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    H&HS departments compete for pride, glory

    H&HS departments compete for pride, glory

    Photo By Staff Sgt. Kenneth Trotter Jr. | Lance Cpl. Jacob G. McClinton, a Station Operations field meet participant, and Lance...... read more read more

    IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN

    08.01.2012

    Story by Cpl. Kenneth Trotter Jr. 

    Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

    IWAKUNI, Japan- Several departments within Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron competed for pride and glory during a squadron field meet at Penny Lake fields here Aug. 1, 2012.

    The purpose of the meet was to foster a sense of friendly competition and esprit de corps between the various departments.
    “It was a chance to get out here, enjoy some camaraderie, and get out of the office” said Maj. Frederick L. Lewis, H&HS commanding officer.

    “It’s about us coming together. That’s the best part about it. People can be themselves.”

    Servicemembers from H&HS Headquarters, Logistics, Station Operations and the Provost Marshal’s Office competed in seven events.

    PMO won the field meet with station operations narrowly finishing second. Headquarters and Logistics tied for last place.

    The events not only tested the servicemembers’ strength and speed, but also their endurance.

    The series of events included the Dizzy Izzy, arm wrestling, a relay race, pugil stick bouts, a Humvee pull, tug-of-war and Own-the-Bone.

    The Dizzy Izzy is an event where competitors must run to a baseball bat, place the head of the bat on the ground, keep their forehead pressed on the bat’s handle, perform a total of ten spins and dizzily run back to their awaiting teammates.

    Own-the-bone is an event where two participants each place one hand behind their backs and the other on a pretzel-shaped piece of wood pushing and pulling in an attempt to wrestle the "bone" away.

    This field meet was brought about as a direct result of input from junior Marines via the Single Marine Program.

    “One thing I’m trying to do is reinvigorate the Family Readiness Program,” said Lewis. “We’ve got the family aspect of it: spouses, children, helping out folks that are either having problems with their families or having problems back in the states. The other big part of it is the single Marines. They’re part of the Family Readiness Program.”

    Lewis put forth a plan to discover just exactly what single Marines wished to do as a group and a squadron by consulting Lance Cpl. Estephania De Leon, the single Marine representative for H&HS.
    “So this was the idea the single Marines wanted to do,” said Lewis.
    Throughout the meet, servicemembers were kept hydrated and fed by the voluntary FRP members’ efforts.

    “Thanks to all the volunteers from Family Readiness who came out here and served food,” said Lewis. “They’ve been out here all day.”
    Some participants said the meet was not just for junior Marines, but for those higher in the chain of command, too.

    “It’s always important for the team camaraderie,” said Lance Cpl. Ronald Watts Jr., a PMO field-meet competitor. “We have our Staff NCOs and our NCOs out here. They motivate us just like each junior Marine. It’s not just from a junior Marine to junior Marine, peer to peer thing. We get support all the way up the chain of command. They have work they could be doing, but they’re out here supporting us, pushing us to let us know, ‘Hey, we still care about y’all down at the bottom. Keep doing what y’all are doing and we appreciate it.’”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.01.2012
    Date Posted: 08.09.2012 03:24
    Story ID: 92897
    Location: IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JP

    Web Views: 29
    Downloads: 0

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