Military fights to keep hosting Boy Scout event

CHICAGO - The Defense Department wants to continue supporting the National Boy Scout Jamboree because preparing a military base for the event trains soldiers to deal with displaced people, government attorneys said Thursday.

The government is asking a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling that the Pentagon's support of the jamboree violates the First Amendment because the Scouts require members to swear an oath of duty to God.

The Boy Scouts received about $7 million in support from the Defense Department for the 2005 jamboree. More than 40,000 Boy Scouts attended, pumping about $17 million into Virginia's economy.

Justice Department attorney Lowell Sturgill argued that the military benefits because the jamboree produces conditions similar to those soldiers may face while serving in Iraq or responding to a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina.

It also is an effective recruiting tool, Sturgill said.

The American Civil Liberties Union contends that the gathering amounts to a government-sponsored religious event.

"This appeal is about a special pot of government money that cannot be enjoyed by people who don't believe in God," ACLU attorney Adam Schwartz told the three-member panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The military has provided logistical support for the jamboree since its inception in 1937. The next jamboree is planned for 2010 — the organization's 100th anniversary.

The Boy Scouts organization is not directly involved in the litigation, but says Scouts are not required to pray or attend church at the jamboree.