Photo By Staff Sgt. Candace Mundt | Residents of the Dekpyeong Foundation applaud the U.S. and Republic of Korea Sailors...... read more read more
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POHANG, South Korea - U.S. and Republic of Korea sailors went to the Dekpyeong Foundation on the outskirts of Pohang, South Korea, April 18 as part of a charity project.
The Dekpyeong Foundation’s mission is to take care of the disabled, elderly and poor members of the community.
“It’s what we would call a nursing home back in the states,” said Navy Lt. Roland Ngogang, a planning officer and contingency engineer for U.S. Command Naval Forces – Korea.
“They currently have 45 on board, but they wish that they could take more,” he said about the foundation’s current residents. “They rely entirely on donations from the community that come to the church.”
“We’re doing this for free so that they don’t have to spend extra funds that can go somewhere else,” he continued.”
“Today we are working hand in hand with the ROK navy painting, cutting vegetation and sprucing things up,” said Seaman Stephen Gansler, a steelworker in U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 based in Port Hueneme, Calif., who grew up doing charity with his family and continues to volunteer in the states.
“I get the satisfaction of working closely with people and trying to make a difference, just a little bit at a time,” Gansler added.
This was Gansler’s first time doing charity work in another country and with people from a different culture.
“Everyone works together,” he said about working with the ROK sailors. “Even though we have different customs, you’re able to see how it all comes together regardless.”
The combined units trained together for two weeks prior to this community project. They worked side by side conducting engineer operations for a nearby exercise.
After the sailors painted, moved new furniture into the building and cleaned up the shrubs and trees, they got a chance to meet some of the residents of Dekpyeong.
They were led to a room where men and women waited to greet the service members and thank them for their help.
Before leaving, Seaman Kamren St. Clair, a construction worker in NMCB5, went over to a couple of the elderly women, shook their hands and thanked them.
St. Clair said this mission was particularly gratifying to him because he has grandparents in nursing homes.
He also said he was interested in seeing what similar establishments were like in a foreign country.
“It felt good to help them out,” St. Clair said. “I got to come to Korea, help them out, see what their living conditions are like and see them smiling.”
“It’s a big part of being a Seabee, doing charity,” St. Clair added. “Making people happy makes me happy.”
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2013 21:54 |
| Story ID: | 105544 |
| Location: | POHANG, 47, KR |
| Hometown: | PORT HUENEME, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, US, ROK sailors volunteer at local nursing home, by SSG Candace Mundt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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