Service members give back, serve community

Photo By Cpl. Zachary Orr | SSgt Charles Schneider, a unit leader in Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, picks up trash with his fellow Marines at North Beach aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii during a battalion beach cleanup, November 10, 2016. The battalion participates in community service events at least once a month, even on deployment. “In Okinawa, we went to schools and helped children speak English, and in Korea, we helped farmers with their harvests and visited children in orphanages,” said Navy Lt. Richard Tiff, the chaplain for 3rd Marines. “Whenever we’re deployed, we like to help out those in that area – we wanted to bring that way of thinking back home.” (U.S. Marine Corps photo Lance Cpl. Isabelo Tabanguil)  

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, UNITED STATES

11.10.2016

Story by Cpl. Zachary Orr 

Marine Corps Base Hawaii

Service members with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, participated in a beach cleanup on Nov. 10, 2016, aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
The purpose of the cleanup was to give back to the service members and families aboard the base by ensuring the beaches were unpolluted.
Navy Lt. Richard Tiff, the chaplain for the 3rd Marine Regiment, said he wanted the Marines of the “Island Warriors” to give back to the local community, just as they have overseas.
“We always try to do community relation projects while we are on deployment,” said Tiff, a Los Angeles native. “In Okinawa, we went to schools and helped children speak English, and in Korea, we helped farmers with their harvests and visited children in orphanages. Whenever we’re deployed, we like to help out those in that area – we wanted to bring that way of thinking back home.”
Tiff said that while the battalion has held beach cleanups before, this cleanup had the largest number of participants. He said this, their fourth beach cleanup, was conducted by approximately 1,000 people, compared to the previous cleanup’s 70 volunteers, and is something he wishes more people knew about.
“The catchphrase we like to use is, ‘Winning hearts and minds,’ and when we go to help out in these various places, people typically see those in the armed forces as really good people,” he said. “Every now and then, the public gets a glimpse of the 1 percent that does bad things, but we want to show them we’re better than that. We want to show them the other 99 percent, and by doing those community relation projects, I believe we do that.”
Tiff said being in Hawaii, he had heard about strained relationships between the local populace and the military, but that strain is due to only seeing the 1 percent.
“I’ve worked with the River of Life Mission, a non-profit organization which provides aid to the homeless living in Hawaii, and I’ve seen how great the relationship can be between the locals and those stationed here,” he said. “I’ve found that those we help are very genuine and thankful – many of them are even veterans, which surprises many of our active duty service members who come back and say it was a great experience.”
Staff Sgt. Charles Schneider, a unit leader with Fox Company, 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines, said he also heard about those poor relationships.
“This is my second time being stationed here in Hawaii, but I have yet to see that problem,” said Schneider, a Flagstaff, Arizona, native. “In fact, I’ve always seen mutual respect amongst the two groups. Everybody seems to get along well, and I don’t think it matters if you are in the service or not – it’s all in your character and how well you treat others.”
Schneider said that while it is important to give back to the local community, it is also important to give back to fellow service members and their families. He said participating in the beach cleanup was the least he could do.
“When I was first told about this, I was eager to help out,” he said. “I’ve seen how dirty the beaches can get and thought it was pretty great our battalion was spearheading the effort to clean them up. We are doing this to give back to the community, and I didn’t hear a single Marine complain about it – in fact, I believe that we, as a battalion, are motivated and more than happy to do something as simple as pick up trash and make it clean for other members of the base. I think we are all excited to be part of something larger than ourselves.”
Tiff said that along with beach cleanups, the battalion also serves food to the homeless and hosts Easter fundraisers. He hopes the service members continue to give back throughout their.
“I think what we are doing is good,” he said. “I think public service is on a decline, and I think it’s important for service members to do things such as this. Volunteering gets them out of their normal routines, provides opportunities to get out and help the community, and gives them the chance to form new relationships with people they might have never met.”

• Date Taken: 11.10.2016
• Date Posted: 11.30.2016 22:24
• Story ID: 216077
• Location: MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US