[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 31 (Monday, August 6, 2001)]
[Pages 1119-1120]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Videotape Remarks to the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree

 July 30, 2001

    Hello, Boy Scouts, and thanks for this opportunity to send a word of 
greeting to your National Jamboree. Let me also thank General Colby 
Broadwater and the fine men and women of Fort A.P. Hill for hosting this 
event.
    I'm so sorry the weather didn't allow me to join you in person, but 
I wanted to say a few words to the Scouts and Scoutmasters who have come 
to this jamboree from all across the country.
    You know, next month I'll be going to my ranch in Crawford, where 
I'll work and take a little time off. I think it is so important for a 
President to spend some time away from Washington in the heartland of 
America. And whenever I go home to the heartland, I am reminded of the 
values that build strong families, strong communities, and strong 
character, the values that make our people unique.
    It is those values that are such an important part of Boy Scouts. 
And I want to thank the adults here who have shown good values, who have 
taken the responsibility upon yourself to build the wisdom and character 
of our young people. And the Scoutmasters of America accept this 
responsibility every day. I want to thank all the Scoutmasters who set a 
good example and help Scouts learn the values that give direction to 
their lives.
    When you join a Scout troop and put on the Boy Scout uniform, you, 
too, make a statement. Like every uniform, yours is a symbol of 
commitment. It is a sign to all that you believe in high standards and 
that you are trying to live up to them every single day. As you do that, 
you bring credit to the Scout uniform and credit to your country. And I 
want you to know your country is proud of you.
    Many of you have been to Washington this past week, maybe for the 
first time. You know, it's interesting, one of my predecessors, 
President Gerald Ford, saw Washington for the first time a few years 
after he became an Eagle Scout. Back then, in the thirties, Scouts 
helped collect food and clothing for people suffering from the Great 
Depression.
    In our own time, you all have taken the lead in the fight against 
drug abuse. In Texas, Boy Scouts were among the first to take up a 
reading challenge that I set. All across America, Boy Scouts are doing 
good turns daily. And every time you do a good turn, this becomes a 
better country. There are needs in every community, and those needs can 
be met one heart, one soul at a time.
    You can make a difference for America by the life you lead and the 
lives you serve. Times and challenges change, yet the values of Scouting 
will never change. Scouts of any era would recognize every word that you 
live by today, because those words have always defined Scouting. The 
goodness of a person and of the society he or she lives in often comes 
down to very simple things and words found in the Scout law. Every 
society depends on trust and loyalty, on courtesy and kindness, on 
bravery and reverence. These

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are the values of Scouting and these are the values of America.
    What you have learned in Scouting will see you through life. In good 
times and difficult ones, the Scout motto will always help you: ``Be 
prepared.'' And whatever you do, the Scout oath will always guide you: 
On your honor, do your best.
    I thank every Scout and Scoutmaster for being a part of this great 
organization and for being a part of this successful jamboree. May God 
bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America.

Note: The President's remarks were videotaped at approximately 2:30 p.m. 
in the Map Room for later transmission to the jamboree in Bowling Green, 
VA. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.