MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Lt. Col. Jonathan Gackle, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 commanding officer, visited the Boys Scouts of America Lodge here to present the members of Iwakuni Troop 77 with a monetary donation on behalf of MALS-12 Monday.
MALS-12 presented the $100 donation to Troop 77 to support and thank them for the help they have given the squadron in the past.
“Because we’re a small community, we rely and stand on the shoulders of our volunteers,” said Gackle. “We have volunteers here that are supporting the scouts, and those scouts are our children. It’s all part of supporting the larger community of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.”
Scouts of Troop 77 have lent their assistance to MALS-12 and the community on several occasions, including this year’s Friendship Day.
Gackle said he hoped the squadron’s donation would help the scouts continue their work.
Jeffery Fleming, MALS-12 family readiness officer, was also on hand to present the donation to the Boy Scouts.
Fleming said the check was a way to say they understand and appreciate everything the scouts do to help to foster good relations with the Japanese.
“This is our youth,” said Fleming. “Our youth is going to shape and form how our society goes.”
The scout leaders were quick to express how much they appreciated the donation.
“I think it’s absolutely outstanding,” said James Wentling, Boy Scouts Troop 77 Scout Master. “If it wasn’t for the donations from the people aboard the base, the scout troop wouldn’t be able to do the things it does.”
Aside from volunteering their time to MALS-12 and the community on and off the station, Troop 77 scouts conduct summer camp trips, which cost them money.
“All of our money and our funds either go to charity or to our summer camp,” said 16-year-old Trevor Cameron Wentling, Troop 77 Life Scout and senior patrol leader.
“There’s only so much we can do on this base to raise money, and so when we have things like this happen, it’s not an everyday type deal. It’s really, really great.”
The Boy Scouts of America was founded on Feb. 8, 1910 and has adopted as its mission to instill ethical and moral values in all its members.