16 May 2010
Iraq Scouting Still Going Strong With American Help
Posted by admin under: International .
When Lieutenant-Colonel Otha Thornton closed the planning spreadsheet in Baghdad, he hoped it would help the children of the conflicted city. Over the last six years he and hundreds of other volunteers from coalition forces have been working to build a special kind of infrastructure for the future of Iraq. Thousands of hours have been spent customizing a Scouting program for the boys and girls of Iraq. The spreadsheet he had worked on was a detailed plan for the next twelve months for every kind of activity for boys and girl in categorized age ranges and had dozens of different events for them.
LTC Thornton is an Eagle Scout and has taken the Eagle Charge seriously.
“The final responsibility of an Eagle Scout is service. The Eagle Scout extends a helping hand to those who still toil up Scouting’s trail, just as others helped him in his climb to the Eagle. The performance of the daily Good Turn takes on a new meaning when he enters a more adult life continuing service to others. The Eagle stands as protector of the weak and helpless. He aids and comforts the unfortunate and the oppressed. He upholds the rights of others while defending his own. He will always ‘Be Prepared’ to put forth his best”.
His best is our country’s best and is the standard of excellence that has been represented by all those in Iraq rescuing the Scouting program from its lost way. In 2004, Green Zone service personnel tried to give Iraqi children a refuge from people who wanted to turn children into soldiers. That refuge was Scouting. The idea spread to Camp Victory and was waiting when LTC Thornton arrived on 23 May, 2009. It didn’t take long for him to find a notice asking for volunteers and he became a regular at the Tuesday planning meetings along with 20 to 30 others.
I became aware of Lieutenant-Colonel Thornton from the army’s program that recognizes excellent service, called Operation Tribute to Freedom. An article featured the LTC and described the excellent work he was doing in Iraq. He felt compelled during his interview to interject a few words about the Scouting movement in Iraq. I was allowed the opportunity to interview him when he rotated back to the United States and he affirmed the words in the article stating that rebuilding Scouting in Iraq is one of the most important things he did while there.
“It’s important that the children see the other side of the soldiers,” he said, “so they’re not scared”.
In fact, if you go to the web site for the Victory Base Council you can see many pictures of children interacting with the soldiers and wearing huge smiles. Smiles are universal, but language isn’t so LTC Thornton said they rely on four to ten linguists to communicate with the kids. He impressed me with the information that one of the linguists working with the Scouts was an Iraqi national who has since achieved American citizenship and continues to work with the boys and girls to advance the Scouting program.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thornton’s world-wide travels – he has visited 22 countries and experienced their variety of cultures – allowed him to accept the differences he found in Baghdad, but he noted similarities in their Scouting program, too.
“Religion is a big part of the culture and meetings open with a prayer”. He also discussed how leadership development is a basic part of the skills passed on to the Iraqi children. The relationship between patriotic citizens and their government is another similar aspect of the program.
LTC Thornton described the close relationship between the coalition personnel and the Scouting program. The Iraqi Special Operations forces help to develop the activities and supplies for the kids and Scouting. They’ve supplied several containers for storage, space for meetings and the Ministry of Education has appointed a general to help promote the program in Iraq. It’s an incredible reversal for the children. Where they had previously been indoctrinated to fight for their dictator they currently are assisted by the military to develop into productive, well-balanced citizens through fun, safe activities.
These activities are for both boys and girls. I was a little hesitant to ask about this aspect of the program because I was afraid it might reveal a gender bias in the program, but the Lieutenant-Colonel said that there are activities that they both engage in and love. They all appreciate the arts and crafts, camp-outs and community service projects like painting over graffiti, but they spar in intellectual enterprises, too.
“Chess is very popular with them”, he said. Looking at the LTC’s calendar Tae Kwon Do exercises must be popular, too.
