MISAWA, Japan - Sailors assigned to the “Fighting Tigers” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 8 took some time off their busy schedules to assist the local community here again, July 23, 2012.

VP-8 sailors spent the day helping the local community at the Misawa Tonami Clan Memorial Park by building a safety fence around a pond area, and also helping remove weeds from the park’s vast garden areas.

"This was an event that will directly affect the community who uses these facilities; the fence we built is a much-needed safety deterrent to prevent small children and animals from entering the water," said Navy Counselor 1st Class Deborah Spinner, VP-8 command career counselor. "The park did not have the manpower to do everything that they wanted to do, so VP-8 was more than willing to lend a hand,"

"It's nice to know that we are directly affecting their safety, while also beautifying their landscape," said the St. Louis native. "The results are definitely noticeable."

This community relations (COMREL) project makes the fourth event of this kind for the squadron, which is currently deployed to Naval Air Facility Misawa in northern Japan. Since arriving, more than 80 Tigers have volunteered for COMREL projects on base and within the local community, logging more than 1,300 hours of community service.

“Upon our arrival, VP-8 leadership expressed their desire to help out the community while we are deployed here. We have our mission obligations, but we are capable of making an impact beyond just aboard the aircraft. I think today is a great example of what we can accomplish when we volunteer our time and effort in the community,” said Chief Logistics Specialist Rondey Harris, VP-8 COMREL program coordinator, and a native of Albany, Ga. “The genuine appreciation we received from our Japanese hosts is truly priceless.”

VP-8 is based out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., and is currently on a regular scheduled, six-month deployment to U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility.

For more news from Naval Air Facility Misawa, visit https://www.cnic.navy.mil/misawa/index.htm or check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nafmisawa.

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