MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Service members with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron competed against each other in a field meet at Penny Lake field here, Nov. 4.
The four departments inside H&HS; logistics, operations, headquarters and the Provost Marshal’s Office, faced off in several events to promote friendly competition and help build unit cohesion.
“We can see a lot of good motivation, team camaraderie and esprit de corps being built,” said Lt. Col. Michael Coletta, H&HS commanding officer.
The morning started with a squadron run from the station parade deck out to Penny Lake fields with the Headquarters department leading.
“It’s good getting a chance to get out here, shake hands and talk to people,” said Coletta. “This is an opportunity for me to take the morning off, just talk to Marines, share some camaraderie with them and then eat some chow with them afterwards.”
Departments competed in tug-of-war, relay races, arm wrestling, humvee pulls, pugil sticks and more. Service members shouted and cheered as their departments battled it out, every spectator wanting their warrior to be the victor.
“I know Marines love to compete, it’s in our blood,” said Coletta. Coletta even helped out Headquarters in the tug-of-war competition, coming in second behind Operations.
“You see a lot of people binding together right now, cheering each other on,” said Lance Cpl. Byron D. Johnson, Headquarters department and station Installation Personnel Administration Center diary clerk.
Johnson participated in every event and his actions showed motivation through the entire field meet.
“I think if we keep having fun at events like this, everyone will stay happy,” he said.
Service members gave their all in every competition while the excitement showed on everyone’s faces.
“We’re doing it for fun, but we still want to win,” said Cpl. Princess Woodside, Logistics department warehouse clerk. Woodside competed in the arm wrestling contest and won against both of her female opponents.
“It was fun because I’ve never arm wrestled before,” said Woodside.
When it was time for pugil sticks, everyone gathered around the paint circle in the field, while each department picked their three best fighters. Every match brought more excitement from the crowd, exclamated shouts every time a strike landed.
“They didn’t have anything like this (at my last station),” said Cpl. Carmi G. Smith, PMO patrolman.
“This is actually pretty interesting.” Smith participated in the tugof-war with others from PMO.
“(I’m here) helping my fellow Marines I work with to give them morale support and cheer them on,” said Smith.
The dizzy izzy was the last event, where the participants sprinted out to a baseball bat, placed their head on top of the bat and the other side on the ground, then spun around the bat 20 times before running back to tag the next person in their team. Every onlooker ended up laughing at some point from watching the runners stumble and fall before making the run.
Operations won the most points by the end of the event.
Coletta spoke to the service members after the meet, congratulating all who came out and also talked about a field meet against Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 scheduled for the coming spring. The crowd roared back in excitement at the chance to go against MWSS-171.