MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- The Single Marine Program held a free Super Blast at Molly Pitcher Field aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, May 18. The festivities were open to single Marines and sailors and went from 2 to 7 p.m. to allow the maximum number of personnel to attend.
The SMP spent three months planning with the intent to improve the morale of Marines and sailors. Nearly 500 service members joined in the fun at Super Blast.
“We just wanted to give them the opportunity to have fun, socialize and be happy with Marines and sailors from other units,” said Josefa Cordero, an event coordinator and recreation specialist manager at the Central Area Recreation Center.
Cordero said she believes it is important to hold interactive events such as Super Blast because it allows service members to get to know one another on a more personal level.
According to Cordero, service members have been requesting an outdoor fun event for some time now and Super Blast was able to deliver. It boasted an extensive list of activities for guests, such as a climbing wall, tug of war, volleyball and other team-based activities, plus free food and music. There was also an outdoor-sized chess board, a mobile unit from Semper Fit and a motorcycle safety seminar to cater to a wide variety of interests.
Super Blast was held partly during normal working hours, because the entire event was designed with boosting service members’ morale. What better way to have fun and improve morale than to get out of work early? That is exactly what Lance Cpl. Andrew Whitcomb, a data systems clerk with the Installation Personnel Administration Center, Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, thought.
“It’s a positive environment with a lot of good activities,” said Whitcomb. “It was a good chance to get out of the office and do something.”
The Single Marine Program’s next big events are a trip to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., scheduled for June 11, and a Keith Urban concert at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., scheduled for June 25.