MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Seabees from the station facilities department volunteered their Saturday to spruce up the Iwakuni community near the Nishiki River July 22.
The Seabees weeded through overgrown foliage near the bank of the Nishiki River with a sense of pride. Although their efforts may go unnoticed to some, they worked with determination to do their part for the community.
“It might not mean much to most people, but it feels pretty good just being out here doing something nice for the community,” said Seaman Max C. Ballentine, Seabee and Norwood, Ohio, native. “This is a good way to improve upon the Japanese-American relations. Most people don’t like the base here in Iwakuni, so we have to show them that we can help them out just as much as they help us out.”
Despite the hot sun and the thick vegetation surrounding the bank, the service members worked all through the morning only taking breaks when needing to refuel on water.
“It’s really hot out here this morning,” said Ballentine. “The sun really makes you feel like we are doing a lot of work.”
The project consisted of two groups and two locations one near a bridge by the river and another located right outside base near the C-Gate. In each group a few members were given weedeaters and rakes, while the rest just picked up the left over trash and threw it away. The work allows the Seabees to keep busy during their time away from war.
“We are providing a community service,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony C. Anderson, Seabee and Portland, Ore. native. “We try to find the places that need the most work. If we are not at war doing stuff, we try to spend our time doing other stuff.”
After working through the hot sun for more than four hours, the volunteers were treated to a barbeque at the house of Cmdr. George N. Suther, station facilities officer. The barbecue provided the Seabees with a reprieve from the hard days work and allowed them the chance to wind down and enjoy one another’s company.
“It was a good way to wind down after a hard days work and just enjoy some good barbeque,” said Senior Chief Patrick L. White. “It was all about boosting unit camaraderie.”
The work the Seabees did was a way for them to give back to the community and help spruce up some of the bad areas around Iwakuni City. They saw a drastic change in the appearance of the river bank and C- Gate, after accumulating approximately 50 bags filled with loose foliage.
“This is one way of showing to the community that we care about their environment as well,” said Anderson. “It’s a great feeling being out here, helping out the community.”
“It was a lot of work, the grass was really tall when we began, but when we were done you could really see a big change and notice the difference made,” said White.