issue 20 remembering 9/11 the lead in preventing suicides · page 1 september 15, 2009 issue 20...
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September 15, 2009Issue 20
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – In 2008, 42 Ma-rines committed suicide, and there have already been 35 suicides in the Marine Corps so far this year. With the help of properly trained noncommissioned of-ficers, the Commandant of the Marine Corps hopes to put to a halt to this star-tling trend.
“Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the Marine Corps,” said Gen. James Conway in a video message. “In most cases, suicide can be prevented. Let me be clear, the Marine Corps ap-proach to suicide prevention is that it is an NCO responsibility. Our corporals and sergeants are our first line of defense.”
To train NCOs to be “the first line of de-fense,” NCO Suicide Prevention Training classes are being held to educate NCOs on ways to “Never Leave a Marine Be-hind.”
One such class was held at the Com-bat Logistics Regiment 17 classroom Aug. 26, in which 10 corporals and ser-geants learned ways to identify warning signs in their fellow Marines who may be contemplating suicide.
During the three-hour class, the NCOs watched videos with realistic scenarios about Marines who either have commit-ted suicide or attempted suicide. The Ma-rines then analyzed what the leaders did right or wrong in those scenarios.
In one video, a Marine returning from Afghanistan was having marital prob-lems, which led to alcohol abuse and poor performance at work. His NCO should’ve seen the warning signs that he was having problems, but he didn’t take the time to really talk to the Marine and find out what was bothering him. It wasn’t until the very end of the video – when the troubled Marine’s buddy stepped in to alert the NCO – that anything was done to get the Marine the help he needed.
One student of the class said the video
NCOs take the lead in preventing suicidesStory by Sgt. Jennifer BroferThe Convoy Staff
See SUICIDE, PAGE 3
Remembering 9/11
Marine receives Bronze Star for heroismStory and photo by Cpl. Jacob A. SingsankThe Convoy Staff
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Master Gunnery Sgt. Robert A. Busto, the ground ordnance maintenance chief with Ordnance Maintenance Company, 1st Mainte-nance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, received the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguish-ing Device during a ceremony here, Sept. 4.
Busto, 38, from Prescott, Ariz., was pre-sented the Bronze Star along with the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, both with Combat Distinguishing Devices, by Lt. Col. Kevin J. Stewart, commanding officer of 1st Maintenance Bn., 1st MLG, due to his heroic actions in support of Op-eration Enduring Freedom from Oct. 29, 2007, to Dec. 10, 2008.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Robert A. Busto, the ground ordnance maintenance chief with Ordnance Maintenance Co., Combat Lo-gistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, is presented the Bronze Star Medal with combat distinguishing device at Ma-rine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept. 4. See BRONZE STAR, PAGE 2
Photos by Cpl. Jacob A. Singsank
(Above) Gunnery Sgt. Oranjel A. Leavy, company gun-nery sergeant of Headquarters Co., CLR-17, 1st MLG, 32, from Charleston, S.C., reads the ‘Colors of Remembrance’ speech during the CLR-17 9/11 prayer and memorial ser-vice. (Right) Pfc. James M. Noodwang, administration clerk with Headquarters Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 20, from Chicago, and Cpl. Isaac W. Harrison, the company administration noncom-missioned officer with Service Company, CLR-17, 23, from Nevada, Mo., light a candle during the CLR-17 9/11 prayer and memorial service at the 14 Area dining facility, Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept. 11, in memory of the men, women and children who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – “Down 51, down 51, hike!” shouted the quar-terback to his teammates as the 1st Marine Logistics Group’s foot-ball team, the Beast, prepared to play their first game of the season against the School of Infantry, Mar-shals at the 11 Area football field Sept. 1.
The two teams started off equally with both defenses doing a great job of keeping the opponent from scor-ing. The tension grew as the first quarter went by, but both teams still managed to keep their end zones untouched.
The SOI Marshals took the initiative of scoring the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter to clench the lead. About four plays later, Beast returned the favor by scoring a touch-down to level the playing field, tying the game 6-6.
