isn't the magnet for boys it once was.

In 1967, there were 4,425,539 Boy Scouts. Last year, there were 4,256,609 Scouts - a drop of 170,000 in membership while the country's population rose by more than 50 million.

Scout leaders are encouraged that membership rose 2.5 percent last year. It sounds like a modest gain, but consider that it was the largest increase in 25 years.

Boy Scouts of America spokesman Keith Stephens of Lynchburg said the organization has made a concerted effort to reach boys as young as possible, before they discover other distractions that might be fun but not nearly as beneficial.

``Kids have more choices than we did 25 years ago,'' he said, explaining Scouting's stagnant popularity. ``Once they get out and see it, they're hooked.''

It's with events like the jamboree, where celebrities like President Clinton stop in, that Scouting makes its national sales pitch to prospective Scouts and their families.

But it's tough selling the merits of an organization when some of its own members are embarrassed to wear its colors in public.

Many Scouts gathered at the jamboree said they rarely - if ever - wear their uniforms at school. One said he donned it only because his friends dared him. Others said they had no idea some of their best friends were Scouts until they spotted them at Scout functions.

Despite their reservations about publicly sharing their Scouting affiliation back home, those attending their first jamboree are awed.

``It's something that happens maybe once or twice in a lifetime,'' said Tyler Vaughn, 13, who attends Nansemond Suffolk Academy.

``It's nice to be a part of something this big,'' added Benjamin Herson, a Virginia Beach 17-year-old who will be a senior at First Colonial High School this fall. ``We spend so much time watching TV and doing so much by ourselves. It's nice to have a change like this. It's something big, it's something important.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color Photos

HUY NGUYEN / The Virginian-Pilot

[Three photos from the Jamboree]

Photo

HUY NGUYEN / The Virginian-Pilot

Among the many adventures and activities for Scouts to enjoy at the

jamboree is rappelling.

Graphic

HERE IS SOME information about Scouting and the jamboree.

Feeding those attending the 10-day event is no easy task. Some of

the supplies include:

3.5 tons of hot dogs.

8.5 tons of hamburgers

13,500 boxes of cereal.

43,000 gallons of milk.

95,000 oranges.

33,500 servings of beef stew.

16,250 eggs.

6,500 apple pies.

21,000 loaves of white bread.

Scouts can earn dozens of merit badges in everything from first

aid to wood carving, but here are some merit badge programs you

might not be aware of:

Atomic energy.

Coin collecting.

Dentistry.

Fingerprinting.

Indian lore.

Public health.

Railroading.

Salesmanship.

Space exploration.

There are more than 5.5 million children and adults involved in

Scouting at various levels. Here's how the programs break down:

Tiger Cubs: For first-graders and their adult partners. Stresses

simplicity, shared leadership, learning about the community and

family understanding.

Cub Scouting: For boys 8 to 10 years old. Prepares them for

entering the Boy Scouts. Fourth- and fifth-graders are known as

Webelos (WE'll BE LOyal Scouts).

Boy Scouting: For boys 11 through 17. Designed to achieve the

aims of Scouting through a vigorous outdoor program and peer group

leadership with the counsel of an adult scoutmaster.

Varsity Scouting: For boys 14 through 17. Built around five

fields: advancement, high adventure, personal development, service

and special programs and events.

Exploring: For young men and women 14 through 20. Offers

leadership training, personal fitness, outdoor programs, service and

hands-on career experiences.

A number of the most prominent U.S. citizens were Scouts,

including:

President Clinton.

Jimmy Stewart.

Gerald R. Ford.

Ross Perot.

Steven Spielberg.

Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell.

Here's a breakdown of the membership in all Scouting programs

nationally over the past 30 years:

1967 - 4,425,539

1977 - 3,467,986

1987 - 4,179,579

1996 - 4,256,609

SOURCE: Boy Scouts of America. KEYWORDS: BOY SCOUTS JAMBOREE

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