Secret Weapon in the War on Terror: Boy Scout SWAT Team

Posted by Alex in Baby & Kids, Politics, Weapons & War on May 30, 2009 at 7:49 am



Photo: Todd Krainin/NY Times

Boy Scouts’s motto "Be Prepared" apparently extends all the way to modern day’s terrorism. In this post 9/11 world, you can’t be too careful, so the Border Patrol in Imperial County, California, has a – shall we say, unique – program for the Scouts:

The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters.

“This is about being a true-blooded American guy and girl,” said A. J. Lowenthal, a sheriff’s deputy here in Imperial County, whose life clock, he says, is set around the Explorers events he helps run. “It fits right in with the honor and bravery of the Boy Scouts.”

The training, which leaders say is not intended to be applied outside the simulated Explorer setting, can involve chasing down illegal border crossers as well as more dangerous situations that include facing down terrorists and taking out “active shooters,” like those who bring gunfire and death to college campuses. In a simulation here of a raid on a marijuana field, several Explorers were instructed on how to quiet an obstreperous lookout.

Jennifer Steinhauer of The New York Times has more: Link


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39 comments to "Secret Weapon in the War on Terror: Boy Scout SWAT Team"

  1. Tony LaRocca
    May 30th, 2009 at 8:53 am

    The camouflaged pants and dark blue t-shirts only work when it's dusk and the enemy is lying on the ground looking up at them.

  2. dutchboy
    May 30th, 2009 at 9:21 am

    These fellows will come in handy when the Government turns on its own citizens.

  3. michel
    May 30th, 2009 at 9:28 am

    yes, but when do they get the swastika armbands?

  4. mikos
    May 30th, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Two words: hitler yougen

  5. Briannana
    May 30th, 2009 at 9:46 am

    As weird as it may seem to see young men in military garb, and to think of them as young combat operatives, I don't think there is anything wrong in training any age group tactics in self defense.

    As a martial artist of 14 years (jeet kune do), I know that it isn't about the frequency in which a person has to tap on those skills. We live in a pretty peaceful nation in America, and most people can go their whole lives without a seriously violent altercation. But, if the need were to arise, I would rather be trained for it, rather than peeing my pants.

  6. Edmund
    May 30th, 2009 at 9:48 am

    Do the locomotion?

  7. Briannana
    May 30th, 2009 at 9:49 am

    Egg on my face. I totally commented before I read the article. What a bunch of fascist bull%$*!

  8. Edmund
    May 30th, 2009 at 9:50 am

    An internet tough guy appears. He hits! He hits! You are dead.

  9. Ali S.
    May 30th, 2009 at 10:02 am

    This makes me sad as a former Boy Scout and a person who used to enjoy all of its activities, especially when concerned going camping out in the wilderness. The Boy Scouts was a place where boys could grow up around like minded individuals who learned life skills and an appreciation for the outdoors! This just makes me so depressed over how the Scouts are slowly turning into a paramilitary force. :(

  10. smallerdemon
    May 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am

    Bag News Notes has a nice analysis of this story's visual elements: http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2009/05/learning-for-life.html

  11. headsign
    May 30th, 2009 at 10:40 am

    I was going to say Hitlerjugend but it has already been said. So I'll just leave you with the correct spelling.

  12. Kalel
    May 30th, 2009 at 10:41 am

    The training seems rather lop-sided if the children are not also carefully trained to monitor and report on their peers, parents, teachers, and churches.

  13. dutchboy
    May 30th, 2009 at 10:51 am

    What kind of tool would put his kids in this?

  14. zandar
    May 30th, 2009 at 10:58 am

    I think this is step backward compared to the scouts as I knew them thirty years ago. We learned woodcraft, firetending, camping and hiking skills, communication, water rescue, first aid- all falling under that ever-important umbrella of public service.

    Although this could be construed a public service of sorts, serving citizens by helping them with errands and dressing their wounds when they are ill or weak, using radios for emergency communications, helping keep citizens CALM and things of this nature are just as important as shooting guns around if there were some sort of widespread public emergency. I'd much rather see them serve this sort of role and letting law enforcement do the job they are supposed to do.

    My son wanted to join the cub scouts last year and we gave it a try. I was shocked to see in the past thirty years scouting somehow to devolve into nothing more than popcorn sales. Training our boys to be a door-to-door sales force is a total waste of an institution. Frankly I think it's a dearth of meaningful activity in today's scouting (lack of imagination on the leaders' part, most likely) that lead to out-of-whack craziness like this.

  15. ted
    May 30th, 2009 at 11:12 am

    I don't know about fascism, but it certainly is an unusual program. It's an affiliate of the Scouts, so you can't blame them for it.

    Sounds like fun, actually. Maybe if the situations were more generic than stereotypical, it would be a good thing. And comparing it to the Hitler Youth is silly. BTW, I had a boss once who was in the Hitler Youth in Germany. There are lots of other paramilitary organizations this could be compared to. We had the Air Cadets when I was growing up.

  16. Amanda F.
    May 30th, 2009 at 11:24 am

    I wonder if they're also teaching them the best way to best up gays, since it is the Boy Scouts and all.

  17. Video Game Dork
    May 30th, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Amanda, what do you think they mean by 'terrorist'? Oi...

