III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan

March 30, 2007 www.okinawa.usmc.mil

INSI

DE

ON A ROLLClub Red claims its fi fth consecutive softball tournament title by rallying

past Yellow Box in a clash on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

pg. 17

ON THE JOBKubasaki High School students tag along with medical professionals at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa as part

of the school’s Shadow Day.pg. 14

PARTING SHOTAnthrax vaccinations will soon be

required for III MEF service members deploying to U.S. Central Command’s

area of operations or Korea.pg. 9

Lance Cpl. Richard BlumensteinOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

A crowd full of smil-ing faces shedding tears of joy erupted

with applause and shouts of “Welcome home heroes!” as Marines with 9th Engi-neer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, returned from a seven-month Iraq deployment March 23.

More than 200 Marines with 3rd MLG met anxiously awaiting friends and family members during a late-night

reunion in front of the battalion armory on Camp Hansen.

“I’m happy to finally be back with my sons, my wife and my mother,” said Staff Sgt. Ramon D. Rivera as he hoisted his 3-year-old son Kaden onto his shoulders.

During the return, Sgt. Robert Winslow’s 2-year-old daughter, Brighten, was initially stunned by the sight of her father. But that feeling quickly gave way, and she was overcome with excite-ment.

“When I first arrived she was speechless,” Winslow said as his daughter stole his hat while he was holding her. “But after a few moments, she warmed up to me.”

Two Marines returning home from the deployment found new additions to their families.

Gunnery Sgt. Tyrone Cantey’s wife, Barbara, intro-duced him to his newborn son, 5-month-old Nathaniel, wrapped tightly in a blue blanket.

SEE RETURN PG 10

9th ESB Marines return from Iraq to cheers, tears

Sgt. Robert Winslow holds his two-year-old daughter, Brighten, on Camp Hansen after returning from a seven-month deployment to Iraq. Winslow was one of more than 200 Marines with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, who returned March 23. Photo by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein

Cpl. Warren PeaceOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

CAMP FUJI — Effective April 1, Marine Corps Uniform Regulations will prohibit quarter, half and full sleeve tattoos that cover or almost cover an arm or leg above or below the elbow or knee.

The change, addressed in paragraph 1004.1C of Marine Corps Order 1020.34G, was announced March 19 in Marine Ad-ministrative Message 198/07. The message covers Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway’s intent in changing the Corps’ tattoo policy.

“The eyes of America and the world con-tinually focus upon us and they expect that the Marine Corps will maintain the highest professional standards at all times,” Conway said in an all-Marine message released the same day as the MARADMIN.

SEE TATTOO pg 6

Marine Corps order bans sleeve tattoos

Oki Mar wins Corps-wide print journalism awardConsolidated Public Affairs Office

CAMP FOSTER — The staff of the Okinawa Marine was recognized recently for excellence in print journalism as they placed 15 times in 12 categories in the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association and Division of Public Affairs Merit Awards Program.

Marine Administrative Message 218/07, released March 23, named the winners in the program, which recognizes professional excellence in print and broadcast journalism throughout the Corps.

The Okinawa Marine brought home a 1st place team award as it earned the title of best Tabloid Format Newspaper.

“The judges thought the OkiMar was leagues ahead of the competition in terms of tidiness and readability,” said Staff Sgt.

SEE AWARD PG 7

OKINAWA MARINE | NEWS | MARCH 30, 2007 3

Around the

CorpSFor more Marine Corps stories and photos,

visit http://www.marines.mil

RIDGECREST, Calif. | A CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Helicopter Squadron One, Presidential Helicopter Squadron, deploys its MJU-32/B round flares over Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake March 13. The squadron participated in a test of new deployment tactics for the 36mm MJU-32/B round flare. Photo by Lance Cpl. Kelly R. Chase

HIT, Iraq | Cpl. Lowell B. Williams, an

infantryman with the tactical recovery

of aircraft and personnel platoon,

Headquarters Company, Regimental

Combat Team 2, keeps an eye out for anything suspicious

March 20 during a security patrol. Photo

by Cpl. Adam Johnston

USS BONHOMME RICHARD | Three AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 take off March 14. The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and Expeditionary Strike Group 5 prepared for an upcoming deployment off the coast of southern California as part of Joint Task Force Exercise. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Woody Paschall

USS HARPERS FERRY | A Marine from Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 fires a 25mm machine gun March 16. Sailors and Marines took part in a crew-served weapons shoot during Navy-Marine Corps integration training. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam R. Cole

The Okinawa Marine is published by Marine Corps Community Services under exclusive written contract with Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan.

The editorial content of this newspaper is edited and approved by the Consolidated Public Aff airs Offi ce of Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler.

This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of military services stationed overseas, at sea and their families. Its contents do not necessarily ref lect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Marine Corps and do not imply endorsement thereof.

Th e appearance of advertising in this newspaper, including inserts of supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense,

the U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler or Marine Corps Community Services of the products and services advertised.

Everything advertised in this newspaper shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affi liation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. If a violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser is confi rmed, the publisher shall refuse to print advertising from that source until the violation is corrected.

All photos, unless otherwise indicated, are “offi cial U.S. Marine Corps photos.” For more information, e-mail us at okinawamarine.mcbb.fct@usmc.mil or write to us at Public Aff airs Offi ce, H&S BN MCB PAO, Unit 35002, FPO AP 96373-5002.

COMMANDING GENERAL Maj. Gen. Mary Ann Krusa-Dossin

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR Maj. Joseph M. Plenzler

PRESS OFFICER 2nd Lt. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway

PRESS CHIEF Staff Sgt. Soukhi N. Forbes

EDITOR Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke

DESIGN EDITOR Justin Zaun

OKINAWA MARINE NEWSPAPERH&S Battalion MCB PAO

Unit 35002FPO AP 96373-5002

NORTHERN BUREAU CHIEF Sgt. Joshua S. HigginsCamp Hansen, DSN 623-4054

CENTRAL BUREAU CHIEF Sgt. Ethan E. RockeCamp Foster, DSN 645-7422

SOUTHERN BUREAU CHIEF Cpl. Guillermo E. VargasCamp Kinser, DSN 645-7422

OKINAWA MARINE | OPINION & EDITORIAL | MARCH 30, 2007 5

TO SUBMIT AN OPINION OR EDITORIAL, E-MAIL US AT OKINAWAMARINE.MCBB.FCT@USMC.MIL

I’m new to Okinawa, and I’ve heard it gets very warm here throughout the year. Does that mean sleeves are rolled up here before they usually are rolled up on other Marine Corps installations throughout the world?

MARINE CORPS FACT CHECKUNIFORM SLEEVES

There is no Headquarters Marine Corps established date for rolling your sleeves up or down. Local commanders make that decision. This year, uniform sleeves go up in Okinawa beginning April 1. A:

Q:

Navy Lt. Dean Van Brunt

At a “new-joins” briefing for those recently arriving on the island, I asked how

many had received formal reli-gious instruction while growing up; about half raised their hands.

The next question was: “How many of you believe what you were taught?” Almost all of the same hands went

up. Finally, I asked those that had received religious instruction: “How many of you are currently practicing, or living out, what you were taught and believe?” Of those people, only 10 raised their hands.

This is, of course, the problem. If we believe that we received

true training for the spiritual life and we were raised to believe cor-rectly, should we not live out those teachings? Of course we should. “Our spirit is willing and our flesh is weak.”

