Marines

3/2 takes out the trash

28 Feb 2002 | Lance Cpl. Matthew F. Orr Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Approximately 40 Marines from Lima Company, 3d Battalion, 2d Marines, recently gave back to the local community in the form of clearing a beach of trash about 45 minutes from the front gates here.Upon their arrival, Marines saw that most of the trash was floating styrofoam and plastic. Armed with rubber gloves, plastic bags and garden rakes, they accomplished their mission at hand.Lance Cpl. Joshua Malcom, a radio operator with 1st Platoon, said he volunteered for this early on and then got picked to do it."It tells the community we care, and we are also here to help out as well as to train," he said.Lance Cpl. Antonio Powell, a mortar man with Weapons Platoon said, "I really like helping the Okinawa people. I think other Marines should do the same if given the opportunity. I got to see a little bit of Okinawa that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise."Lt. Ted Knach, 3/2's chaplain, organized the event."We have been doing this sort of thing since arriving here," he said. "It's just a simple process of making a few phone calls to find out which, and how many Marines can be spared."He said the events vary from month-to-month."Last month we visited a kindergarten school and did some landscaping work that needed to be done in the garden there. And in February, we visited a child orphanage," he said. Apart from this, Marines from 3/2 donated their time to teach English to local school children."We have been teaching English at local elementary schools at Kube, Agarie and Omiya every week since January," said Knach. 3d Battalion, 2d Marines is currently deployed here with Unit Deployment Program. The unit is permanently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., under the 2d Marine Division's command.