  18. Video Game Dork
    May 30th, 2009 at 11:41 am

    (BTW, I was imply that they were including gays in their list of enemies, not criticisng your comment. :P )

  19. chet
    May 30th, 2009 at 12:02 pm

    This reminds me of the Spies, that youth organization in 1984, which taught kids to root out foreigners, spies, and saboteurs.

  20. zeytoun
    May 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    the threat of spies and terrorists and violent illegal immigrants is so minimal, that training children to "fight" or "uncover" it on any level is patently dishonest.

    The only 2 explanations: (1) the organization is formed to cater to the delusions of the children's parents or (2) the organization is formed to shunt children into a life of collusion with the military industrial complex.

    Hear, hear for training kids in constructive life skills, even survivalist ones. Boo on teaching children paramilitary combat techniques....

  21. good god
    May 30th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    I think they need to teach boy scouts how to KEEP WATCHING WHERE YOU POINT AN SMG, and it might be a good idea to keep it pointed AWAY from other scout's heads.

  22. MightyCow
    May 30th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    Ah, I long for the days when scouting didn't include gay-bashing and counter-terrorism.

  23. SenorMysterioso
    May 30th, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    I was a scout as a kid, not for long, and this just doesnt fit what I learned in scouts. It's a bit sad actually.

  24. Skipweasel
    May 30th, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    Looks too much like this...
    http://tinyurl.com/m5jja9
    to be taken seriously.

  25. Geekazoid
    May 30th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

    I think this appeals to the young 'video game generation,' the wanna be Call of Duty Modern Warfare game players. Search and seizure? Room clearing techniques? Cool!

  26. Anon of Ibid
    May 30th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Going for the "Bust A Cap In Your Ass" merit badge, are they?

  27. Kalel
    May 30th, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    lol@Skipweasel!!

    Truly one step beyond.

  28. shecky
    May 30th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

    Waterboarding merit badge if you can get an illegal alien to admit a link between Al Qaida and Saddam Hussein.

  29. DaveL
    May 31st, 2009 at 12:55 am

    I find the Mormon infiltration of the Scouts to be more disturbing than this.

  30. MightyCow
    May 31st, 2009 at 5:26 am

    @DaveL : Maybe the Mormon church is trying to develop a paramilitary wing.

  31. Sue Dunham
    May 31st, 2009 at 5:57 am

    So pot growers are terrorists now.

  32. Skipweasel
    May 31st, 2009 at 8:47 am

    Sue: - for certain highly specialised forms of terror, yes. The terror that the pizza boy might not arrive in time, the terror that you might nod off before someone passes round, the terror that you might get to the weekend without some supplies - yes.

  33. Larry
    May 31st, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    Looks like they're wearing an Americorps uniform:

    Do AmeriCorps NCCC members wear uniforms?
    Yes. You are required to wear a uniform. Uniforms are issued to members when they report to the campus. The uniform colors are gray, black, and khaki. At a minimum, all members will receive the following items:

    1. BDU (battle dress uniform) pants--black & khaki
    2. Khaki shorts
    3. T-shirts (short and long-sleeve)
    4. Polo shirts (short and long-sleeve)
    5. Hooded sweatshirt
    6. Winter parka
    7. Steel-toed work boots
    8. Baseball cap
    9. Fleece vest
    10. Coveralls

    Other uniform items may also be provided depending on the campus where you are assigned.

    What?
    No armband?

  34. wow
    May 31st, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    you know what they say about people that go looking for trouble....

  35. TDFlynn
    May 31st, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    that photo looks like this, http://www.caratulas.info/musica/M/Madness-One-Step-Beyond-Del-1989-De lantera.jpg

  36. Iru
    June 1st, 2009 at 3:56 am

    Man, are you americans crazy..... Remember Europe, 1930's and you'll see yourself.

  37. Eric Drummond Smith
    June 1st, 2009 at 9:45 am

    Something kinda' important is to remember Explorers is a program for Scouts about to go into College - it is intended to help them choose a career. As such there have always been programs that fed into military careers. And as to whether Scouts has always been a military preparation program, well, it has. It was founded in response to Lord Baden-Powell being deeply disturbed at how poorly English boys were prepared to deal with the rigors of a dangerous world - he was a vet of the Boer Wars I believe - and how many died out of a lack of basic self-discipline and survival skills. The distinction between the Scouting movement, which is imperfect and does need revision, is that it is in the liberal arts tradition - it encourages public service and self-education not a very particular ideological stance. Indeed, the fact that ideological stances have become the center of internal discussions in the last decade and a half indicates the BSA needs to recenter on skill development and helping boys choose their own path - which of course includes careers in law enforcement and the military as options.

  38. ted
    June 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    This is what this picture reminds me of:
    http://wallpapers.dpics.org/36_~_Scooby-Doo%2C_2002%2C_Freddie_Prinze_ Jr.%2C_Sarah_Michelle_Gellar%2C_Matthew_Lillard%2C_Linda_Cardellini.ht m

    (hope that worked)

  39. Ben Hall
    September 24th, 2009 at 10:49 am

    This is sick!

    Has our entire nation gone mad? There is no reason for this if you have an armed public. That is the main reason why America has never been invaded.

    Isoroku Yamamoto said in World war 2 that "You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass."

    Let the citizens protect this country - not government agents!


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