IWAKUNI, Japan -- More than 100 Japanese children laughed and played with Station Seabees from the Facilities Department, July 10, at Higashi Hoikuen Public School during the school's summer festival.
The Seabees' participation in the event was part of the Adopt-A-School Program established by the Chaplain's Office earlier this year to help foster positive local community relations.
"The (chaplains) put out a feeler around the Iwakuni area to see if any schools would have an interest in partnering with individuals at (Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni), to have an ongoing relationship with people on base," said Navy Lt. Stephen Coates, Station chaplain. "About 16 schools responded. These schools are primarily for children whose parents both work. We've asked them what we can do, and they have responded according to their needs."
"The (Higashi Hoikuen Public School) has this festival every year," said Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Stevenson, Facilities Construction Crew supervisor. "It's for the families to come out and see what the kids are doing in school. We had the bounce machine, basketball, a parachute game, magic show and a lot of other games."
Stevenson said the families were impressed with the amount of equipment they came with.
"We surprised a lot of the Japanese parents because they had never seen so many Americans before," he said. "The children loved the bounce machine. I had to learn Japanese just to get them to come out."
"I played tug-of-war with the kids," said Petty Officer 3rd Class David Nolan, Facilities builder. "It was me against eight; they beat me."
Nolan said the experience was new to him, but terrific fun.
"I never really did something like this before," he said. "I hope the military left a good image in the eyes of the children."
According to Nolan, some of the children were afraid of the foreign looks of the Americans at first, but completely warmed up to them by the end of the festival.
"They just kept coming back for more," he said.
Stevenson said Facilities has plans to continue working with the school. The experience has solidified another successful relationship through the Adopt-A-School program.
"This is a great way to reach out in a thoroughly positive manner," said Coates. "It's never a negative consequence to do good to other people. This is an opportunity afforded us by the Iwakuni school district to reach out with genuine American generosity to young children."