Beast’s retaliation took the Mar-shals by storm. The game became more intense than ever; both teams gave it everything they had to ad-vance by fighting for every inch.
As the end of second quarter ap-proached, SOI Marshals regained
the lead as their coach decided to go for a field goal, bringing the score to 6-9. MLG Beast’s defense was strong, as they were able to avoid an-other touchdown, but couldn’t block a kick, ending the first half of the game with the Marshals three point lead.
Marshals did everything they could to keep the lead all through-out the third quarter. And everytime the Beast tried to score they found themselves a few yards short from a touchdown every time.
By the fourth quarter, both teams were exhausted after battling back and forth for so long. The Marshals used the mistakes made by the Beast’s offense and sacked the quarterback inside their end zone to get another two points for a safety. Then, they intercepted the ball and ran the game clock out to secure their first win of the season, ending the game with the score 6-11.
The Beast accepted their first loss as trial and error, coaches said, and they plan to train harder and be more prepared for their upcoming game against Weapons and Field Training Battalion’s football team, Sept. 15.
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September 15, 2009, Issue 20
During the deployment, Busto served as a mentor with Embedded Training Team 5-3, 201st Corps, Ad-visory Command-Central Afghani-stan. Busto “successfully advised the Afghan National Army soldiers of 3rd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 201st Corps during multiple combat op-erations,” according to his citation.
Busto’s award read that he conducted more than 70 combat mounted patrols and 13 direct fire
enemy engagements. During the deployment, he exposed himself to enemy fire on numerous occasions as a gunner, mentor and vehicle commander in his effort to destroy the enemy forces that ambushed his convoys.
“During each engagement with the enemy forces, Busto displayed sound tactical proficiency and courage by quickly returning fire and coordinating suppressive indirect fires from Coali-tion Forces and directing Afghan sol-dier’s fires at enemy positions,” ac-cording to his Bronze Star citation.
Additionally, Busto “mentored and
supervised the Afghan Kandak on numerous logistical issues that had a dramatic effect on the combat capabilities” of service members forward deployed and in the fight, according to his citation.
Busto also personally conducted more than 60 helicopter re-supply missions that carried more than 100,000 pounds of supplies to the four austere combat outposts in the Korengal Valley and Waygul Val-leys.
After the ceremony, Busto shifted the focus from himself and spoke highly of the Marines he deployed with.
“The Marines I worked with were the best I ever served with,” Busto said after the award ceremony.
Busto said he had corporals and even lance corporals who would lead patrols.
At one point during his deploy-ment, his forward operating base was almost overrun by insurgents, but his Marines reacted to the situa-tion with no hesitation, he said.
“When push came to shove, train-ing became instinct and they react-ed like Marines.”
BRONZE STARContinued from Page 1
Football season kicks off Story and photos by Pfc. Khoa N. PelczarThe Convoy Staff
Lance Cpl. Cameron M. Boone passes the ball to a wide receiver as his team-mates block for him during a Camp Pendleton Football League game at the 11 Area football field, Sept. 1.
The Convoy StaffVisit the 1st Marine Logistics GroupPublic Affairs Officer.....................1st Lt. Kendra N. HardestyPress Chief...................................Staff Sgt. Matthew P. ShelatoEditor............................................Sgt. Jennifer D. BroferReporter.......................................Cpl. Jacob A. SingsankReporter.......................................Lance Cpl. Jerrick J. GriffinReporter.......................................Pfc. Khoa N. Pelczar
-victorythroughlogistics.vox.com-flikr.com/photos/victorythroughlogistics-dvidshub.net/units/I-MLG-myspace.com/1stmlg-youtube.com/user/1stmlg-facebook: Group name “1st MLG”-vimeo.com/firstmlg
For more information, please contact the 1st MLG Public Affairs Office at (760) 763-7795.