By this time of the year, many of us have already forgotten any New Year’s resolutions we may have considered. Perhaps we should re-examine our resolutions for the year. Perhaps we should resolve to remember our spiritual life. In the military, we can easily forget our earlier training. It is easy to lose sight of our religious life. How is your spirituality to-day? Have you forgotten to prac-

tice what you know to be real?You may have not been raised

with any formal religious instruc-tion of any kind. Perhaps sociol-ogy can help in this regard. One definition of religion is wherever we place most of our energy, at-tention, and strength. This can fill the role of religion or spirituality in our life. What is it that we care about more than anything else? What can we truly admit is the most important?

There are some that claim to be non-religious and yet do not realize that the place of spiritual-ity will find release in everyone. Those that claim to have no religious beliefs are often mask-ing their spirituality with healthy

or unhealthy people, places or things. If we forget our early training, we may drift away from our core principles and beliefs.

Put some thought into it. Where are you in your spiritual life? Are you healthy in spirit? Are you running from God? Perhaps you have never given your spiritual life a chance. Is spirituality what has been missing in your life? Go to the unit chaplain for advice. Call out to the Lord. You may be surprised how many open doors you will find.

Van Brunt leads worship at Camp Schwab Sundays at 11 a.m. He also leads a Sunday commu-nion service at the Camp Courtney Chapel at 6:30 p.m.

It’s important not to lose sight of our spiritual lives

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

Tattoos have been a controversial sub-ject in the military for quite some time. The Marine Corps has recently made its

tattoo regulations more strict. Many tattoo enthusiasts have fought to make policies more lenient. On the other hand, before coming to conclusions about the new policy, it helps to first know how the art originated and why there’s a debate.

Man has practiced the art of tattooing since the Bronze Age, approximately 5,000 years ago, and the reasons for having tattoos has been different for each culture.

Throughout history, people from differ-ent cultures wore tattoos as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for brav-ery, sexual lures, marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, amulets and talismans,

protection and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts.

But in contemporary American culture, the list of motivations behind tattooing has shrunk. The average person now gets a tattoo because he thinks it looks cool or it shows their affiliation with an organization. One of the most common tattoos among Marines is the Marine Corps emblem.

Tattoos gained popularity in American culture in 1846 when the first tattoo parlor opened in New York City. The parlor began a tradition of only giving tattoos to service mem-bers, normally members of the sea services.

But tattoos quickly became associated with criminals as gangs began to wear them as a sign of commitment. Soon after, convicts be-gan to wear tattoos to reflect how much time they had spent in prison.

The Marine Corps takes a strong stance against tattoos and views them as inconsistent

with the high professional standards expected of all Marines. Though the popularity of tat-toos has increased, there is still a large part of our society that frowns upon tattoos that are visible in the workplace.

Are you a bad person for having tattoos? No. I have tattoos that I take no shame in, and they don’t affect me professionally because they are concealed.

But that doesn’t change the fact that they could potentially pose a problem for me in the future, whether it’s finding a job or applying for a special-duty assignment in the Marine Corps.

Today’s employers grew up in a society that frowned upon tattoos, but I believe the next generation will be more accepting.

Until that day comes, I guess I’ll just keep my tattoos where no one else can see them.

Alfonso is a staff member of the Okinawa Marine newspaper.

Evolution of tattoo culture long, elaborate

6 OKINAWA MARINE | NEWS | MARCH 30, 2007

FOR THE DINING FACILITY SCHEDULE, VISIT HTTP://WWW.OKINAWA.USMC.MIL

MARINE CORPS SURVEYActive duty Marines on Okinawa can win a $100 Marine Corps Exchange gift certificate by taking an online survey endorsed by Headquarters Marine Corps Public Affairs. For more information, visit http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil.

MUSIC FESTIVAL PERFORMANCEDepartment of Defense Dependents’

Schools Pacific and Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools Guam will host the Far East Music Festival April 23-27. The festival, which features vocal and instrumental musicians, concludes with a student concert April 27 at 7 p.m. at the Kubasaki High School Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call Mark Honnold at 645-0252.

POSTAGE STAMP INCREASEBeginning May 14, the price of a first-class

postage stamp will increase from 39 cents to 41 cents. For more information, contact your local post office.

FLIGHTS FOR ‘WOUNDED WARRIORS’In accordance with Department of Defense

Directive 4515.13-R, Air Transportation Eligibility, the Secretary of Defense has an-nounced that military members on active duty who have been injured in a combat zone and are currently receiving treatment at a medi-cal treatment facility will be offered excess seats on any DoD aircraft in the continental U.S. supporting DoD senior officials’ travel. Additionally, immediate family members who have valid DoD ID cards may also be offered available seats when accompanying wounded service members.

CAMP FOSTER YOUNG MARINESThe Camp Foster Young Marines program

will hold registration for new recruits March 31 to May 19 at the Camp Foster Young Marines (Bldg. 5710) from 8 a.m to 1 p.m. Registration is open to any child ages 8 to 18. Registration fee is $30. Parent and child must attend registration. Interested adults who would like to join the staff may also attend the registration. For more information, call 645-3397 or 636-3966.

KUWAE PRESCHOOL REGISTRATIONKuwae Preschool on Camp Lester will hold

open house registration for the 2007-08 school year May 5 from 8 a.m. to noon. Parents or guardians should bring their child’s passport, current shot records, a recent picture, $50 for a non-refundable registration fee and one-month tuition deposit. For more information, call 645-8419.

ART AUCTIONThe annual Naval Officers’ Spouses’ Club of

Okinawa Art Auction will be held tomorrow at the Butler Officers’ Club at 7 p.m., with a preview and pre-sale beginning at 5:30 p.m. The auction will feature contemporary and traditional Japanese artwork. For more infor-mation, visit the club’s Web site at http://www.noscokinawa.com.

BRIEFS

TO SUBMIT A BRIEF, send an e-mail to okinawamarine.mcbb.fct@usmc.mil, or fax your request to 645-3803. The deadline for submitting a brief is noon every Friday. The Okinawa Marine reserves the right to edit all submitted material.

TATTOO FROM PG 1The order defines a half or quarter-sleeve

tattoo as a very large tattoo or a collection of smaller tattoos that covers or almost covers the entire portion of an arm or leg above or below the elbow or knee.

Marines who already have sleeve tat-toos will be grandfathered under the policy change, meaning they will not be subject to adverse action for their preexisting tattoos. Marines with preexisting tattoos must include a photograph and measurement in inches of the size, documentation of the location and the date of the documentation in their service record book.

“The change in the policy has been a long time coming,” said Sgt. Maj. Robert E. Mastria-no, the Marine Corps Base Camp Butler sergeant

major. “Two years ago we started debating the idea. At the time, the Marine Corps had three different policies. The Commandant just estab-lished a uniform policy.”

“Just because you have a tattoo doesn’t mean you are a bad Marine,” Mastriano said. “A lot of great Marines have tattoos, and therein lies a possible problem.”

Mastriano said the new policy will help address the possibility that recruiters or drill instructors with tattoos might inadvertently stoke a new recruit’s desire to get tattooed.

“Americans don’t want a recruiter coming to their homes with tattoos virtually saying, ‘Let your child join the Marine Corps and get a tattoo like me,’” Mastriano said. “Just because tattoos have become mainstream doesn’t mean it’s right.”

