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NAGO, Japan - First impressions leave a lasting impact with most
people, especially children. As children grow, many reflect on past
experiences and remember those who influenced their futures.
Positive interaction with other nations and understanding diverse
cultures and personalities are important things that make lasting
impressions on youth.
Smiles were wide and laughter loud as
Marines and sailors of Camp Schwab visited Himawari Gakudo Day Care
Center May 11, 2013 to build such a relationship.
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Marines and sailors say goodbye to children following a visit to
the Himawari Gakudo Day Care Center May 11, 2013. The children and
service members played card games, darts, and musical instruments
and participated in sporting activities during the visit. The
Marines and sailors are assigned to various units at Camp Schwab.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Kasey Peacock)
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The day care center hosts more than 70 children ranging
from ages 5-12, and the visit helped introduce the Marines
to the children, according to Navy Lt. Reginald E. Jones,
the chaplain for 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, which
is currently assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine
Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, under the unit
deployment program.
“When 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines,
got to Okinawa, they hit the ground running with training,”
said Jones. “Now that we have been out here for a while, it
was time for us to get more involved with the community.”
Following introductions, the children impressed the
service members with a demonstration of their ability to use
a soroban. A soroban is comprised of an odd number of rods,
each with beads on them that children use to complete
mathematical equations.
Once the ice was broken, the
children and service members began playing card games,
darts, musical instruments and various sporting activities.
“I was so pleased to see the happy faces on all of
the children today,” said Yoichiro Higa, the director of the
day care center. “The kids get very few opportunities to
meet and interact with the American military members. This
was a great chance for them to play together. I hope this
interaction was one of many to come in the future.”
Community relations events like these offer the chance for
Marines and sailors to experience a unique piece of Okinawa
culture, according to Lance Cpl. Ricardo Gonzalez, a Marine
Air-Ground Task Force planning specialist with 4th Marine
Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III MEF.
“I always
enjoy spending time with kids and knew this would be a great
opportunity,” said Gonzalez. “I figure if I'm out here
having fun, maybe I can go back and encourage more Marines
to participate.”
These children are most likely the
same ages of some of the Marines' younger siblings,
according to Higa.
“I hope this relationship will
continue to grow,” said Higa. “The service members are
always welcome here, and I know the children will look
forward to future events.”
Even with a slight
language barrier between them, the service members and
children did not hesitate to interact and relate with each
other.
“I noticed one of the Marines was wearing a
Japanese cartoon shirt,” said an 11-year-old boy at the day
care center. “I thought this was very cool and enjoyed
spending time with the Marines.”
With the recent
resurgence of the unit deployment program, the Marines were
able to get involved with the day care center after more
than a decade, according to Fumio Iha, the community
relations specialist for Camp Schwab.
“The day went
exactly as we had hoped,” said Iha. “With today's success, I
hope we can establish a consistent presence at the day care
center in the future.”
By USMC Pfc. Kasey Peacock
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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