MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- YECHON, South Korea - Marines and Sailors from Marine Aircraft Group 12 and Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 visited a South Korean orphanage recently to provide needed supplies and lend a helping hand.
The service members departed from the Yechon Air Field with a group of Republic of Korea Air Force airmen to bring the children at the Yechon House of Love Orphanage money, food, clothing, blankets and an afternoon of fun.
Navy Lt. Robert Jones, MWSS-171 chaplain, headed up the visit after establishing relations with the Christian orphanage for the mentally handicapped during Foal Eagle '02.
When the Marines, Sailors and airmen arrived, they offloaded boxes upon boxes of gifts donated by the Marines and Sailors of MWSS-171 and MAG-12.
When they first arrived at the orphanage, many of the service members did not know what to expect, since for some it was the first time they have ever done such a thing. "When I first saw the children I was surprised at the various ages, and I immediately felt happy to know that I was helping them," said Lance Cpl. Kevin McCall, MWSS-171 combat photographer.
Since the service members arrived around the children's lunchtime, they got the opportunity to take part in serving the children food and assisted the caretakers in feeding the children.
After the children were done eating, the service members helped brush the children's teeth and continued to build new friendships.
Getting to help take care of the children was a very satisfying experience for the Marines who took part in the visit, according to Lance Cpl. Roderick Robinson, a firefighter with MWSS-171's Crash Fire Rescue unit.
"Getting joy out of helping people less fortunate than you makes you feel very satisfied. It also makes you feel grateful for what you have," the Atlanta native said.
After assisting the orphanage with their daily tasks, the group sang songs and danced during a brief church service.
During the service, service members passed out candy and drinks to the children.
To assist in breaking the language barrier, Cpl. Jung Cho, a MWSS-171 drafter, surveyor and Korean translator, was on board to assist the Marines and Sailors in communicating between the orphans and the caretakers.
When the afternoon visit came to a close, the group of Marines and Sailors presented boxes of supplies to the orphanage as well as a money donation collected by MWSS-171 and MAG-12.
The visit was a good opportunity for the service members to get away from the mud of the Yechon Air Field and reflect on how they take their luxuries for granted, noted Sgt. Jon Templeman, MWSS-171 Crash Fire Rescue firefighter.
"After being out here and dealing with the elements and then going and visiting the orphanage, it made me feel very humble and grateful for the things I have," said Templeman. "Even if it is just a cot and heater."
Through the relationships service members have built, Jones was able to establish better grounds for planning a trip to the orphanage next year.
"The caretakers are always open to us coming and visiting them, and we have established good lines of communication to make next year's trip bigger and better," said Jones.