Parents unwind as kids bounce off walls

Photo By Pfc. Franklin Mercado | Michelle L. Smoak, whose husband is Staff Sgt. Derek A. Smoak, a recently redeployed Marine with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, plays with her son during a Jump-N-Jax Pot Luck held for Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group at a local business in the Jacksonville, N.C., Feb. 13, 2012. Throughout the 2nd MLG’s year-long deployment, the regiment gave spouses the opportunity to bring their children to a safe environment to have fun while they relax, eat food and converse with other parents from the unit. The next CLR-27 Jump-N-Jax Pot Luck is scheduled for March 12. For more information on family readiness activities contact the regiment’s FRO, Jose Padilla, at 451-1284 or by email at [e-mail].  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

02.14.2012

Story by Pfc. Franklin Mercado 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group gave spouses a chance to unwind as their children ran, jumped and played at a local business in the Jacksonville, N.C., area, Feb. 13.

The Jump-N-Jax Pot Luck is a monthly event hosted numerous times by the regiment during the 2nd MLG's year-long deployment and gives spouses the opportunity to relax, eat and converse with other spouses from the unit while their children have fun in a safe environment.

When a Marine deploys, one of the hardest jobs goes largely unnoticed. It’s the job of the spouse left behind to run the family.
The task of taking care of children, maintaining a household, and for some working full or part time while their Marine is on the other side of the globe is no walk in the park.

Spouses are often left looking for a chance to relax from filling two or three roles during the deployment.

“I’ve been coming since March of last year,” said Michelle L. Smoak, whose husband is Staff Sgt. Derek A. Smoak, a recently redeployed Marine with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group. “[Jump-N-Jax] is fantastic. It’s two hours of letting the kids run around and getting to know the other wives.”

The Jump-N-Jax Pot Luck was originally intended for families with a deployed parent but has since been offered to everyone in the unit.
The event is a good way to let your children play amongst themselves in a safe environment, Michelle explained. It’s also a good place for both adults and children to meet new people.

“I would absolutely encourage people to come,” she said. “Even in just the two hours a month we do it, I’ve met some great people and the kids have made friends.”

“Whether you are a couple with no children or you are a single Marine, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is welcome to come,” said Jose Padilla, the regiment’s family readiness officer.

The next CLR-27 Jump-N-Jax Pot Luck is scheduled for March 12. For more information contact the regiment’s FRO, Jose Padilla, at 451-1284 or by email at [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 02.14.2012
• Date Posted: 02.16.2012 09:39
• Story ID: 83937
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US