CAMP KINSER | Col. Paul E. Greenwood, the commanding officer of Combat Logistics Regiment 37, presents Capt. Jared A. Laurin with the Purple Heart Medal at the Camp Kinser Surfside March 23. Laurin, who is currently the officer-in-charge of 3rd Marine Logistics Group’s Tactics Readiness and Training section, was awarded the medal for wounds he received in an improvised explosive device attack September 2006 while serving as an advisor for a Military Transition Team in Iraq’s Anbar province. Photo by Lance Cpl. Terence L. Yancey

Cpl. Kamran Sadaghiani31ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT

RODR IGU E Z L I V E F I R E COMPLEX, Republic of Ko-rea — As part of the aviation combat element of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the air crew who fly aboard the CH-46E Sea Knight heli-copter may be called upon to participate in a wide variety of missions, some of which may require the crew to pro-vide suppressing fire.

That ’s why Sea Knight crew chiefs and aerial ob-servers of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265, the Dragons, completed their aerial gunnery qualifications here March 18.

During a 10-day period, the crew fired a total of 15,000 rounds to become proficient with the M240G 7.62mm and XM-218 .50-caliber ma-chine guns. The crew fired from three different positions

Dragons target aerial gunnery quals

within the aircraft: one ma-chine gun on each side and one in the rear of the aircraft, as a “tail gun.”

To sharpen the air crew’s skills as gunners, the pilots undertook a series of gun runs, or passes from a variety of

altitudes, airspeeds and dis-tances, to give the crew chiefs in the rear and side windows of the aircraft an opportunity to practice aiming, firing and reloading the weapons dur-ing numerous pop-up target engagements on the range.

Sgt. Daniel Stevens (left), the tail gun instructor of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265, locates targets as Staff Sgt. Bradley Driver, a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter crew chief with the squadron, fires an M240G machine gun. Photo by Cpl. Kamran Sadaghiani

OKINAWA MARINE | NEWS | MARCH 30, 2007 7

FIRST PLACE, SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY | Set to Spike’s Bryan Smith prepares to rocket a spike at Pacman’s Sam Nimpchai Aug. 5, 2006, during the final match of the Open “Block Party” Beach Volleyball Tournament at Oura Wan Beach on Camp Schwab. Photo by Lance Cpl. Kevin Knallay

FIRST PLACE, NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY | Sgt. Kieran Carrington checks the final cost after filling up his gas tank at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service gas station on Camp Foster May 2, 2006. Photo by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke

SECOND PLACE, OPEN PHOTOGRAPHY | Stephanie S., an Indianapolis Colts cheerleader, waves to the crowd Dec. 2, 2006, after singing “Happy Birthday,” while dressed as Marilyn Monroe, to Lance Cpl. Andrew Crumbley at the Camp Courtney Christmas and Holiday Festival. Photo by Lance Cpl. Kevin Knallay

THIRD PLACE, PICTORIAL | Jean-Paul Gaster of Clutch performs on Camp Hansen March 22, 2006. Photo by Lance Cpl. Warren Peace

Newspaper staff takes home 15 awards for journalism excellenceAWARD FROM PG 1Scott Dunn, the Marine Corps News chief at Headquarters Marine Corps and judge at large for the competi-tion. “It stood out as a viable periodi-cal that those on the island could digest. And it informed.”

Dunn said one judge noted that Okinawa Marines have a choice in what they read, and the OkiMar’s stories and pictures were most likely to reach above and beyond its intended audience.

“The OkiMar is hands-down the best product in its category,” said competition judge John Hoell-warth, a staff writer for Marine Corps Times. “Okinawa has a lot of training evolutions throughout the Pacific that the staff has covered quite commendably. Their skill in this area, as well as the flashes of brilliance evident in the OkiMar’s layout and design, makes Okinawa’s paper a giant in its own category as well as a serious contender amongst much larger papers.”

OkiMar Editor Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke took home three 1st place individual awards in the compe-tition. He won for Series writing and News Photography and was selected as Print Journalist of the Year. Rocke also placed second in the Marine Photojournalist of the Year category.

Rocke’s winning series ana-lyzed the state of drill in today’s Marine Corps. The series was one of five writing examples included in his nomination package for Department of Defense Print Jour-nalist of the Year, and the story’s accompanying photos anchored his Marine Photojournalist of the Year package. His winning news photograph captured a Marine’s reflection in a gasoline pump as he checked the price of filling up his tank after gas prices on base

jumped 25 cents per gallon. Lance Cpl. Kevin Knallay also

took home a 1st place individual award for Sports Photography for a photo of a volleyball player about to spike the ball at a waiting defender. Knallay also placed second in the Open Photography category.

Cpl. Scott M. Biscuiti, who was recently reassigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was a 2nd-place winner in the Sports writing category and also in the Outstanding New Writer category. He also placed third in Sports Photography.

Lance Cpl. Terence L. Yancey placed second in the Photojournal-ism category.

Lance Cpl. Warren Peace placed third in the Pictorial photography category, and Lance Cpl. David Rogers was right behind Peace with an honorable mention in the same category. Rogers also earned another honorable mention in Open Photography.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan electronic newsletter won second place for Web-based Pub-lication.

The number of awards the Oki-Mar staff took home was second only to the standout performance of 25 total awards for the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s Scout, whose coverage of Marines in Iraq and broad saturation in the competition helped them shine.

“The product churned out by Pendleton’s forward deployed Ma-rines invariably found its way into the Scout and was consistently giv-en a fresh and compelling treatment by the editors there,” Hoellwarth said. “Meanwhile, the Marines back at Pendleton kept the Scout’s front page full of meaningful hard news with Corps-wide appeal.”

Eligible 1st place winners will represent the Marine Corps in the DoD Thomas Jefferson Awards competition next month at the Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Md.

USMCCCA officials will present awards at their annual conference this summer to all 1st-place Merit Award winners and any Marine winners in the upcoming Thomas Jefferson Awards.

8 OKINAWA MARINE | NEWS | MARCH 30, 2007

Cpl. Kamran Sadaghiani31ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT

POHANG, Republic of Korea — Smiles and laughter lit the faces of dozens of Korean children when Marines and sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit visited a children’s home and an orphan-age March 21-22.

The visits were part of a youth-oriented community relations project to foster relations with South Korean children, according to Navy Cmdr. Alfonso Concha, MEU chaplain. The event gathered more than 25 MEU and Camp Mu-juk Detachment Marine volunteers who visited the Mo Ja Won Social Welfare Corporat ion and the Seong Won Christian Orphanage in Kyung Ju.

Concha, who helped coordi-nate the projects, said they were designed as an opportunity for both cultures to learn about each other.

“These children are rarely af-forded a chance to interact with anyone outside their culture,” said Concha.

While visiting the children’s welfare home, the service mem-bers painted walls, sang songs and played outdoor games. The Marines and sailors were also treated to dinner and beverages by the staff.

According to Shin Insok, the principal of the children’s home, the dinner was a way for the staff to say thanks for all the support the Marines and sailors provided.

During their visit to the Seong Ja Won Christian Orphanage March 22, volunteers played kickball and held races with more than 50 chil-dren. One highlight of the day was when both service members and children gathered in a circle and did the “Hokey-Pokey” dance.

The children were quick to warm up to the service members, said Soon Yi Won, the orphanage principal. Although the language barrier made things a little diffi-

Marines, sailors forge bonds with Korean children

Children of the Seong Won Christian Orphanage in Kyung Ju, Republic of Korea, race across the courtyard with Marines and sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit March 22. Photos by Cpl. Kamran Sadaghiani

cult, they were able to communi-cate through smiles and gestures.

“Their uncommon spirit of gen-erosity and hospitality was greatly appreciated by all,” said Won.

Sgt. Josh Wilson, the MEU ad-ministrative noncommissioned officer-in-charge, said this was a moving experience for him.

“I never thought these kids would be so responsive,” said Wilson. “It didn’t take long for me to grow attached to these kids. At the end of the day, I didn’t want to leave them.”

