Warrior Day teaches children about parents’ life in Marine Corps

Photo By Cpl. Thor Larson | Kinser Elementary School 4th graders do ammo-can lifts Dec. 10 during Warrior Day on Camp Kinser. “The purpose of the Warrior Day is to provide the students of Kinser Elementary School an opportunity to conduct training similar to what their parents do,” said Staff Sgt. Tracie Mahan, from Fort Madison, Iowa. Mahan is a machinist with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Thor J. Larson/Released)  

CAMP KINSER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

12.11.2014

Story by Cpl. Thor Larson 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP KINSER, OKINAWA, Japan — Fourth grade students from Kinser Elementary School on Camp Kinser experienced a day in the life of a Marine Dec. 10 during a Warrior Day.

Marines put together a course with multiple stations for the students to experience and understand some of the training their parents go through.

“Military children may be unaware of the routine training their parents regularly participate in,” said Staff Sgt. Tracie Mahan, a machinist with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “The purpose of the Warrior Day is to provide the students of Kinser Elementary School an opportunity to conduct training similar to what their parents do.”

The students participated in five different stations including Marine Corps Martial Arts, using an AN/PRC-119F radio, a modified medical evacuation, setting up a two-man tent, and a modified combat fitness test.

“These kids look up to their parents as heroes,” said Lance Cpl. Dylan K. Keirsted, a machinist with the battalion. “It’s good for them to see what their parents, their heroes, do for a living.”

The modified CFT started with a short sprint transitioning into a low crawl under string which simulated barbed wire. They then jumped over a stack of tires and ran to a water balloon throw to simulate the grenade toss.

“I think the kids had the most fun during the modified CFT,” said Lance Cpl. William Esquivel, a telephone systems/personal computer repairer with the battalion. “They were being very competitive with each other, and they learned a lot about the standards that their parents have to follow.”

The other events, like using a radio, medical evacuation and setting up a tent, taught the students about what their parents do on a daily basis while deployed, according to Keirsted, from Chandler, Arizona. They also learned valuable lessons that could be useful to a wide range of students, later in life.

“I think days like this should be (available) at all grade levels on military bases,” said Esquivel, from Brentwood, New York. “Older students can participate in events that more closely resemble the military. A high school student could understand a lot more than an elementary school student, but I think it’s important to start teaching them at a young age.”

This is the battalion’s second year hosting the Warrior Day at Kinser Elementary School, and it was more successful than last year, according to Mahan, from Fort Madison, Iowa. The battalion built this year’s Warrior Day from last year and worked hard to improve it.

“We hope to make Warrior Day an annual event because all of the kids have a great time,” said Mahan. “Our kids always have questions about what we do every day, and events like this help to answer some of those by letting them get actively involved.”

• Date Taken: 12.11.2014
• Date Posted: 12.18.2014 06:43
• Story ID: 150610
• Location: CAMP KINSER, OKINAWA, JP
• Hometown: BIRMINGHAM, AL, US
• Hometown: BRENTWOOD, NY, US
• Hometown: CHANDLER, AZ, US
• Hometown: FORT MADISON, IA, US