Photo By Cpl. Michael Lockett | Marines and sailors from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit cleaned up the Sneads...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Clearing tree lines. Trimming low hanging branches. Mowing the lawn. Re-plumbing the midfield water spigots. Putting up new wire fences. Excavating an old, decrepit flagpole. For the Marines and sailors of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, July 20, 2012, was a busy day.
“We’re clearing the grounds and getting ready for the festival,” said Lisa Hamner, chairman of the Sneads Ferry Shrimp Festival.
The festival, slated for Aug. 11-12, is hosted at the Sneads Ferry Community Center. It will feature fun, food, games, and of course, shrimp. They expect around 10,000 visitors from the surrounding area, which includes the nearby military installations.
The project was led by the noncommissioned officers of the 26th MEU, with teams tackling each area under the supervision of sergeants from different sections of the MEU. While one group cleared the fence line on the east side of the area, another helped cut back undergrowth and branches on the west side. A third group cleaned up the area around the pavilion at the end of the field and erected a new fence to help delineate two areas for the festival. Other Marines worked individually or in pairs to tidy up trees, flagpoles, or to mow the lawn.
“It’s a nice change of pace. I enjoy working with my hands,” said Lance Cpl. Christopher Stark, operations clerk from Glasgow, Ky. Volunteering their time and effort, the Marines are working to present a different image to the local population than the one typically conjured when the term ‘military’ comes up.
“It helps people put a better face on what the military does. We do more than just fight wars,” said Lt. Cmdr. Troy K. Todd, 26th MEU chaplain. The project, part of the command’s desire to increase its outreach with the community, will help the non-profit organization take care of grounds maintenance that is essential for the setup of the shrimp festival.
“It’s good for Marines to give back to a local community around the base,” said Todd. And give back they did. Performing grounds maintenance that would have been prohibitively time consuming for the few permanent volunteers on staff, the Marines accomplished their tasks in a matter of hours, rather than days or weeks. “We usually get a few [volunteers], but volunteers are hard to come by,” said Hamner. “It’s a major, time-consuming event taken care of. Handled. Done. Checked off the list.”
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2012 16:04 |
| Story ID: | 91911 |
| Location: | SNEADS FERRY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, US |
| Hometown: | GLASGOW, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | SNEADS FERRY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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