Insok, who has served as prin-cipal of the children’s home for 10 years, hopes for future visits by service members.

“I hope this relationship be-tween the Marines and us contin-ues,” said Insok.

The Marines and sailors shared similar feelings, said Lance Cpl. Godwin Olivier, a data technician with Marine Medium Helicopter

Squadron 265.“This was a great experience for

me,” said Olivier. “Spending time with these children gave me such a heart-warming feeling. They seemed to have so much fun. I would watch their faces light up with excitement with the attention we showed them.”

At the end of their visits, the Marines and sailors gave the chil-dren toys and ball caps as Concha presented a plaque of appreciation to each of the organizations.

“These volunteer activities are very important for the service members and the community,” said Concha. “This is a chance for the service members to leave a piece of their culture behind to show the younger generation of South Koreans they are good Americans. It was a pleasure to experience their customs and tra-ditions and learn more about them as individuals.”

Lance Cpl. Martin Guzman, a motor transport mechanic, swings a child at the Seong Won Christian Orphanage.

Overseas consulates accept immigrant visa petitionsU.S. Embassy Japan

Effective March 22, U.S. Consulates will ac-cept petitions for im-mediate immigrant clas-sification for relatives of American citizens who live in their consular districts.

Those eligible include members of the armed forces, emergency cases

and others determined to be in the national in-terest.

To demonstrate resi-dency in a consular dis-trict, American citizens must be able to show that they have permission to reside in the consular district and that they have been doing so continuous-ly for at least six months before filing the petition.

U.S. EMBASSYJAPAN

http://japan.usembassy.gov

Individuals who are in the country on a tempo-rary status, such students or tourists, do not meet the residency standard.

All lawful permanent residents and American

citizens who live in the United States or with a permanent address in the United States must file I-130 petitions at the U.S. Citizenship and Im-migration Service having jurisdiction over their place of residence.

U.S. citizens who wish to file an immigrant visa petition in Tokyo or Naha must schedule an ap-

pointment.The U.S . Embassy

strongly recommends that petitioners, as well as the beneficiary, be present for the appointment to submit the I-130 filing document.

No family members other than beneficiaries will be admitted. Parents are kindly requested not to bring small children.

OKINAWA MARINE | NEWS | MARCH 30, 2007 9

Lance Cpl. David RogersOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

CAMP FOSTER — Anthrax vaccinations will soon be man-datory for all III Marine Expedi-tionary Force Marines and sail-ors deploying to U.S. Central Command’s area of operations or the Korean peninsula, III MEF officials said recently.

Anthrax Vaccine Absorbed has been a voluntary vacci-nation for the past year. On average, only about a third of a deploying unit’s members vol-unteered for the shot, according to Navy Capt. David Lane, the

force surgeon for III MEF.The Food and Drug Admin-

istration determined that the vaccine was safe in December 2005. In October 2006, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England directed that the vac-cine be mandatory after the De-partment of Defense reviewed its bio-defense vaccination programs following the rul-ing, according to MARADMIN 190/07.

Receiving the vaccine is important because it is the best individual protection against anthrax, Lane said.

According to the Center for

Disease Control, anthrax can cause skin ulcers, nausea, di-arrhea, fever and chest pain. Left untreated, anthrax can be fatal.

“There are certain organi-zations and governments that we believe have weaponized anthrax” Lane said.

Deadly spores of the disease could be disbursed with a bomb or aerosol dispenser.

“We don’t know how likely or unlikely it is that someone will be exposed to anthrax,” Lane said. “We do know that if you’re exposed without the vaccine, your survival isn’t likely.”

Lance Cpl. Terence L. YanceyOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

CAMP FOSTER — Financial management spe-cialists from the Camp Foster Personal Services Center prepared 24 Marines, sailors and civil-ians to provide financial advice to their sections during a Command Financial Specialist Train-ing Course March 19-23.

The course is intended to provide command financial specialists with the knowledge to advise people on basic financial matters, ac-cording to Anthony Green, a personal financial management specialist at the PSC.

The course was open to Marine Corps and Navy officers, senior enlisted members as well as civilians who provide financial counseling to service members.

Class attendees had to be financially stable and have at least a year left at their command from the date of completing the course.

During the course, students learned about various financial issues such as debt manage-ment, consumer awareness and military pay and allowances. They also learned about personal financial management and how to give financial

counseling. Representatives from the American Red Cross, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, the base Legal Services Support Section, Navy Federal Credit Union and several other agencies gave presentations during the class.

“Our goal is to have one CFS for every 70 people in a command,” Green said. “Service members can go to them for information on debt, credit, and buying cars and homes as well as many other financial issues.”

Being a CFS is a collateral duty for service members, according to Green. A good thing about the program is that even when a unit is deployed, there is a trained CFS with them.

“Being a command financial specialist gives me one more way to serve the other Marines and sailors in my command,” said Master Gun-nery Sgt. Ira L. Thompson, Jr. the Installation Personnel Administration Center staff noncom-missioned officer-in-charge.

The training course is held semi-annually, usually in March and September.

For more information on the services and programs offered by the Personal Services Center, visit http://www.mccsokinawa.com or call 645-2104.

Anthrax vaccination to be mandatory for some

Marines take on money matters

Petty Officer 1st Class Robert P. Scrivner gives financial advice to Gunnery Sgt. Joseph M. Curran during the final day of the Command Financial Specialist Training Course at the Camp Foster Personal Services Center March 23. Scrivner and Curran were students in the course. Photo by Lance Cpl. Terence L. Yancey

Lance Cpl. Terence L. YanceyOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

CAMP FOSTER — Students of an Ameri-can Red Cross CPR class on Camp Foster March 24 were introduced to and got hands on training with new CPR techniques that place less emphasis on rescue breaths and more on the importance of chest compres-sions.

According to a recent Associated Press article, a Japanese study published March 16 in the Lancet medical journal found that a person is more likely to recover from brain damage if the rescuer focuses on chest com-pressions rather than rescue breaths. This has led some researchers to debate whether rescue breaths should be eliminated from CPR altogether.

In 2006, the American Heart Associa-tion updated its CPR guidelines, calling for 30 chest compressions to every two rescue breaths, up from the previous 15 to two ratio.

According to the AHA, keeping blood flowing to the brain through compressions is more important than the rescue breaths. Stopping less often to give breaths keeps the focus on the more important task. The American Red Cross started teaching the new technique around the same time.

“Chest compressions keep the heart muscle alive,” said Jack Bosma, a Red Cross volunteer and former Navy corpsman who taught the class. “The goal is to keep the blood flowing and keep the tissues and organs alive.”

But the AHA is not prepared to give up on rescue breaths. The association recom-mends compression-only CPR if the person providing it is unable or unwilling to pro-vide rescue breaths.

At the same time, bystanders are more likely to provide aid using chest compres-sion rather than mouth-to-mouth, Bosma said.

“With more emphasis on chest compres-sions, a lot of people will have more confi-dence in doing CPR,” he said.

For more information on American Red Cross CPR classes, call 645-3800.

New CPR training strategy stresses chest compression

A student practices chest compressions during an American Red Cross cardiopulmonary resuscitation class at Camp Foster March 23. New studies suggest more emphasis should be placed on chest compressions. Photo by Lance Cpl. Terence L. Yancey

OKINAWA MARINE | FEATURE | MARCH 30, 200710 OKINAWA MARINE | FEATURE | MARCH 30, 2007

RETURN FROM PG 1“We’ve been waiting for this,” Barbara

said.However, new father Staff Sgt. Jonathan

Villarie’s wife Yoshie and newborn child did not attend the ceremony. Yoshie gave birth to their new daughter just a few days before his return and was recovering in the hospital.

