As a former Scoutmaster and now a Chartered Organization Representative, the Scouting program is invaluable in this day and age. There is nothing like mother nature to teach kids whose lives are filled with video games, skate-boarding, an overly-tolerant education system and parents, etc. what life is really like and that there are some rules that cannot be broken or ignored without a harsh penalty. Obviously these boys didn't do anything wrong or tempt fate--sadly, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can bet every one of them will be a better person for having gone through the ordeal though. They will all be a little better prepared, become better adults and leaders, and that will set them apart from others that were never involved in Scouting.

"The mission of Scouts is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law."
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“Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival.”
W. Edwards Deming