Operation Ooh-Rah Kids Deploys
(April 6, 2011) |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Kaneohe Bay (4/1/2011) — A total
of 127 children tried being a Marine on for size during a
mock deployment with Operation Ooh-Rah Kids March 25. |
The group, comprised of children 7 to 13 years
old, spent the day learning how deploying
Marines operate as they chanted cadence and
marched around Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
Starting their day at the base theater, the
children divided into companies led by volunteer
Marine “drill instructors.”
“Your parents
are gone,” bellowed 1st Sgt. Wesley Misenhimer,
Headquarters and Service company first sergeant,
3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. “You belong
to me this morning!”
In his command
voice, Misenhimer then encouraged the children
to have fun and learn.
Operation Ooh-Rah Kids has been in
the making since last year, said Jayme |
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Members of “Charlie
Company” smile wearing camouflage makeup they
applied with help from snipers during Operation
Ooh-Rah Kids, a mock deployment at Marine Corps
Base Hawaii March 25, 2011. They learned about
Marine Corps history, practiced Marine drills
and had an extended tour of a CH-53D “Sea
Stallion.” |
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Alexander, operation coordinator and Readiness
and Deployment Support trainer, Marine Corps
Family Team Building. Alexander said the event
was meant to help children prepare and better
understand deployments of their military
parents. The daylong program was scheduled
especially when Hawaii schools would be out for
the state holiday Prince Kuhio Day. |
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Some volunteers were Marines scheduled to deploy soon and
took personal vacation time to help out, including Staff
Sgt. Dawud Hakim Jr., field artillery cannoneer, Charlie
Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. He guided
Sierra Company, while his son was part of Charlie Company.
Hakim, who deploys in mid-April, wanted to be a part of the
event to support the children as they learned about
deployment.
“I want the children to learn how to
drill,” he said. “It teaches them good leadership,
self-confidence ?and friendship.”
He and the other
drill instructors guided the companies to march in formation
to Hangar 102 for an extended tour. At the hangar, the
children stepped inside a static CH-53D “Sea Stallion”
helicopter and took a seat inside the cockpit. Excited to be
with the Marines, 10-year-old Victor Matos was one of many
participating children whose parents have deployed or were
preparing to go.
“I want to learn about all the stuff
my dad does,” Matos said. “He fixes helicopters and helps
?people too.”
The children also had pre-deployment
briefs, just as deploying Marines and sailors do. During
their briefs, the group learned about ranks, fitness and
other Marine Corps information.
Organizations who
help military families spoke, including Marine Corps Family
Team Building who offers classes about deployment during the
year. Representatives from the Families OverComing Under
Stress project talked to the students about how to handle
deployment stress. In an interactive presentation, the
children identified what causes stress for them and positive
ways of dealing with it.
After marching with Military
Police Department escorts, the group had lunch and a
military working-dog demonstration at Dewey Square. Each
company then spent time with different volunteers of several
MCB Hawaii units to learn about their jobs. The children got
a hands-on look at an obstacle course, retrieval robots and
medical units.
Children also learned how to drill like
the Marines in coordinated marches. Then marching back to
the theater, the group had a graduation ceremony and a
safety brief from Misenhimer.
With every MCB Hawaii
unit helping in some way, Alexander said this first event
has been a huge success.
“It is so good to see the
operation go so smoothly,” she said. “I had people asking me
what they could do, and they made it happen.” |
Article and photo by Christine Cabalo
Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay
Copyright 2011 | |
Provided
through DVIDS
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