Staff Sgt. Villarie said as soon as all his Marines were taken care of he planned to travel to the hospital and see his newborn daughter.

The Marines and sailors returned home from a three-fold mission, said Lt. Col. Mark. J. Menotti, the commanding officer of 9th ESB. They built new roads, repaired buildings and constructed observation posts and command outposts for the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces.

“A lot of what we did was turning space over to the Iraqi people,” Menotti said. “We basically built structures for them to oper-ate out of and help prevent vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.”

The Marines conducted more than 300 successful missions while deployed to Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, according to Menotti.

Families greet returning ESB Marines

9th ESB Marines returning from Iraq stand in formation prior to meeting with friends and family. Photo by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein

(From left to right) Andrew,

Chloe and Beth Freeman

hang a sign that reads

“We love our dad” in

preparation for the

return of the 9th ESB

Marines. Photo by Lance

Cpl. Richard Blumenstein

“I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch,” Menotti said. “These guys were constantly outside the wire engaging the bad guys.”

Lance Cpl. Sean M. Kasler, a motor ve-hicle operator with 9th ESB, noted that the deployment was strenuous on the Marines, but teamwork led to mission accomplish-ment.

“It was a lot of physical labor, but every-one pitched in no matter what their (mili-tary occupational specialty) was,” Kasler said. “Everyone worked together and we did excellent.”

Friends and family await the return of their loved ones. Photo by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein

OKINAWA MARINE | FEATURE | MARCH 30, 2007OKINAWA MARINE | FEATURE | MARCH 30, 2007 11

Lance Cpl. Juan D. AlfonsoOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

Emotions ran high as Cpl. Amanda Morgan waited patiently last Friday

night for her husband, Lance Cpl. Sean Morgan, to step off a bus and back into her life after a seven-month Iraq deploy-ment.

“I haven’t seen my husband in so long,” said Cpl. Morgan, a data analyst with Headquar-ters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler. “I can’t wait to just give him a big hug.”

The Morgans got their much-anticipated embrace that night when Lance Cpl. Morgan and the rest of a small group of Marines assigned to Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, returned from a deployment to Fallujah, Iraq.

The Marines deployed as a motor transportation detach-ment with personnel from sev-eral units in Japan and Hawaii Aug. 24. The unit’s mission was to provide logistical sup-port to ground units in and around the city of Fallujah.

Lance Cpl. Morgan re-turned safely with the other 39 Marines he left for combat with after a job well done, said 1st Lt. Michael F. Cuddy, the platoon commander for the detachment.

“We delivered food, wa-ter, ice, chow – whatever the grunts needed, we were there to provide,” Cuddy said. “It felt good to help out the infantry however we could. I only wish there was more we could have done.”

Doing more in Iraq is a sen-

timent shared by many of the Marines in the unit.

“At times I was scared,” said Pfc. Steven W. Keith, a mo-tor vehicle operator with the group. “We were hit by two separate (improvised explosive devices), and I was worried about not coming home or coming home without one of my buddies, but we did come home with all the guys we went out with. We did what we intended to do, and I’m proud to have been a part of it.”

According to Master Gun-nery Sgt. Mark M. Niro, the communications chief for the group, motivation among the Marines before the deploy-ment was as high as could be.

“We came into the Marine Corps to do the things we train for,” Niro said. “This deployment was like being on a football team and sitting on the bench all season. Then they finally got a chance to play in the game. These Ma-rines have now been to com-bat and served their country. There is no greater honor.”

Friends and family members on Camp Foster display a banner March 23 welcoming back Marines assigned to Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The Marines returned from a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Photos by Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

Lance Cpl. Sean Morgan embraces his wife, Cpl. Amanda Morgan.

Motor T detachment returns after seven-month deployment

Sgt. Matthew J. Richtercorson holds his 22-month-old son, Wyatt, March 23 on Camp Hansen. Photo by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein

12 OKINAWA MARINE | FEATURE | MARCH 30, 2007

Lance Cpl. Bryan A. PetersonOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

BATO BATO, JOLO ISLAND, Re-public of the Philippines — Bato Bato resident Samdaiya Sahiddan and her husband Nadan have never been able to buy toys for their seven children due to un-employment in the region, one of the Philippines’ poorest. In fact, Nadan struggles daily to catch fish just to provide his family with food each night.

The morning of March 15, the Sahiddan’s children and oth-ers in their small village were pleasantly surprised when Ma-rines with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, greeted them with toys, clothes, sporting equipment and several other items they col-lected before deploying to the Philippines in support of Exer-cise Balikatan 2007.

The battalion’s staff came up with the idea and began collect-ing items, said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jerrod C. Rowcliffe, the Jolo Detachment operations

Lance Cpl. Bryan A. PetersonOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

BATO BATO, JOLO ISLAND, Republic of the Philippines — When a Marine found himself running a field mess in the Philip-pines by himself, feeding nearly 80 Marines and Seabees, it didn’t take long for another Marine to volunteer to alleviate the burden.

Because of a sudden personnel shortage, Gunnery Sgt. Ricky Camacho, a food service specialist with Food Service Company, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, found himself rely-ing on help from service members within his camp to keep the mess running during Exercise Balikatan 2007.

After Camacho juggled the burdensome mess duty with his duties as camp site com-mandant for 12 days, Sgt. Dustin T. Kuchen-becker arrived to help Camacho out.

“I knew there were a lot of Marines and Seabees down there and that a person-nel shortage in the field mess wouldn’t be good,” said Kuchenbecker, a ground com-munications organizational repairer with Communications Company, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division.

Kuchenbecker was monitoring radio networks at Clark Air Base on the island of Luzon, Philippines, when he volunteered for the opportunity to go to Jolo and help run the field mess.

“I wanted to do something and get a sense of accomplishment during the exercise and at Clark, I felt I wasn’t getting that,” he said.

During Kuchenbecker’s time in the field, he would wake up before dawn to make breakfast and prepare dinner at night.

“After the first few days, I realized that I

Sergeant doesn’t like the heat but stays in the kitchenwas becoming a big help to Gunny Camacho and the Marines and Seabees,” Kuchenbeck-er said. “The hours are not what I am used to. The days are long and hot, but knowing that I can help is what pays off.”

Camacho said Kuchenbecker was a fast learner and his selfless service is a model everyone should follow.

“When he came down here, my stress lev-el went down a lot,” he said. “He absorbed everything I told him and had no problems whatsoever. He was always at work on time and provided great leadership. After he would finish with breakfast, he would go and help out at some of the project sites to kill time before he had to start preparing for dinner.”

Camacho realized how hard Kuchen-becker worked one night when he realized Kuchenbecker was pouring mashed potatoes onto the turkey. They both laughed about it and decided to call dinner a “turkey fiasco.”

1st Sgt. Darryl A. Cherry, the Jolo Detach-ment first sergeant, said that Kuchenbecker not only did an admirable thing by volun-teering for the job but also fit in with the Marines and Seabees right from the start.

“It’s heartwarming to see him come down here to work and live in the field rather than enjoy his air-conditioned room at the hotel in Clark,” Cherry said. “He’s a hard worker and immediately integrated into the detach-ment’s Marines and Seabees.”

Kuchenbecker said life in the field as opposed to a hotel was an experience he enjoyed.

“I came down here knowing it was going to be hot and miserable,” he said. “But work-ing in the same area where the Marines and Seabees were made me feel I was actually doing something for them, and I would not trade the experience for anything. It’s all about lending a hand when and where it’s needed.”