1st MLG ‘Beast’ squares off against SOI Marshals
The 1st MLG’s football team, Beast, prepares to play against the School of Infan-try’s team, the SOI Marshals, at the 11 Area football field, Sept. 1.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – In order for Marines to perform their duties, they need to be in great physical shape.
Semper Fit Health Promotion on Camp Pendleton offers a one-hour Nutrition 101 class on the first Wednesday of every month, to edu-cate service members on methods to lose weight and stay in shape.
“My job is to educate Marines on proper diet so they are healthy and mission ready at all times,” said Lana T. Thompson, health educa-tor with Semper Fit. “Some Marines aren’t educated on how to do this.”
Thompson, 25, from Austin, Texas, taught Marines a variety of methods to lose weight by set-ting goals, participating in physical activities and changing bad eating habits by setting up a personal-ized diet plan to follow over an ex-tended period of time.
Throughout the class, Marines were taught correct portion sizes, how often they should eat and how much should be eaten during the day, and how to continue this process to lose weight and keep it off.
“The class is definitely educa-tional and motivational,” said Pfc. Katelyn D. Bartley, aviations op-erations clerk with Marine Light Attack Training Squadron 303, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, 23, from Stuarts Draft, Va. “Now I have the tools and information to make an effort to live a healthier lifestyle.”
Marines learned valuable tips such as the importance of eating five times a day and why not to skip meals. By constantly eating small healthy meals throughout the day,
the body’s metabolism continues to burn calories. If a person skips meals, the body automatically starts to store the food because it doesn’t know when it’ll be fed next.
“Very good information was passed during the class,” said Lance Cpl. Cayce R. Whitcomb, forward observer with 1st Battal-ion, 11th Marines Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 22, from Jackson, Mich. “There were a lot of facts straightened out and dieting myths that were broken.”
Some people follow fad diets that can have a negative effect on the body, like eating only once a day and taking dangerous over-the-counter diet pills and “cleans-es” that promise to “shed weight miraculously.” These fad diets can actually do more harm than good.
For more information about healthy dieting, contact a Health Promotion educator at the Paige Fieldhouse or call 763-3793.
September 15, 2009, Issue 20
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Nutrition 101 class feeds weight-loss informationStory and photos byCpl. Jacob A. Singsank The Convoy Staff
format with an open forum for discussion kept the Marines engaged.
“The format was much better than any I have attended in the past. Video is much better than death by PowerPoint,” said Sgt. Stephanie M. Lane, Defense Travel System noncommissioned officer with S-1, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
One way NCOs can keep a lookout for warn-ing signs in their Marines is to get to know them by talking to them and getting them to open up about what’s going on in their lives.
“Taking time out to talk your Marines on a more personal level will give a leader a better under-standing of who their Marines are rather than grouping them into a category of Junior Marines,” said Sgt. Stephen D. Ellis, instructor for the NCO
Suicide Prevention Training. “We should know our Marines well enough to know if they’re think-ing about hurting themselves.”
“It’s important that they know their Marines and what goes on in their heads, whether they have personal issues or if there is something wrong,” added Lane, 21, from Kansas City, Missouri.
No matter if the Marine is a private or a colonel, Marines of all ranks are affected by suicide.
“Staff NCOs, officers, you name it. Everyone is susceptible to suicide,” said Ellis, 23, from Hous-ton.
The majority of suicides are from Caucasian male Marines ages 18-24, and the number of in-theater suicides so far this year – eight – has already surpassed the total number of in-theater suicides for all of 2008, according to statistics provided by the Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Program, updated July 31. The number of suicide attempts alone this year has already reached an alarming 99.
According to Ellis, the number of Marine deaths by suicide has steadily increased year after year. But with NCOs now trained as the “first line of defense,” he believes the number of suicides will be reduced.
“This prevention program is a better approach to handling and preventing suicides at the small unit leader level where ultimately the signs should be shown to begin with,” said Ellis. “I feel that the realistic scenarios from this course can help our NCOs notice the signs early so that they can further help their Marines get the help they need and ultimately get back to the unit’s mission.”
