MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Marines hosted a day filled with fun, games and food for the visiting children of the Tsuta Children’s Home who came aboard the station July 10.
This was the 22nd year the station ARFF Marines hosted a summer party here for the children of the Tsuta Children’s Home.
“Not much conversation was going on because of the language barrier, but fun is universal,” said Master Sgt. Joseph P. Beall IV, ARFF staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “You don’t have to smile in any certain language or laugh in any certain language. I thought we had a pretty good time.”
Station ARFF has sponsored the children’s home for more than 20 years through summer and Christmas parties, along with monetary donations and basic need items.
During this year’s summer party, ARFF Marines donated approximately 15,000 yen to the children’s home, along with laundry detergent and other items to make the children’s everyday lives at the orphanage more comfortable and convenient for the children.
The Marines spent the morning with the children playing games in the IronWorks Gym indoor pool here and the afternoon eating American treats and playing more games in the ARFF building.
Beall said he believes the annual parties station ARFF hosts for the children will benefit the children by helping them develop their interaction skills with other people.
“Just because someone looks different or speaks a different language they can still find ways to communicate with them,” said Beall. “Either just with gestures or whatever. If they can see that, I think that’s something that will help them out.”
Tepei Nakai, a Tsuta Children’s Home caretaker, was present during the ARFF-hosted summer party.
“Where we live, the children don’t have the opportunity to try and communicate with others in a different language,” said Nakai. “Here they can and they can build friendships at the same time.”
Nakai said he has noticed from this and past parties how much fun the children have and how precious those moments become to the children later on.
Although the focus during the summer party was on the children, many of the participating Marines said they really enjoyed the day and said they had just as much fun as the children.
Cpl. Cyndi Henn, an ARFF crash crewman, said events like the orphanage summer party, where they get to spend time with the children, really helps boost troop morale since it’s something most of the Marines don’t get to experience on a daily basis.
“(The summer party) showed a softer side of us that we all have,” said Henn. “Watching all of the guys in the section act like little kids and actually play is pretty entertaining, because they try to act all big and bad at work all the time.”