Sgt. Dustin T. Kuchenbecker arranges condiments during breakfast March 15 at Bato Bato, Jolo Island, Republic of the Philippines. Photo by Lance Cpl. Bryan A. Peterson

officer. As word spread about the collections, even those without charitable items began to help out.

“Some of our younger Marines used money from their own pockets to help contribute,” Row-

cliffe said. When it was made obvious

what the Marines were doing, children in the village surround-ed them with outstretched arms.

“It felt really good to see all those smiling faces once their

empty arms became full of toys and clothes,” said 1st Sgt. Darryl Cherry, the Jolo Detachment first sergeant.

Samdaiya said the surprise charity event was the first time her village has ever received such kindness.

“The Americans are the first people to ever have touched our hearts this way,” she said. “Most of us cannot afford to buy toys for our children because we don’t have jobs. It’s great to see them with something brand new to play with. We will all forever re-member the great things the U.S. military has done for us for some time to come.”

The Sahiddans’ oldest child, Moktar, 14, said he had a good time talking with the U.S. troops while they worked on projects but was especially excited when toys and clothes were handed out.

“When the U.S. military came here to help us out, we were excited to hang out with them,” he said. “But when they came here with toys, it made us all very happy.”

Marines donate clothes, toys in Philippines

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jerrod C. Rowcliffe hands out toys to children at Bato Bato, Jolo Island, Republic of the Philippines March 15. Marines from 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group gave toys and clothes to the village’s children during Exercise Balikatan 2007. Photo by Lance Cpl. Bryan A. Peterson

OKINAWA MARINE | FEATURE | MARCH 30, 2007 13

the Uuji Zome gift shop.The workshop is open to visitors Monday

through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The friendly staff is more than willing to explain and demonstrate the process of cre-ating the dye and crafts as they work.

To get to the workshop, take the express-way to the Haebaru Minami interchange. The road will connect to Highway 506, the Naha Airport road. Travel to the end of the road and turn left on Highway 7. Drive through four stop lights and turn right at the first bus stop. Continue to a Y-shaped in-tersection. Turn left at the intersection, and the workshop will be on the left side.

Art to dye forLance Cpl. Richard BlumensteinOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

In 1988, Tomigusuku City officials sought to develop another use for Okinawa’s primary agricultural crop — sugarcane.

This desire resulted in what has grown, in the nearly 20 years since, into a unique cultural attraction on the island called Uuji Zome, or sugarcane dye.

The craft of dyeing is steeped in Okina-wa’s history. Bingata, or stencil dyes, dates back more than 500 years, and Aizome, or indigo dyeing, has also been a Japanese tra-dition for centuries.

The more contemporary Uuji Zome is used in hand-woven items such as tapes-tries, centerpieces, clothing articles and accessories.

Teruko Majikina, president of the Tomi-gusuku Township Uuji Zome Producers Union, and her colleagues developed the procedure for creating sugarcane dye by studying various dyeing methods using lo-cal plant life. They created a precise method for extracting green and yellow dyes from sugarcane plant leaves and ears commonly used to feed cattle.

Traditional Okinawan craft showcases vivid, handmade art

Majikina said the green and yellow colors made from the sugarcane plants are rare because green leaves typically make brown or beige color dyes. The Uuji Zome produc-ers also developed a way to make a pink dye from sugarcane flowers.

The Uuji Zome Workshop in Tomigusuku City opens its doors to visitors and gives them a firsthand look at the rigorous pro-cesses of creating the colorful handmade dyes and textiles.

Visitors can watch the staff of 19 women cut, boil, sew, weave, paint and wash the materials into finished products available at

An Okinawan woman with the Tomigusuku Township Uuji Zome Producers Union uses a blue rice paste to create a tapestry at the Uuji Zome Workshop, or Sugarcane Dye Workshop, in Tomigusuku City March 22. Photos by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein

A woman feels the fabric on a tapestry before painting it at the workshop.

The Sugarcane Dye Workshop’s finished products are available for purchase at the Uuji Zome gift shop.

14 OKINAWA MARINE | FEATURE | MARCH 30, 2007

Lance Cpl. Juan D. AlfonsoOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

Students from Kubasaki High School had an opportunity to observe profession-als within various career fields aboard

military installations as part of the school’s Shadow Day March 22.

Kubasaki counselors put together Shadow Day to give juniors a glimpse of what profes-sionals in their desired career fields do on a daily basis, according to David Young, a counselor for Kubasaki juniors.

Sixteen juniors had an opportunity to see what medical personnel at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa do for a living.

Kubasaki’s counselors paired the students with medical professionals from different military occupational specialties such as dentists, psychologists and surgeons. Students followed and closely observed the service members as they treated patients.

“This really is exhausting work,” said Ku-

basaki junior Lauren Howland, who attended the Shadow Day at the hospital. “We’ve seen a lot of babies and a couple adults today, and it just seems like there is always something different. This is definitely a pretty unpredict-able job.”

The students who visited the hospital were a handful of the many Kubasaki juniors involved in Shadow Day. More than a third of the junior class shadowed professionals on Camp Foster, Kadena Air Base and Ma-rine Corps Air Station Futenma, according to Young.

“This whole thing is just a good experience for kids to explore what they want to do in the future,” Young said. “I’ve got kids spending the day with veterinarians, mechanics and elementary school teachers. You name it. I just hope the kids get excited about what they are going to do with their lives after school.”

Units interested in hosting students during next year’s Shadow Day can contact the Kuba-saki High School counselors at 645-3728/ 6888.

Lance Cpl. Juan D. AlfonsoOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

Kubasaki High School’s Ma-rine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps

cadets typically invest about six hours a week in marksmanship training with Daisy-852 air rifles, but it isn’t often they get to train using M-16A2 service rifles.

Marines with Combat Logis-tics Battalion 4, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, invited eight cadets with Kubasaki High School’s MCJROTC rifle team to fire the M-16s on Camp Schwab’s rifle range March 24 after the cadets defeated the CLB Marines in an air rifle match in December on Camp Foster.

“Marine cadets are important because they are the future of our Marine Corps,” said 1st Sgt. John Lightle, the first sergeant for Motor Transportation Company, CLB 4. “The real lesson they learn from this is that the same fundamentals of marksmanship they learn with their air soft rifles apply to every weapon.”

The event began with teaching the cadets weapons handling and safety procedures followed by ze-roing, a process to align the rifle’s sights to maximize accuracy.

Once rifles were zeroed, the Marines gave the cadets lessons on firing in the standing, kneeling and prone positions – the same positions the cadets shoot dur-ing their competitions. They then fired five rounds in each position

Kubasaki students tag along with professionals during Shadow Day

Marines give JROTC cadets trigger time

Lauren Howland (right) observes Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Toone while she treats a four-day-old infant March 21 at the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa on Camp Lester during Kubasaki High School’s Shadow Day. Photo by Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

four times.Many of the Marines were im-

pressed by the cadets’ accuracy.“The cadets are doing a really

good job,” Lightle said. “This just shows that what Capt. Gipson teaches his cadets works. His program of positive motivation has escalated those students and their marksmanship to a level of excellence.”

Retired Capt. Kenneth Gipson is the senior Marine instructor with Kubasaki’s MCJROTC.

The event also afforded the Marine volunteers an opportunity to practice leadership.

“This is a good experience for both the cadets and the Marines,” said Lance Cpl. Sarah Wooden, a

combat engineer with Engineer Company, CLB 4. “The cadets get an opportunity to learn how to shoot an M-16, and a lot of the junior Marines get an opportunity to teach and lead others for the first time.”

