Scouts gain badges, hear from soldiers

Thousands of Scouts converged on Fort Gordon this weekend for the first Jimmie Dyess Days.

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Michael Holahan/Staff

Lucy Rodriguez, 6, checks out her freshly painted face. The event, which ends today, is named for a military hero and Eagle Scout.

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Michael Holahan/Staff

Children climb on a M109A6 Paladin during Jimmie Dyess Days at Fort Gordon. More than 3,000 people came out for the event.

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Michael Holahan/Staff

Spc. Eddie Schimmer, of the Army's Silver Wings Parachute Team, carries the U.S. flag after jumping from a helicopter.

More than 3,180 people, including parents, Scouts and siblings, showed up and participated in the activities on Barton Field on Saturday, said Geoff Stewart, the vice chairman of programs.

The three-day event, which concludes today, is named for Augusta native Jimmie Dyess, a civilian and military hero who was also an Eagle Scout.

Brandt Boudreaux, 16, of Evans, listened while Columbia County Commission Chairman Ron Cross spoke to Scouts about citizenship and politics. Mr. Cross explained the differences between the city commissions of Columbia County and Augusta-Richmond County.

Learning more about citizenship was just one of the requirements Scouts fulfilled at the event.

Brandt said he learned a lot by speaking with soldiers.

"I really enjoyed talking to the soldiers, finding out how they are serving our country and what they are doing. I talked to some of the soldier engineers, which was really cool," he said.

Throughout the day, Scouts were also able to earn badges.

Lupe Moreno III, of Grovetown, watched proudly as his 12-year-old son, Lupe Moreno IV, performed CPR on a soldier and earned a first aid badge.

"We had a little downtime before going to the rock wall, so we said we might as well go ahead and do this for a minute," Mr. Moreno said.

The day also featured demonstrations by volunteers, including soldiers, firefighters and police officers.

Bob Hoelscher, the event chairman, said he was glad to get many volunteers from the community involved.

He said he wanted activities that would help reinforce character development and give the Scouts ideas about what they would like to do with their futures.

"The idea was to get them inspired about all these different vocations and professions, so when they graduate college they've got some clue what they want to do in life," Mr. Hoelscher said.

Reach Jonathan Overstreet at (706) 823-3708 or jonathan.overstreet@augustachronicle.com.