Ellis concluded by saying, “If this training saves even one life, it was worth it.”
For more information on suicide prevention, or to download suicide prevention training videos and materials, visit http://www.usmc-mccs.org/suicideprevent/.
SUICIDEContinued from Page 1
Lance Cpl. Cayce R. Whitcomb tries on a vest that simulates 20 extra pounds of body fat during a Nutrition 101 class at the Paige Fieldhouse, Sept. 2.
Lana T. Thompson, health educator with Semper Fit, 25, from Austin, Texas, informs Marines about eating proper portions of food by using examples at the Paige Fieldhouse, Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept. 2.
Pfc. Katelyn D. Bartley, aviations operations clerk with Marine Light Attack Training Squadron 303, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, 23, from Stu-arts Draft, Va., looks at examples of the amount of sugar in different types of foods and beverages during a Nutrition 101 [email protected]
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – There’s a program set aside on most Marine
Corps installations with the main fo-cus of bettering the lives of single service members by providing fun activities for them to participate in.
“The Single Marine Program’s mission is to enhance the quality of life and morale for single service
members by providing positive and rewarding outlets through recre-ation, community involvement and dynamic facilities,” said Danielle N. West, Single Marine Program coordinator for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The program offers six recre-ational centers throughout the base where single service members can go relax and have fun in an alcohol and tobacco free environment. The SMP recreational centers offer Ma-rines and sailors a variety of activi-ties to participate in, to include pool tables, electronic gaming systems, computers with Internet and mini movie theaters.
The SMP also offers trips to ser-vice members at little to no cost. The program conducts retreats every month in which Marines and sailors can go to a variety of
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September 15, 2009, Issue 20
What happens in Vegas... HappeningsDan Aykroyd to VisitDan Aykroyd, well known for his stint as a Conehead on Saturday Night Live, will be at the Vine-yard (Mainside) Sept. 24 from 4-6 p.m. Aykroyd will be sign-ing his new Crystal Head Vodka and hosting Dan Aykroyd wine tasting. For more information, please call 725-6233.
MCX Anniversary SaleStock up and save at the annual Anniversary Sale Sept. 9-20. Military Star Card purchases will receive 0% interest with no minimum purchase and no pay-ments for three months.
Strongest WarriorDo you think you have what it takes to be the strongest warrior? The only way to find out is by par-ticipating in the Strongest Warrior Competition Sept. 25 at the Hos-pital Fitness track (adjacent to the Naval Hospital). Registration be-gins at 8 a.m. with the competition starting at 9:30 a.m. First and 2nd Place winners will receive warrior swords, and the overall male and female winners will receive the ul-timate warrior sword and MCCS gift certificates. One lucky partici-pant will go home with a Nautilus Select Tech dumbbell set. For more information, call 763-0657.
Ball Gown GiveawayCamp Pendleton Armed Ser-vices YMCA will hold its Annual Ballgown Giveaway Sept. 26 at the Abby Reinke Community Center on base. Eighteen-hun-dred gowns will be distributed on a first-come, first-served ba-sis with priority given to active duty and dependents for ranks E-5 and below from 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., and then open to all ranks from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Mili-tary I.D. must be presented to participate. For more informa-tion, visit their web site at www.camppendletonasymca.org.
Base Movie TheaterThe Ugly Truth (R) -Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 9 p.m.Funny People (R) -Thursday at 6:30 p.m.G-Force (PG) - Friday at 6:30 p.m.G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13) - Saturday at 6 p.m.A Perfect Getaway (R) -- Saturday at 9 p.m.The Hangover (R) -- Sunday at 1 p.m.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – According to actor Ashton
Kutcher in one of his films, there is one place where you can be yourself and not worry about anything: VEGAS!
The Single Marine Program gave 30 Marines the opportunity to take a trip to Las Vegas, Sept. 4 - 7, just in time for La-bor Day weekend.
Upon stepping off the van and inhaling their first breath of Nevada air, Marines and sailors were eager to be released for their weekend of fun.