The event culminated with a rifle competition between the top three shooters from each group. Each shooter fired five rounds from the prone position. The competition came to a close tie between Cadet Sgt. Maj. Lilia Ala-nis and Lance Cpl. Kyle Gawry, a logistics vehicle systems operator with Security Company, CLB 4.

Both shooters hit the center of the target with every shot. Alanis was declared the victor after Ligh-

tle and Gipson determined her shots were closer to one another than Gawry’s.

“I think this shows we need to go to ranges more often,” Wooden said jokingly. “It was cool that the cadets won. They’re future Ma-rines, and if they’re this good now, imagine how good they’ll be once they’re where we are.”

The experience meant a great deal to the cadets as well.

“It felt good to learn something new and get to fire a real rifle,” said Cadet Gunnery Sgt. Nathan C. Taag. “It was really good early training for those of us who plan to join the military.”

Units may challenge the Kuba-saki High MCJROTC to an air rifle competition by calling 645-7574.

Cadets with Kubasaki High School’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps zero their M-16A2 service rifles March 24 while being coached by Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 4, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, at Camp Schwab’s Rifle Range. Photos by Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

Cadet Pfc. Shaw M. Burns listens as Marines explain to him how to use an M-16 A2 service rifle.

OKINAWA MARINE | SPORTS | MARCH 30, 2007 17

Streak snapped!

Lance Cpl. Daniel R. ToddOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

Down by one run going into the fifth inning, Club Red turned

the tables on Yellow Box when they went on a six-run rally in an open softball tournament on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma March 24.

Club Red’s defense shut Yellow Box down after that, and their of-fense drove in another

five runs for a 14-4 out-come and a fifth consec-utive open tournament championship.

Club Red started the tournament with a huge win when they crushed the Sand Lappers 18-0, but Yellow Box defeated them 10-5 in the second round and sent them to the losers’ bracket.

Club Red beat the Benchwarmers 13-3 to meet top-seeded Yellow Box again.

They had to win con-secutive games against

the undefeated Yellow Box to capture the cham-pionship in the double-elimination tournament.

In the first of the two final games, Club Red snuck past Yellow Box in dramatic fashion as Club Red’s T. C. Gray hit a walk-off, two-run homer deep over the right-field fence in the bottom of the seventh with two outs.

“When we played Yellow Box early in the tournament we made a few errors which cost

us the game,” said Club Red pitcher Tod Hard-ing. “When we met again in the championship, we knew all we had to do was stay strong on defense, and we would come out on top.”

After taking home a fifth consecutive 1st place trophy, Club Red cemented itself as the team to beat on the island, said Gonzolo R. Villarreal, Marine Corps Community Services coordinator on MCAS Futenma.

Club Red rolls through fifth consecutive softball tournament

Kubasaki’s Michelle Acosta slides into home during the Dragons’ first game this season against the Kadena Panthers March 17 at Kadena Air Base’s Chibana Field. The Dragons won 9-6 and improved to 2-0 on the season after snapping a 38-game losing streak with their first win in an earlier game that day against Koza High School. Photo by MaryCris Acosta

Kubasaki girls win first game in softball program’s history

Club Red’s Carl Holden takes a chop during the title game March 24. Photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Todd

Lance Cpl. David RogersOKINAWA MARINE STAFF

Leading Kadena by three runs in the final inning, the Kubasaki girls’ var-sity softball team still expected to lose.

Never mind that the Dragons had snapped a 38-game losing streak earlier that day with a 12-5 win over Koza High School — its first win in team history — at Kadena Air Base’s Chibana Field March 17.

Kubasaki head coach Greg McKeown said he didn’t get over-confident after beating Koza because the loss of several seniors from last year’s team left Koza without their best players.

With two outs and two on, Kadena’s best hitter and poten-tial tying run stepped to the plate, and Kubasaki braced for the outcome they had endured in every game since 2004.

But when senior pitcher Chloe Freeman zipped three strikes past Kadena’s best in the top of the seventh, the team and the odds were proven wrong as the Dragons finally topped rival Kadena 9-6.

Once they tasted victory, they seemed to like it.

A week later, Kubasaki beat Kadena again to improve to 3-0 on the season with an 8-3 win March 24 at Chibana Field.

The girls have overcome many obstacles that held them back in previous seasons, ac-cording to McKeown.

“It’s a challenge to put to-gether nine girls who can work together,” McKeown said. “One year you got an empty bench; another year you got kids who are jewels.”

The constant loss of play-ers due to military moves has always hurt the Dragons in the past, according to McKeown, but the team got a big lift this year when they picked up some talented players who recently moved to the island. Most of the players from last year’s team also returned.

“The players have become a lot closer this year,” said junior first baseman Sarah Brubaker. “They come together off the field as friends and have de-veloped a sense of trust among each other that contributes to game performance. I have people who I’ve played with for more than a year now — girls I trust to catch whatever I throw at them.”

Trust has been the most im-portant factor that many of the girls felt was missing, accord-ing to sophomore right fielder Carrie Thompson-Davis. Many of the girls also play together on other school teams, which has helped them communicate

better and understand how they react during the game.

McKeown said that the players’ parents have noticed a significant change in their

children’s confidence.The team knows they have

gotten better but they say they are committed to improving even more.

18 OKINAWA MARINE | MARKETPLACE | MARCH 30, 2007

IN THEATERS MARCH 30-APRIL 5

The USO hosts movie nights at the camps below. For schedules and start times, call:

Start times are subject to change without notice.Call in advance to confirm show times.

SCHWAB625-2333

FRIDAY Epic Movie (PG-13), 6 p.m.; 300 (R), 9 p.m.

SATURDAY Catch and Release (PG-13), noon; Epic Movie (PG-13), 3 p.m.; Blood and Chocolate (PG-13), 6 p.m.; 300 (R), 9 p.m.

SUNDAY Epic Movie (PG-13), noon; Blood and Chocolate (PG-13), 3 p.m.; 300 (R), 6 p.m.

MONDAY 300 (R), 7 p.m.

TUESDAY Epic Movie (PG-13), 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY Blood and Chocolate (PG-13), 7 p.m.

THURSDAY Shooter (R), 7 p.m.

FRIDAY Shooter (R), 7 p.m.; Blood and Chocolate (PG-13), 10 p.m.

SATURDAY Night at the Museum (PG), 1 p.m.; Epic Movie (PG-13), 4 p.m.; Shooter (R), 7 p.m.; Catch and Release (PG-13), 10 p.m.

SUNDAY We Are Marshall (PG), 1 p.m.; Epic Movie (PG-13), 4 p.m.; Shooter (R), 7 p.m.

MONDAY Easter event scheduled

TUESDAY Blood and Chocolate (PG-13), 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY Catch and Release (PG-13), 7 p.m.

THURSDAY Reign Over Me (R), 7 p.m.

KADENA634-4422

FOSTER645-3465

USO MOVIE NIGHTS

FUTENMA636-3890

COURTNEY622-9616

KINSER637-2177

FRIDAY Reign Over Me (R), 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

SATURDAY Happily N’Ever After (PG), 2 p.m.; Reign Over Me (R), 6 p.m., 9 p.m.

SUNDAY The Queen (PG-13), 7 p.m.

MONDAY Dreamgirls (PG-13), 7 p.m.

TUESDAY Closed

WEDNESDAY Smoking Aces (R), 7 p.m.

THURSDAY Closed

FRIDAY Smoking Aces (R), 7 p.m.

SATURDAY Dreamgirls (PG-13), 1:30 p.m.; The Queen (PG-13), 6 p.m.

