Volunteers team with community, clean local river

Photo By Staff Sgt. Terence Brady | Navy Lt. Kevan Q. Lim helps local volunteers remove waste found in the river bed in the Aja River at Urasoe City, Okinawa, Aug 19. Some of the garbage found in the river had decayed to the point where it was completely unrecognizable. Lim is the chaplain of Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Combat Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (Photo by Pfc. Terence G. Brady)  

OKINAWA, JAPAN

08.19.2012

Courtesy Story

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

Story by Pfc. Terence G. Brady

OKINAWA, Japan - Tires, pipes and other refuse littered the river bed, but with the combined effort of the Okinawan community and Marines, all was made clean.

More than 50 Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, helped clean up the Aja River at Urasoe City Aug. 19.

The volunteer opportunity allowed Marines with CLR-37 to interact with the community and participate in a combined effort, according to U.S. Navy Lt. Kevan Q. Lim, the coordinator of the cleanup event and chaplain of CLR-37.

A wide range of people from the local community, young and old, came together to clean up the river, according to Zenki Gushikin, a Jicchaku community leader.

“It is bad to leave the river as it is,” said Gushikin. “It is not good for the environment, and having the youth from the community participating is a good way to teach them about the environment.”
When Gushikin realized that conducting the cleanup would be a hard task, he contacted the offices at Camp Kinser for assistance, according to Mamoru Uriu, the camp secretary and community relations specialist at Camp Kinser.

“We didn’t have enough people from the local community to finish the cleanup of the river,” said Gushikin. “We are very thankful that the Marines could help with the effort.”

When the Marines of CLR-37 heard about the opportunity to help, they did not hesitate to volunteer.

“Projects like these help us build goodwill in the community, which improves our relationship with our host country,” said Lim.
As soon as the Marine volunteers arrived at the project site, they went straight to work with the community.

“Getting Marines involved in these events allows them to meet people from the community,” said Lim. “They get to understand the community and show them that Marines put responsibility first.”
The volunteers’ selfless act helped make sure the cleanup was successful.

“It shows that Marines are not self-serving or self-centered,” said Cpl. Robin L. Lee, a landing support specialist with CLR-37. “We want to help.”

Volunteer events are a good way to learn different cultures and can be fun in the process.

“Marines can learn that serving other people can be fun, and learning about other cultures can be interesting,” said Lim. “Some of the best times you can have are when serving other people.”

• Date Taken: 08.19.2012
• Date Posted: 08.30.2012 04:00
• Story ID: 94020
• Location: OKINAWA, JP