Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

How would you like to influence the programs, trips and events MCCS has on station?

Recently, MCCS sent out an opinion poll requesting station residents’ input about increasing barbershop prices or charging gear rental fees at Outdoor Recreation.

Just taking a small sample of responses on my own, I garnered at least one conclusion the MCCS marketing gurus did: There is a large misconception about MCCS.

A large percentage of reactions from male Marines tended to follow one line of thought, paraphrased of course: MCCS is screwing us over by raising prices to get more money.

This is not the case; well, OK, yes MCCS is trying to make more money but not to line its pockets. In fact, the money MCCS “makes” supports all the programs it also offers freely, or at a drastically reduced price, to station residents.

Perhaps you’ve been to the gym recently, or are at least aware that there is a gym here — did you or anyone you know pay a fee to use the facility?

Or you might have gone on a Single Marine Program trip ... perhaps the Tokyo Fun Trip?

“MCCS loses money when they hold a trip and no one goes,” said Sgt. Edwond Henderson, SMP president. “They still lose money when people go on a trip.”

Taking the Tokyo Fun Trip as an example, $200 for five nights in a Tokyo hotel and transportation included is a bargain period. So let’s get back to haircuts.

“The barbershop, we've known, has been operating at a loss,” Sean W. McHenry, MCCS Marketing officer, said. “How are we going to cover the losses we are incurring for every haircut at the barbershop?”

One suggestion, prior to the opinion poll, was charging for gear rental at Outdoor Recreation.

“We are probably one of the few installations, if not the only installation, that does not charge for outdoor recreation equipment,” said McHenry.

That’s another freebie, at present, by the way.

“MCCS is just trying to get money to fund programs,” said Henderson “All that equipment costs money.”

Some, male Marines in particular, might be inclined to think the potential increased cost at the barbershop means they are footing the bill for others to get free gear. But, in reality, the deficiency is at the barbershop.

“If the prices are raised at Outdoor Rec, those people are actually helping to fund those getting haircuts,” said McHenry.

To oversimplify things, MCCS is an extremely large, and thus significantly more complex, soda mess.

MCCS is not a private organization; it falls directly under the Department of Defense. Functionally, Morale Welfare and Recreation, and the money makers e.g., clubs and exchanges, were moved under the same umbrella to allow profits from one to offset costs to the other and provide a greater value, said McHenry.

Per Department of Defense instruction, parts of MCCS are very much like businesses and they must be self-sustaining and profitable.

Any extra money isn’t lining MCCS fat cats’ personal pots of gold. The extra money is recapitalized back into the overall MCCS sodamess- like machine, said McHenry. So, how can you get some soda you like from MCCS?

There are a plethora of methods. Saturday, the SMP will have personnel providing surveys at the Exchange and Crossroads Mall.

Moreover, Marines can speak with their SMP representatives anytime, the SMP president or personnel in the Hornet’s Nest and Marine Lounge.

“Any comment, if it’s legitimate, we’ll push it up,” said Henderson. “If we don’t know about it, there’s nothing we can do.” “If enough people say ‘We want this,’ it will happen,” he added.

For station residents who may not have an SMP representative, the division heads at MCCS are available.

“We've got a great team of subject matter experts leading the different divisions, and they're available to talk to,” said McHenry.

MCCS as a whole will also be taking a more active role in educating station residents on how MCCS functions and how residents can help effect change.

“We'll be moving through a lot of the different business sectors and doing focus groups,” said McHenry. “So I encourage the readers, if they hear of a focus group, if they want to be a part of the decision-making process, to participate.”

The important thing to remember is, change doesn’t happen overnight.

“We've got some subject matter experts that are really good at what they do that are making incremental changes, and the changes don't happen overnight,” said McHenry.

Bottom line, if you have any suggestions, contact your SMP representatives or MCCS division heads, or jump into a upcoming focus group.

If not, you’re just voting for the status quo, and then how can you complain?