SMP hosts Araha Beach cleanup

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

09.01.2019

Story by Lance Cpl. Zachary Larsen 

Marine Corps Installations Pacific

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan – Waves gently washed ashore during a sunny day in Okinawa, Japan as Marines, sailors and their families dotted the Araha Beach shoreline in search of trash.

The members of the military community volunteered for the cleanup hosted by the Camp Foster Single Marine Program (SMP) on Aug. 31.

“Anybody who wants to volunteer can, so we can give back to the community,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Michael Sautter, an SMP Representative for Marine Wing Communication Squadron 18.

The volunteers were handed trash bags at the start of the cleanup. Trash such as straws, cardboard, cigarette butts, and seaweed along the shore line filled the bags quickly.

"If we leave trash, we come back out here to pick it up so the locals don’t have to," said Sautter, a Leesburg, Indiana native. "This event is important because it helps with our relationship with our host nation.”

At the end of the cleanup, Araha Beach was clean and ready for the local community to enjoy.

“The beach cleanup is a great way to show our appreciation to Okinawa,” said Lance Cpl. Todd Owens, a Paris, Texas native, with Marine Wing Communication Squadron 18.

The Camp Foster SMP conducts cleanups every weekend around the island. Camp perimeter and beach cleanups are only some of the volunteer opportunities the SMP has to offer.

To participate in the next cleanup or other volunteer opportunities, contact your local SMP.

• Date Taken: 09.01.2019
• Date Posted: 08.31.2019 23:44
• Story ID: 338080
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP
• Hometown: LEESBURG, IN, US
• Hometown: PARIS, TX, US