The entire program is very popular with fifty to one hundred kids who show up to the Saturday troop meetings. It’s no wonder the army would want to highlight an individual like Lieutenant-Colonel Thornton. The impact on the future of these children cannot be overstated. They are taught to love their country, both in the nature-oriented and patriotic ways; they see the soldiers in their government as partners in their upbringing, not authoritarian military to be feared; and they are learning to be the good leaders of the other young citizens who may not have the ability to participate in the Scouting program. He has already affected the life of one very important individual, his son holds the rank of Life Scout, and now he has helped to design a program that will affect the lives of scores of Iraqis on a weekly basis.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thornton is back in the United States now, but doesn’t intend to forget about the kids in Iraq. He said there is work that still needs to be done.
“One of the next things is to get uniforms for them over there”, he said. Another opportunity is to get the parents of the kids more engaged in the program. No one has any experience in this new brand of Scouting and trying to get the dads and moms actively involved while the entire country tries to completely rebuild itself is as difficult as it sounds. Although Scouters in the U.S. can’t substitute for parents in Iraq they have been lending a hand by sending supplies to the Scouts there. Perhaps there are a few who want to help get uniforms together for the kids and their leaders. It would not surprise me if a project like that was to find support from units all over America.
Lieutenant-Colonel Otha Thornton is getting ready for his retirement from the military and returning home to Georgia. From there he should be allowed a good measure of pride for being one of the hundreds of military men and women who have acted as the Daniel Beards, Lord Baden-Powells, and Ernest Thompson Setons for the Iraqi Scouting movement. As it spreads, the future political, business, and community leaders will count their time in Scouting to be formative in their fortunes. The legacy of the hard work done by personnel like Otha Thornton will become realized in the peace and prosperity of Iraq’s future.
PostScript: Personnel in the Baghdad area who wish to become involved in the Scouting movement at Camp Victory can learn more at their website at this link: http://www.victorybasecouncil.org/node/9
Others who wish to contribute to the excellent work being done can learn more at this link: http://www.victorybasecouncil.org/helpout
Thank you!
P.P.S.: Thanks to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit.com who can increase my traffic more with 4 words than I can with 1400. 
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/99441/
Update: Another cool story featuring efforts with the Scouts in Iraq:
Scouts honor Iraqi Firefighters
Iraqi Boy Scouts Tour Weather Station at Victory Base
- Victory Base Makes The News
- Preview the Victory Base Council Newsletter
- Scouting Teleconference
- Popcorn, Cookies, and Soccer Uniforms
- Eric Fretz – Victory Base Council
6 Comments so far...
Mark Says:
17 May 2010 at 1:19 am.
Please check the date of the LTCs arrival. Currently it says 23 May, 2010. Otherwise, great article. Good for Iraq, the US and scouting.
Ramblingirl Says:
17 May 2010 at 7:48 am.
Interesting that they open meetings with a prayer because religion is important to them. Can Scouts in the USA do that anymore or are they forbidden to pray in case it offends someone?
admin Says:
17 May 2010 at 10:16 am.
Thanks, Mark! Fixed due to your help.
Well, Ramblin’, I know troops that do it and my own Cub Scout pack starts the pack meetings with a prayer (non-denominational of course) so I think prayer in the USA is A-OK.
New York OA Trader | Shared Items From Around The Web – May 18, 2010 Says:
18 May 2010 at 9:04 am.
[...] Iraq Scouting Still Going Strong With American Help [...]
Settummanque, the blackeagle (Mike Walton) Says:
18 May 2010 at 4:20 pm.
He’s a SUPERIOR example (one of many) of the caliber of people who are giving more than just lip service to Scouting’s ideas. I don’t know my fellow Colonel personally (although the name has come across my desk several times over the past year) but I do know of the great work being done by the TWO “Councils” operating in Iraq (The “Green Zone” and the “Victory Base” Councils are coordinated efforts on behalf of the Scout Association of Iraq; they ARE NOT BSA local Councils).
Joshua, thanks for following up on the lead…this is a great story and one which should be told to a broader audience!! It’s always great to hear and read about the work which a group of people, to which I was a member of, is still providing to the future of Iraq — it’s youth!
Settummanque!
admin Says:
18 May 2010 at 5:22 pm.
Well, you know, Mike, anytime you want to help me cross-post a story, just give a minute to get my bells on… ’cause I’ll be there!