SUNDAY Reign Over Me (R), 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m.

MONDAY Dreamgirls (PG-13), 7 p.m.

TUESDAY Closed

WEDNESDAY Shooter (R), 7 p.m.

THURSDAY Closed

FRIDAY Blood and Chocolate (PG-13), 7 p.m.

SATURDAY Catch and Release (PG-13), 7 p.m.

SUNDAY TBA

MONDAY TBA

TUESDAY TBA

WEDNESDAY Closed

THURSDAY Closed

FRIDAY Epic Movie (PG-13), 7 p.m.

SATURDAY Catch and Release (PG-13), 3 p.m.; Blood and Chocolate (PG-13), 7 p.m.

SUNDAY Epic Movie (PG-13), 6 p.m.

MONDAY Closed

TUESDAY 300 (R), 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY Reign Over Me (R), 7 p.m.

THURSDAY Letters From Iwo Jima (R), 7 p.m.

CAMP SCHWAB CHAPELCatholic Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 8:30 a.m. MassApril 5, Holy Thursday 5 p.m., Evening Mass of the Lord’s SupperApril 6, Good Friday, 5 p.m., Celebration of the Lord’s PassionApril 8, Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., Easter Sunday Mass

Protestant Service:April 1, Palm Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Worship ServiceApril 2-4, Monday-Wednesday, 6:00 p.m., Holy EucharistApril 5, Maundy Thursday, 6 p.m., Worship ServiceApril 6, Good Friday, 6 p.m., Liturgy for Good FridayApril 8, Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m., Resurrection Service at the seawall beside the chapelApril 8, Easter Sunday, 11 a.m., Worship Service with Holy Communion

CAMP HANSEN (EAST CHAPEL)April 1, Palm Sunday, 10 a.m., MassApril 5, Holy Thursday, 7 p.m., Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by Adoration of the Blessed SacramentApril 6, Good Friday, 7 p.m., Celebration of the Lord’s PassionApril 7, Holy Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Easter VigilApril 8, Easter Sunday, 10 a.m., Easter Sunday Mass

CAMP HANSEN (WEST CHAPEL)Protestant Services:April 5, Maundy Thursday, 7 p.m., Worship ServiceApril 6, Good Friday, noon, Worship ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m., Easter Sunrise Service at the Cross on the HillApril 8, Easter Sunday, 11 a.m., Worship Service

CAMP COURTNEY CHAPELCatholic Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 8 a.m., MassApril 2-3, Monday-Tuesday, 7 a.m., Daily Weekday MassApril 5, Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by Adoration of the Blessed SacramentApril 6, Good Friday, 7:30 p.m., Celebration of the Lord’s PassionApril 7, Holy Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Easter VigilApril 8, Easter Sunday, 11 a.m., Easter Sunday Mass

Protestant Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Worship ServiceApril 6, Good Friday, 6 p.m., Worship Service at The Other PlaceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m., Resurrection Service at the pavilion at Courtney BeachApril 8, Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Worship ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Easter Eucharist Service

CAMP MCTUREOUS CHAPEL Note: Saturday, April 7, 5 p.m., Catholic Mass is canceledApril 8, Easter Sunday, 8:15 a.m., Easter Continental breakfast at the chapelApril 8, Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., McTureous Easter Egg Roll (on the chapel hill)April 8, Easter Sunday, 9:45 a.m., Easter Festival WorshipApril 8, Easter Sunday, 12:30 p.m., Gospel Service

CAMP LESTER CHAPELCatholic Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 8 a.m. MassApril 5, Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Evening Mass of the Lord’s SupperApril 6, Good Friday, 7 p.m., Celebration of the Lord’s PassionApril 8, Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., Easter Sunday Mass Protestant Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 10 a.m., Palm Sunday ServiceApril 3, Holy Tuesday, noon, Holy Eucharist – Episcopal/Lutheran (Hospital Chapel)April 5, Maundy Thursday, 5 p.m., Holy Eucharist – Episcopal/LutheranApril 6, Good Friday, noon, Good Friday ServiceApril 7, Holy Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Great Vigil of Easter – Episcopal/LutheranApril 8, Easter Sunday, 6:15 a.m., Easter Sunrise Service at Torii BeachApril 8, Easter Sunday, 7:30 a.m., Continental Breakfast at Coral Cove Club, Torii Station

Gospel Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, noon, Palm Sunday ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, noon, Easter Sunrise Service

CAMP FOSTER CHAPELCatholic Services: No scheduled Confessions will be held during the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday)April 1, Palm Sunday, 9:45 a.m., Palm Sunday MassApril 2-4, Monday-Wednesday, 11:45 a.m., Daily Weekday MassApril 5, Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by Adoration of the Blessed SacramentApril 6, Good Friday, 7:30 p.m., Liturgy of the Lord’s PassionApril 7, Holy Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Easter VigilApril 8, Easter Sunday, 10 a.m., Easter Sunday Mass

Protestant Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 8:30 a.m., Palm Sunday ServiceApril 6, Good Friday, 6 p.m., Good Friday ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 6 a.m., Joint Sunrise Service April 8, Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., Full Breakfast at the Globe & AnchorApril 8, Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., Easter Worship Service

Gospel Services: April 1, Palm Sunday, 11:30 a.m., Worship ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 6 a.m., Joint Sunrise ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., Full Breakfast at the Globe & AnchorApril 8, Easter Sunday, 11:30 a.m., Worship Service Orthodox Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Palm Sunday Divine LiturgyApril 4, Wednesday, 6 p.m., Pre-Sanctified Divine LiturgyApril 5, Holy Thursday, 6 p.m., Holy Passion of Our LordApril 6, Good Friday, 6 p.m., Descent from the Cross and LamentationsApril 7, Holy Saturday, 9:30 a.m., Divine Liturgy of St Basil the GreatApril 7, Pascha (Easter), 11 p.m., Confessions and MeditationApril 7, Pascha Service, 11:30 p.m., Resurrection and Divine LiturgyApril 8, Paschal Vespers, 11:30 a.m., Vespers of Pascha

MCAS FUTENMA CHAPELCatholic Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, noon, MassApril 5, Holy Thursday, 5 p.m., Evening Mass of the Lord’s SupperApril 6, Good Friday, 5 p.m., Celebration of the Lord’s PassionApril 8, Easter Sunday, noon, Easter Sunday Mass

Protestant Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 9 a.m., Palm Sunday ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 9 a.m., Easter Service & Fellowship Breakfast

CAMP KINSER CHAPELCatholic Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 11 a.m. MassApril 2-4, Monday-Wednesday, 11:45 a.m., Daily Weekday MassApril 5, Holy Thursday, 7 p.m., Evening Mass of the Lord’s SupperApril 6, Good Friday, 3 p.m., Liturgy of the Lord’s PassionApril 7, Holy Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Easter VigilApril 8, Easter Sunday, 11 a.m., Easter Sunday Mass Protestant Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Palm Sunday ServiceApril 8, “Son Rise,” 6 a.m., Easter CelebrationApril 8, Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Easter Sunday Service

Gospel Services:April 1, Palm Sunday, 12:30 p.m., Palm Sunday ServiceApril 6, Good Friday, 7 p.m., Good Friday ServiceApril 8, Easter Sunday, 12:30 p.m., Easter Sunday Service

• Jewish Passover Seder will be April 2 from 6:45 to 10:30 p.m. at the Camp Foster Chapel.

MARINE CORPS BASE CHAPELS HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

CAMP SCHWAB 625-3834

MCAS FUTENMA 636-2113

CAMP HANSEN 623-5011

KADENA AIR BASE 632-8781

• The Camp Hansen Theater is closed for renovation until August.