Casting connections: Hospitality in Hong Kong

HONG KONG

03.28.2015

Courtesy Story

USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19)

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin A. Flinn

HONG KONG - American expatriates Dick and Bonnie Corwin said they heard of Meals in the Home existing long before they came to Hong Kong the first time. From where they first met in New York to Tokyo to Hong Kong in the 80’s and back again in the new millennium, they’ve been able to support service members through the Meals in the Home program.

The program allows local Hong Kong residents a chance to support service members through acts of hospitality. Just prior to arriving in Hong Kong, usually by ship, the hosts receive notification of the service members’ much anticipated arrival. If hosts are available, they submit plans for an event, providing a variety of choices for service members, from hiking, biking, or shopping to the most common plan: simply, a meal. And just like that, 30 years ago, with a meal, the Corwins first supported the program.

“They were young. We were young,” said Dick Corwin. “We had a nice evening, and it was a fun and positive experience.”

Recently during a visit to Hong Kong, U.S. 7th Fleet Flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) had over 120 Sailors participate in 15 different Meals in the Home events. Now a little bit older and more travelled, the Corwins once again hosted a group of Sailors for dinner when Blue Ridge visited. Even with all the time passed, they’re still engaged by developments within the Navy.

“I think we were all very interested to learn about the modern Navy,” said Bonnie Corwin. “It’s actually fascinating how it works and how many are involved.”

Many familiar programs are structured in the same way, such as Adopt-a-Sailor, a program that has been around since World War I or Kuala Lumpur American Sailor Socials (KLASS) in Malaysia. There are stories about various origins and time frames of when Meals in the Home first took root in Hong Kong, but no one origin story has surfaced as being the accurate one. Today, the American Women’s Association (AWA) of Hong Kong, a volunteer association designed to bring women from any nation together to have fun, socialize, explore or help others out, sponsors the program.

Religious Programs Specialist 1st Class Brian Jewell, Blue Ridge’s community service coordinator, had a lot to organize to bring the events to fruition. For him, it was unique compared to other community service events because there were several outings scheduled across different days and times.

“For these events, it was more complicated because it was across three days. I had to look across those days and see who needed to be on or off the ship and then, coordinate times and places with the hosts,” said Jewell. “The hosts don’t need to worry about shipboard organization though. That’s my job.”

Overall, Jewell said it was a good experience. He said he had received e-mails from Sailors and hosts after the events saying they had a good time, were glad they went, and would do it again too.

After deciding to go to two different Meals in the Home events during their visit in Hong Kong, Electronics Technicians 3rd Class Christopher Morgan and Brandon Miller were two of the many who said they would participate again. They went hiking on Dragon’s Back Trail with a group of women from AWA Hong Kong one day. On another, Alfred Tang, a Meals in the Home volunteer, led their group on a hike through part of Wilson Trail.

Tang started off with the program through his church. He and some other men from the church would fix up a meal, like barbeque, and invite Sailors to join them. The first event they hosted, they had one Sailor. From there, his involvement grew. Today, Tang hosts Sailors anytime they come through Hong Kong. Not easily gathered by Tang’s extroverted personality, his talk of the U.S. military, or his gaunt, athletic appearance, he has a Doctorate in Theology, earned before he became a particle physicist: certainly a unique host for anyone visiting.

“I believe in what the U.S. military’s doing,” said Tang. “That’s why I support them. I want to be a part of something I believe in, and since I can’t join the military myself, this is what I do to help out.”

Morgan said the he loves that type of physical activity and Miller, the sights and hospitality. Morgan even counted walking over 40,000 steps on his pedometer after the event Tang led.

“We did so many local things that are great tourist activities I would have never done on my own,” said Morgan. “I never knew it was like this, and it’s unbelievable that anyone would pass up on this opportunity. It’s amazing.”

Tang thinks the event went well. He led the group to more than just a hike though, showing them local marketplaces, hopping on trolleys and going to see many different flowers displayed in town.

“The problem was that it had been awhile since I hiked this trail, and I advertised the hike to be easy. It turns out that it was a little bit more than easy,” Tang said with a laugh. “They struggled a bit, but they were happy. As far as I could tell, they really appreciated the event, and I think that was their natural response. No one coached them to say that.”

Something has kept the program alive for decade after decade from the program’s unsure origin. If appreciation, from the supporters, like Tang or the Corwins, or even a group of well-fed Sailors isn’t the fuel to propel Meals in the Home across the years, it is an obvious result.

• Date Taken: 03.28.2015
• Date Posted: 03.28.2015 08:12
• Story ID: 158457
• Location: HK