Camp Hansen, Kin Town dignitaries bowl in friendship

Photo By Capt. Adam Miller | Tsuyoshi Gibu claps after his opponent picks up a spare Aug. 17 at the Camp Hansen Bowling Alley during a Camp Commander’s Friendship Bowling match. The bowling match was intended to bring III MEF leaders and local dignitaries of Kin Town together in a show of hospitality and friendship furthering their already strong relationship. Gibu is the Kin Town mayor. photo by Cpl. Adam B. Miller  

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JAPAN

08.23.2013

Story by Cpl. Adam Miller 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa - There is no mistaking the cracking echo in a bowling alley as 10 pins are knocked down by a perfectly placed, perfectly thrown bowling ball.

Such was the scene at the Camp Hansen Bowling Alley Aug. 17 during the Camp Commander’s Friendship Bowling match in correlation with the Camp Hansen Friendship Festival.

There is no mistaking the cracking echo in a bowling alley as 10 pins are knocked down by a perfectly placed, perfectly thrown bowling ball.

Such was the scene at the Camp Hansen Bowling Alley Aug. 17 during the Camp Commander’s Friendship Bowling match in correlation with the Camp Hansen Friendship Festival.

“We have a special relationship with Kin Town,” said Col. Stephen B. Lewallen Jr., the commanding officer of III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III MEF, and Camp Hansen commander. “The mayor (of Kin Town) and I see each other frequently, so when we get together like this it is just another way to improve our relationship and ensure it lasts a long time.”

Annually, Camp Hansen hosts a friendship festival to foster good relations between the Marine Corps and the Okinawa community.
“These types of events are good for both the Marines and the people of Kin Town and their families,” said Kiichi Higa, the superintendent of Kin Town’s board of education. “But it is also a good opportunity for people like me because it gives me a chance to get to know some of the (Marine Corps’) leaders here a little better.”

During the bowling matches, it was all laughs, cheers and applause as the Marines, their families and Kin Town dignitaries did their best at a game requiring a great deal of skill.

“I’m not the best bowler, but I had a fun time bowling with the colonel, sergeant major and the other representatives of Kin Town who were able to make it out for the event,” said Tsuyoshi Gibu, the Kin Town mayor. “But the real purpose was to deepen the connection we have between our community and the Marines who live and work where we live and work.”

It was a good time to let loose, share some laughs, and enjoy a fun game all in the name of building upon an already good relationship between Kin Town and Camp Hansen, according to Gibu.

• Date Taken: 08.23.2013
• Date Posted: 08.23.2013 03:43
• Story ID: 112465
• Location: CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JP