The 2008 Texas American Legion Boys State

A week from today I’ll be checking in to the Texas American Legion Boys State program. It will be my third straight year to serve as a senior counselor in what I truly believe is the best leadership program for high school males in America today. It is for that reason that the counselors all give up a week of vacation time to take part and receive no pay for the program.

Comprised of close to 700 boys from around the state that have just finished their junior year of high school, Boys State is a unique week long program in which the boys learn about government, civics, and leadership in a “learn by doing” atmosphere. Since it was created in the 1930s as a counter to the fascist youth camps that were gaining in popularity, Boys State has been an incubator for future leaders that have gone on to success in government, business, and the military. Some examples include Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh, Mike Huckabee, Tom Brokaw, Michael Jordan, and Neil Armstrong. The program is now hosted every summer in 49 states and thousands of boys attend free of charge thanks to sponsorships from their local American Legion posts.

I was fortunate to be my school’s selection for Boys State in 1993. I was already a political aficionado that enjoyed volunteering on campaigns, reading The Almanac of American Politics for fun, and watching C-SPAN. Still, Boys State taught me more about politics and government in just one week of practical experience than an entire semester of high school government did in my senior year. In a very real sense it helped make me the person I am today.

The boys that come to Texas’ Boys State are leaders in their schools. Each one has been nominated by their teachers and counselors and is ultimately selected by a local Legion post. For many of them it is the first time they’ve been away from home by themselves. They will meet boys from across the entire state that come from all walks of life. By the end of the week however most have formed bonds that will last a lifetime. In some respects it is like boot camp because every boy wears the same Boys State t-shirt and boys from the same school are split up so that there are no preformed groups or alliances.

The program is held every year during the first full week of June on the University of Texas campus in Austin. Large assembly halls and auditoriums are used throughout the sprawling campus for the program. The vast UT intramural fields host the various Boys State sports competitions in the afternoons. The world’s second largest dormitory, the massive Jester Center, is where each boy will share a dorm room with another boy. It’s likely the first roommate he’s ever had. 40 boys will be placed together on a floor in Jester and will be named as a “city.” Amongst the 40 boys half will belong to the Nationalist party and half will belong to the Federalist party. Each party is purely fictitious and it is up to the boys to create their own platforms, chose their own party leaders, nominate their party candidates in primaries, and ultimately square off against the rival party in a general election. With each party having the exact same number of members, getting the cross over votes is key to victory. Boys can run for any office from Governor to justice of the peace and everything in between. Very quickly the boys see how the process works in gathering signatures to be placed on the ballot. They are forced to give speeches in front of hundreds of their peers. They learn how to campaign, how to form coalitions, and if elected they get a taste of how to pass legislation. In fact, the only difference between Boys State and real life in the accelerated one-week process is that there is no money or mudslinger as in real campaigns. Besides that, it’s the real deal. The boys even face run-off elections in the primaries amongst the top two voter getters if no one breaks 50% of the vote. The days at Boys State are necessarily long with everyone getting up at 6am to go to breakfast and with most nights not ending until 11pm or later because of party conventions and speeches. Throughout the entire process everyone seems to have fun. The pound for pound energy at the party rallies and assemblies at Boys State passes anything you will ever see at a real political convention.

One of the highlights during the week is the vast number of dignitaries that come to speak to the boys. For most of the boys it’s the first time they’ve ever been to Austin and it’s a thrill when many of the statewide elected officials not only speak to them, but also answer their questions and sometimes even eat dinner with them in the cafeteria. Boys State also routinely has speakers that have been P.O.W.s, business leaders, and even one that served as the CIA station chief in Moscow. His talk is always one of the favorites.

On the last day of the program the boys conduct a parade from the UT campus to the Texas Capitol. The Austin police block off N. Congress Ave. and the Boys State color guard and band (the band is made up of Boys Staters and is routinely one of the best I’ve ever heard) lead the way. Once at the capitol the boys are able to visit the offices of their state reps and senators and tour the building. Those that have been elected to the Boys State House and Senate sit on the floor of the Texas House and Senate in the same chairs and desks used by the members of the Texas Legislature. They will debate mock legislation and cast votes.

Politicians, like Whitney Houston, are forever lamely saying that the children are our future. Well, at Boys State you get to see some of our future leaders as young men and if you spend some time around them you will feel better about our nation’s future. If only we had more programs like Boys State I think we’d have less to worry about.