“It was a great opportunity,” said Lance Cpl. Gabriel T. Gozello, training non-com-missioned officer for 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
“We got to spend four days in Vegas; it couldn’t have gotten any better than that,” said Gozello, 25 from San Jose, Calif. In broad daylight it wasn’t much to rave about, but at night the whole scene of Sin City changed. Every sign and building be-gan to light up and attract more people.
“This place is so much fun. There’s so much to do here,” said Pfc. Gregory Martinez, a vehicle operator for Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st MLG, 21, from Abilene, Texas.
On the Vegas strip, one could hear the sounds of people playing slot machines and music from the clubs as they partied the night away.
“The clubs here are amazing,” said Go-
zello. “You get to meet a lot of interesting people there, and it’s always packed.”
Besides the trip to Vegas, SMP of-fers many other opportunities for single Marines and sailors to get out of the bar-racks, including trips to the San Diego Chargers and Padres games.
“It’s our job at SMP to give single Ma-rines and sailors chances to do fun things instead of being stuck in the barracks all the time,” said Candice Fuller, Single Marine Program representative, 30, from Vista, Calif.
On the final day of the attack on Sin City, tired looking faces made their way to the check out desk to return their room keys.
“I wish I could stay here one more day,” said Cpl. Raphael M. Morales, sergeant major’s driver, Marine Corps Installations-West. “I had so much fun in Vegas.”
As the SMP vans left the Las Vegas city limits, Marines and sailors looked back to say their final goodbyes to the three-day getaway in Sin City.
SMP goes on 3-day getaway to Sin City
SMP offers volunteer opportunities, trips
Sgt. Mark A. Ribott speaks with Dorris A. Schewbridge, 83, from Los Altos, Calif., at the senior living Belmont Village in Cardiff, Calif., Aug. 27.
Lance Cpl. Gabriel T. Gozello, 25, San Jose, Calif. tests his luck on the slot machines during the Single Marine Program Las Vegas Trip, Sept 5. The Single Marine Program gave 30 Marines the opportunity to take a trip to Las Vegas, Sept. 4 - 7.
Story and photo byLance Cpl. Jerrick J. GriffinThe Convoy Staff
Story and photo byCpl. Jacob A. Singsank The Convoy Staff
See SMP, PAGE 5
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – With Labor Day marking the end of the 101 Days of Summer, service members still need to continue practicing safety awareness, especially motorcycle enthusiasts.
“The success of this fiscal year is due to a training and leadership push,” said Chuck Roberts, safety di-rector for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. “It was a push by the Assistant Commandant of the Ma-rine Corps and the executive safety board.”
The safety push was due to the record high number of motorcycle related deaths in the Marine Corps throughout 2008.
“More service members are buying bikes, and they don’t provide nearly as much protection as a car,” said Roberts, 55, from Elyria, Ohio. “All things being equal, your injuries are going to be much more severe when riding a motorcycle.”
The Marine Corps provides free motorcycle safety courses on base every week for service members. They offer the Basic Riders, Experi-
enced Riders and Military Sport Bike Riders courses. No matter how much service members are instructed on safe driving, the decision to ride safe-ly is up to them.
“Motorcycle riders need to slow down and go with the flow of traffic
on the highway instead of weaving in and out, and cutting lanes at 70-80 miles per hour,” said Gunnery Sgt. Rhonda L. Mera, combat camera chief with Headquarters Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group. “A Marine’s
life isn’t worth shaving 10-15 minutes off your commute time.”
Driving motorcycles safely goes hand-in-hand with wearing the proper gear required by the Marine Corps.
“Motorcycle protective gear is to be worn for a reason,” said Mera, 34, from Niagara Falls, N.Y. “It’s ultimate-ly there to save your life.”
A while back Mera had a close call when she was doing a U-turn in a parking lot and drove over unstable asphalt, spun out, hit a curb and was thrown over her windshield and land-ed on the grass.
