BECKLEY, W.Va. — More than 1,300 members of the military are deployed to southern West Virginia with multiple missions involving the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Fayette County.
“West Virginia National Guard is joined by the United States Navy, Air Force, active duty Army, and a whole range of DOD partners,” said National Guard spokesman Lt. Colonel David Lester. “We’re doing everything in a support role for the Boy Scouts.”
Lester said among the missions are security, logistics, medical and transportation.
“We’ve got medical teams on site and we’ve got logistics teams on site,” Lester said. “Everything we have in an emergency situation, we have on hand and we’re ready to do it here.”
Among the guard’s assets dedicated to the 10-day jamboree are aviation units that will be ready at a moment’s notice if civilian air lift services cannot handle a situation. Guard members will also be charged with keeping the Scouts hydrated and providing fresh drinking water with the guard’s “water buffalos.”
The National Guard will also use the opportunity to turn their missions into real-life training scenarios.
“It’s a really good opportunity to get a joint force together,” said Lester. “We can get good practice on operations, procedures, and make sure we have processes and plans outlined for any future operations as well.”