Photo By Cpl. Scott L. Tomaszycki | Jakob Halstead, 5, plays in a backhoe under the close supervision of Cpl. Billy D....... read more read more
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MARINE AIR CORPS STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Military families United and Marine Corps Community Services partnered together to give young children a taste of Afghanistan at the Camp Desert Kids event at the Cherry Tree House April 9.
The event taught children what life was like for their deployed parents in forward operating bases and also taught them a little bit about life in Afghanistan.
“The purpose of Camp Desert Kids is to give children an educational experience about Afghanistan, to give them insight into where their parent is deployed currently or where they’re about to deploy,” said Kasey Timberlake, a life skills trainer and MCCS volunteer. “It gives them an idea of what the children over there experience and how their culture is different than ours, helping them to understand what life is like for their parents.”
Children first filled out a “passport” before heading to Afghanistan. After having their picture taken for the passport, they were given short language and culture classes to learn how to say hello and goodbye in Pashto.
After completing their culture training, they were taken to a make-believe FOB where previously deployed Marines taught them about experiences in Afghanistan. While inside the FOB, the children tried on Marine equipment like helmets, flak jackets and back packs and played in two-man tents to learn what deployed life is like. To demonstrate what life is like for the Afghans, Marines and volunteers showed the children an Afghan bazaar, how Afghans vote, and gave them Afghan bread, rice and tea to eat and drink.
The tour of Afghanistan event ended in a “mess hall” where the children could eat all the pizza they wanted.
MCCS Cherry Point hosts an annual deployment event for children every year. Camp Desert Kids has been held before at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Fort Bragg, N.C. According to Timberlake, MCCS took into account the event’s past successes and invited Military Families United to help host one aboard Cherry Point as well.
The Camp Desert Kids event was considered a success by the Marine volunteers.
“It’s a great event,” said Sgt. Horton J. Brickman, a floor chief with Marine Wing Support Squadron 274 and a volunteer for the event. “It helps open up the eyes of not just the kids but also the spouses as to what their significant other is going through and what their daily life is like in Afghanistan. While their parent is deployed, it gives the family a peace of mind and helps open up their eyes as to what they’re doing over there.”
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2011 16:45 |
| Story ID: | 68700 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 354 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Camp Desert Kids help families understand deployments, by Cpl Scott L. Tomaszycki, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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