Scouts Join in ‘Operation On Target’
About 200 boys from San Diego County will participate today in the annual convention of the Varsity Boy Scouts of America, which takes place on mountain peaks and desert campsites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The San Diego Scouts--camping in groups of 20 in various locations--will be part of “Operation On Target,” in which 5,000 boys use signal mirrors to communicate with each other, and to send a continuous message from Canada to Mexico and from coast to coast.
On Friday night, the San Diego County Varsity Scouts camped out in the San Miguel Mountains, the San Jacinto Mountains and the Cuyamaca Mountains to prepare for the four-hour event that starts at 10 a.m.
“They’ll be out on the tops of mountains or in the open desert at the same time on the same day,” said David Hodges, spokesman for the San Diego County council. Hodges said that the Scouts will use 4-foot-square mirrors to send messages in Morse code.
“The excitement is when you’re on top of the mountain after months of preparation knowing that you’re on target with the goals you set as a team, and then seeing flashes around you of others who believe in the same ideals and values,” Hodges said.
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