“I was lucky I landed in the grass, but that’s not always the case,” Mera said. “Had I landed on asphalt and not have had a helmet on, I could have gotten a concussion.”
Even with wearing protective gear, service members must always be alert of the vehicles around them.
“Motorcycle riders should be aware of vehicles changing lanes without looking or not using their blinkers,” Mera said. “You’re much smaller of a footprint compared to a car.”
With the proper training and smart decisions, service members can de-crease the number of motorcycle fa-talities each year.
September 15, 2009, Issue 20
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events and locations to include Las Vegas, professional sporting games, white-water rafting and national parks.
“Our goal isn’t to make money,” said West, 27, from Oceanside, Calif. “SMP charges half the price for one-day trips and a third for the weekend-long ones.”
During some of the SMP trips, service members are allowed to explore and visit the destination by themselves and not in a huge group. This gives the Marines
and sailors the option to enjoy the areas individually or with friends.
“The Single Marine Program is great because it gives service members the opportunity to par-ticipate in activities and do stuff they would’ve never normally done,” said Pfc. Deante L. Fields, disburser with Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 23, from Akron, Ohio. “The program gives Marines the option to get involved by going to new places and meeting different people so they won’t have to sit around their barracks room.”
Fields participated in an Atlan-ta trip when he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. During the trip he went to an Atlanta Braves baseball game and toured the city with his friends.
The SMP offers many activi-ties to service members to help them clear their minds and enjoy themselves without having any stress.
“The Single Marine Program is definitely a morale booster,” said Lance Cpl. Brandon E. Ma-jers, embarkation specialist with G-3, 1st MLG, 19, from El Paso, Texas. “It allows Marines to take their minds off work so they can
kick back, relax and have fun with other single Marines.”
Single Marines and sailors are encouraged to get involved with the SMP by attending monthly meetings in which the program’s staff members and unit represen-tatives can discuss quality of life issues, upcoming recreational events and volunteer opportuni-ties.
Single Marines are invited to bring ideas to the next SMP meeting, which will be held Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m. at the 43 Area SMP Recreation Center.
SMPContinued from Page 4
Motorcycle safety saves lives
Sgt. Randolph A. Fink, a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 1st Ma-rine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 30, from Harrisonburg, Va., enjoys a ride on his motorcycle at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept. 1.
Story and photo byCpl. Jacob A. SingsankThe Convoy Staff
Earn extra cash by knowing foreign languagesMARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLE-
TON, Calif. – Service members can earn more money each month, just by knowing a foreign language, by taking the Defense Language Proficiency Test.
Service members who score high enough on the test can earn anywhere from $100 to $1,000 in Foreign Language Proficiency Pay each month.
On top of that, service members are also
awarded college credit for their DLPT scores, which are listed on their Sailor/Marine Ameri-can Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART).
To qualify for the FLPP bonus, one must pass the DLPT at a certain level, and bonuses vary between different levels of proficiency and how critical the language is to the military. Marines can test on more than 100 languages, but most of the critical languages are from the Middle East and Asia.
“I can’t wait for the bonus,” said Lance Cpl. Hai A. Bui, an assault gunner with Alpha Com-
pany, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 21, from Da Lat, Vietnam. “It’s a nice little free money for just knowing my na-tive language.”
To maintain this bonus, service members must retest once a year in the skills of reading and listening and achieve at least Level 2 in both skills in order to receive the extra pay.
To learn more about the DLPT, call the Joint Education Center at 725-6660.
Story by Pfc. Khoa N. PelczarThe Convoy Staff
Marines volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – Sweltering temperatures of 90-plus degrees weren’t enough to keep 400 Camp Pendleton-based Marines and sailors from 1st Main-tenance Battalion, 1st Marine Lo-gistics Group from volunteering to build homes for Habitat for Hu-manity, Aug. 31-Sept. 3.
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that builds homes for families in need through volunteer labor and donations. The Marines and sailors volunteered to dig ditches for irrigation and sewer lines, frame walls, install windows and plant grass, flowers and trees in a neighborhood park.
