PRT Member Entertains Cub Scouts
(January 18, 2011) |
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Air Force Staff Sgt. Josh
Thompson, Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team
vehicle driver from St. David, Ariz., prepares to
climb into an armored vehicle Jan. 14, 2011.
Thompson recently spoke with Cub Scout Pack 102 from
Edina, Minn., about his life in Afghanistan and with
his work with an Afghan Scout Troop. |
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NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt.
Josh Thompson from St. David, Ariz., native and vehicle
driver with the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team,
held an online video conference call Jan. 12 with Cub Scout
Pack 102 from Edina, Minn., to discuss life in Afghanistan,
his duties as a PRT member and recreational activities for
service members.
Thompson described his efforts with
a troop of Afghan Scouts, a program modelled on standard Boy
Scouts curriculum.
“The chat went really well,” he
said. “I got to be interviewed by some of the boys, and the
leaders themselves had their own questions. It seemed like
they really enjoyed it; I enjoyed it too.”
The video
conference offered a unique opportunity for the Scouts
“The boys were enthusiastic, engaged and inquisitive,”
said Wayne Kewitsch, Pack 102 Cubmaster. “They asked
questions for 40 minutes and would have asked more if we
would have had more time. In today's world, capturing a
young person's attention for more than 10 minutes is very
difficult. Staff Sergeant Thompson had them alert and
engaged for 45 minutes.”
Perhaps the most amusing
moment of the discussion came when Thompson discussed his
free time.
“Some of the boys asked what we did in our
off time for fun,” Thompson recalled, smiling. “I said we
went to the gym, and we played video games. I mentioned we
have a bunch of our soldiers who play Call of Duty, and they
screamed and cheered. They really liked that, and I told
them they could probably beat all of us because they play it
a lot.” |
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Thompson has dedicated much of his time while
deployed to working with his Afghan Scouts, drawing heavily
on his own experiences as an Eagle Scout. He contends the
program is an excellent means of instilling pride and a
strong moral foundation for the youth of Jalalabad.
“‘A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent,'” said
Thompson, reciting the Boy Scout Law. “We're trying to put
that into the boys here, because in the scouting program in
the states, it's really big. Over here, I'm not really sure
because it's brand new. So, the boys can mirror what we do
and it'd be really beneficial in the future for them.”
Thompson and Kewitsch both agreed that connecting the
Afghan Scouts to their American counterparts can have a
positive effect on their respective groups.
“When you
can meet people that are doing the exact same thing that
you're doing on the other side of the world, it makes the
world seem smaller,” Thompson said.
“In my opinion,
the Afghan Scout troop is a truly great thing,” said
Kewitsch. “One of the things we discussed with Staff Sgt.
Thompson was the fact that the boys in his troop are
learning the same things as the boys in our pack. First aid
is first aid, knots are knots, the skills and principles are
the same no matter where you're a Scout.”
Thompson
and the Scouts of Pack 102 formed a connection that they
hope to foster with future activities. Pack 102 has
graciously offered to send scouting supplies the Afghans
could use, and further video conferences are already in the
works. |
Article and photo by USAF SSgt. Scottie T. McCord, Nangarhar PRT Public Affairs
Combined Joint Task Force 101
Copyright 2011 | |
Provided
through DVIDS
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