MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Station chapel members, Marines and sailors volunteered and visited Midoro Hoiken school in downtown Iwakuni Oct. 27.
As the volunteers began entering school grounds, the children flocked around smiling and laughing. The emotions on their faces ranged from surprise and wonder to shock and awe.
Dressed as a wolf, Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex G. Vinluan, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 religious programmer, attracted both fear and excitement from the children.
The chapel has been going to Midoro once a month for the past eight years to help Japanese children learn English and to teach the value of exchanging cultures. Eight years ago, Noriko Yamada, station chapel administration specialist, started these monthly visits to Midoro.
Yamada began these visits in order to help the Japanese children learn English, teach them about friendship, culture and give the students good childhood memories.
“We would like to keep this good relationship,” said Yamada.
Once volunteers were led upstairs, they were distributed among three rooms. Each room was full of children eagerly waiting to play.
The children with their selected volunteer put together puzzles, read English alphabet books and played with their volunteer’s costume.
Along with station residents who seek out volunteering opportunities, e-mails are sent out to anyone who may want to go.
Volunteers bought the candy they gave to the children using their own money.
When the children graduate in March, the chapel will present English graduation certificates to the children. These certificates will also be paid for by the volunteers.
The teachers then brought the children into one room where Yamada and volunteers began to teach children how to say, “trick-ortreat.” The children shouted back cheerfuly, each one trying their best to mimic the words.
“I feel like I’m making a difference,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Lance Burleson, an Iwakuni Armed Forces Network mass communication specialist.
It’s up to us to show the Japanese we do care, Burleson added.
Children and volunteers played a game where they walked around in a circle while music played.
Once the music stopped, one volunteer held up a number, the others would drop to the ground and try to gather that number of children around them.
“I like getting to see the childrens’ expressions when you talk to them in their language,” said Burleson.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Reed, a station religious programmer, volunteered his time in order to teach children and have fun with them at the same time.
“We showed up, got to play with the kids, got to teach them some English and taught them a little about Halloween,” said Reed.
The room was separated by a screen with children on one side and volunteers on the other.
The children would then come up to the screen three at a time, knock on the screen and wait for it to open.
They then said trick or treat and reached into the bags of candy.
“Kids are awesome, they make your day,” said Reed.
Going to Midoro is Reed’s way of helping the country and his way of proving the station is capable of having good relations with the locals.
The costumes the volunteers wore were provided by the chapel.
The chapel goes to Midoro on the fourth Thursday of every month with the exception of holiday’s.