“I enjoy doing manual labor, which I don’t get to do enough of because I work in an office,” said Lance Cpl. Dan Atizol, Mo-tor Transport operator with Head-quarters and Service Company, 1st Maintenance Bn., 1st MLG.
“I love manual labor with a pas-sion, actually,” added Atizol without a drop of sarcasm. “It’s fun, plus I get to help out the community,” said Atizol, 23, from Niantic, Conn.
While digging ditches and haul-ing wheelbarrows full of foul-smelling topsoil may constitute as “fun” to some, other long-time vol-unteers with Habitat for Humanity were just appreciative of the Ma-rines for doing some of the back-breaking dirty work.
“It’s great to have young people out here who can dig,” said Scott Bainbridge, site superintendent
with Habitat for Humanity’s San Juan Capistrano project. Bain-bridge added that plumbing and electrical work, which requires a lot of digging, always slows down many of the older volunteers.
“These guys work!” exclaimed Dave Solt, 62, chair of the Hous-ing Commission for San Juan Capistrano, and crew leader for Habitat for Humanity’s San Juan Capistrano project. “This soil is extremely hard … but you take these 20-something Marines with a pick-axe in their hand, and they can do what we can’t, and they can do it in a quarter of the time.” Contrary to popular belief, Habi-tat for Humanity doesn’t simply “give away” homes to people in need. Eligible families must be “credit-worthy” and agree to part-ner with Habitat for Humanity and complete up to 500 “sweat-equity” hours, and homes are mortgaged for anywhere between $230,000-$250,000, said Jaymie Fisher, volunteer services manager with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.
“Our motto is ‘It’s a hand-up, not a hand out,’ and it truly is,” said Fisher, 37, from Irvine, Calif. “It gives them a chance to get into a home. Their mortgage payment stays the same – it never goes up – and it’s thirty percent of their in-come. It’s affordable, so it allows them to save money at the same time.”
Many of the homes the Marines and sailors are helping to build – at least 14 out of the 27 – are going to disabled veterans and spouses of service members killed in action,
according to Fisher. A sign posted on the wall showed
a picture of one of the recipients of a Habitat for Humanity home. A Marine staff sergeant wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom with a 5-year-old son will be able to move into his new home by Janu-ary 2010, said Fisher.
Knowing they were not only helping out the community, but fel-low service members, gave extra motivation to the volunteers.
“It’s a really good feeling. It re-ally means a lot to me to be able to come out and help out, even if it is just for a little bit,” said Staff Sgt. Kate Cobb, communications chief
for Headquarters and Service Co., 1st Maintenance Bn., 1st MLG.
Cobb, who volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in high school, helped lay PVC pipe for the water lines. And to her, every hour of volunteer effort helps.
“Every little bit makes a differ-ence, and it’s only a couple hours a day,” said Cobb, 26, from Macki-naw, Ill. “It really will help improve the lifestyle of some of these vet-erans.”
To learn more about Habitat for Humanity, or to volunteer, visit www.habitat.org.
Story and photos by Sgt. Jennifer BroferThe Convoy Staff
Giving back to the community
(Above) A Marine volunteer helps build a wall frame. (Right) Lance Cpl. Dan Atizol, Motor Transport operator with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 23, from Niantic, Conn., hauls a wheelbarrow of topsoil to help landscape a park while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Sept. 3.
‘It really means a lot to me to be able to come out and help out, even if it is just for a little bit,’ said Staff Sgt. Kate Cobb, communications chief for Headquarters and Service Co., 1st Maintenance Bn., 1st MLG, as she high-fives another volunteer while laying PVC pipe during a Habitat for Humanity volunteer project in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Sept. 3. Cobb, 26, from Mackinaw, Ill., was one of 400 Marines and sailors from 1st Main-tenance Bn. who volunteered to help build homes, Aug. 31-Sept. 3.
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September 15, 2009, Issue 20