Photo By Laurie Pearson | Lance Corporal Christopher Garcia, Communications Department network transport Marine,...... read more read more
Marines, civilians and their families take pride in base beautification aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California.
Orchestrated by Sgt. Major Edward Kretschmer, base sergeant major, volunteers of five to a dozen individuals come together every other Saturday to engage in projects such as painting, removing tumbleweeds, and trash clean-up.
“One of the goals is to encourage Marines and civilians to take pride in the base,” Sgt. Major Kretschmer said. “We want to remind people that this is a Marine Corps installation. Anyone who comes on the base should see that the Marines here care about where they live and work.”
The projects, thus far, have included painting curbs, church steps and cleaning up in front of various buildings, to include building 15, where the command staff work and represent the base.
“We’ve removed tumbleweeds around the base, painted the wall near the front gate, split firewood, painted poles, moved the thrift store, picked up trash, deep-watered trees, pulled weeds, and painted the beer garden,” Kretschmer said.
As is typical of the Marines, there tends to be some level of competition and Lance Cpl. Garcia, data systems administrator, gets first place in removing the largest and heaviest tumbleweed on base as of yet. One of the other aspects of volunteering together is building camaraderie.
“As the Marines and civilians get together to volunteer, there is a sense of community being built,” said Cpl. Noah Avila, data systems administrator. “It’s important to note that it’s not just about the physical work itself, too. It’s also about the spirit of ‘giving back’ to the base as those on board.”
Volunteering with the sergeant major also gives single Marines something productive and rewarding to do with their time. It also allows for some socializing as they work.
“Some of the benefits from volunteering with sergeant major are that I get to be distracted and interact with my peers outside of work instead of being inside my room, keeping to myself,” said Lance Cpl. Elena AlvillarCamarillo, administrative specialist.
For others there is an altruistic aspect that can be all the more rewarding.
“The basic definition of volunteering is a person who performs or offers to perform a service voluntarily,” said Lance Cpl. Zachary Gandiongco, administrative clerk. “Volunteering to me is just something you do without recognition or reward, to do the right thing. Volunteering on Saturdays with sergeant major has helped me develop character because most people would rather sleep in or travel outside of base, but not us. Another benefit I gained was serenity and peace. When COVID-19 hit everyone was stressed out, including me. Being able to split wood or pick weeds helped me get over my stress and come back the next week refreshed.”
There are a lot of projects coming up and more volunteers are always welcome. Volunteers may also learn a new skill, like how to use a tool they’ve never used before.
“There is water always available for the volunteers,” Kretschmer said. “We have been using paint rollers, brushes, hammers, drills and pitchforks a lot so volunteers should bring safety glasses, gloves, and ear protection. We typically get a stake bed truck from Supply, too, to remove the tumbleweeds and trash, and to transport the necessary equipment for the day.”
“At one volunteer event in particular I was working with an auger which I had never worked on before and I gained knowledge which I could apply to my future self,” Gandiongco said.
“We need to finish splitting wood so we can sell it,” explained Kretschmer. The funds raised by the sale of the firewood would be donated to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball Fund. “We just completed the tumble weed removal last weekend. We need to use all of the yellow paint we have on hand, for poles of anything else yellow so we don’t have any wasted paint.”
The group meets at the Beer Garden every other Saturday at 8 a.m., typically. From there they move to the targeted area for work, then work until 1 1 a.m. depending on the heat for the day.
To join the volunteer events, show up on the next Saturday planned for volunteering, September 12, or email: noah.avila@usmc.mil.
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2020 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 381905 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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