MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- When Marines return from combat, wounded, they are usually given an option of how they want to finish out their time in the Corps. Some choose to be a lifeguard at the base pool, others spend their time as range coaches, but for five Marines from Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, the choice was one that has changed their outlook on life, as well as the people they work with.
“This is definitely the best thing I have volunteered for in the Marine Corps,” said Lance Cpl. Bryan C. Bordog, mortarman, 3rd Marine Regiment. “It is nice to escape military life for awhile and give back to the community.”
Bordog and the other volunteers spend five days a week tutoring children, acting as monitors, assisting the teachers, and serving as coaches for after-school basketball teams at Mokapu Elementary School.
“It is great to see that the kids are actually learning the mechanics of the game,” said Larry D. Biggs, principal, Mokapu Elementary School. “We hope to be able to introduce other sports in the future, because basketball has gone so well for the kids.”
Biggs explained the Adopt-A-School Program really took flight after Lt. Col. Owen R. Lovejoy, executive officer, 3rd Marine Regiment, spoke to him and said he was interested in sending wounded Marines over to the school to assist the students.
“We had a chance to go meet the Marines before they came to work at the school, and we were very pleased,” said Biggs, a Des Moines, Iowa native. “Several of the volunteers have expressed that they are interested in pursuing a teaching career, once they get out of the Corps. I think this is a great thing for them to experience.”
Biggs also stressed the fact that activities, such as basketball, have never been available before due to lack of manpower.
“It is great to have these guys out here interacting with the kids during and after class,” he said.
According to Arianna A. Le, parent community network center facilitator, Mokapu Elementary School, the students really look up to the Marines as role models. Especially because a lot of the children have parents who are deployed.
“Most children have a mother or father who is not around right now because of a deployment,” she explained. “The children see these guys as people to look up to and open up to.”
Since coming to work full time at the school one year ago, Le said she has never seen this extent of interaction between Marines and students through the Adopt-A-School Program, and admitted it is a wonderful thing to see.
“Seeing the way the kids interact with the Marines is a great thing to witness,” said the Alexandria, Va. native. “I think it is beneficial for both the Marines and students to be in this kind of environment. I hope, in the future, we can continue to have this type of support.”
Many of the volunteers, since they are leaving the Corps soon, agree that this job is a great way to slowly reintroduce them to the civilian environment.
“It is a nice change,” said Bordog, a San Jose, Calif. native. “I think it will help me adjust to getting back into the swing of things in the civilian world.”
Bordog said he sees children in his future — but not for a long time. He does believe that some of the things he is experiencing will help him later on in life.
“I think it’s going to benefit me, down the road, when I do decide to have children,” he said. “I am witnessing different behaviors at certain ages, and learning how to react to the children in a positive way. I have learned that it takes a lot of patience.”
According to Lance Cpl. Joaquin M. McCurty, squad automatic weapons gunner, 3rd Marine Regiment, since he has recently become a father, the experiences he is involved with at the school are things he can carry over once his 10-month-old daughter gets older.
“I have had experience before, teaching and interacting with kids as a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club,” explained McCurty, “But every day brings new knowledge that I can carry with me as a parent.”
McCurty serves as a crossing guard each morning, which was a position that was hard to fill until he came along. He also frequently takes full charge of the physical education class in order to give the teacher a break from work and to gain more one-on-one time with the students.
“I really enjoy working with the kids. I’m a very family oriented person. That’s how I grew up, and I am kinda protective of the children because of that,” admitted the Mescalero, Apache Reservation, N.M. native. “I am leaving the Corps very soon, and it will be hard to leave these kids and move on, because they get attached and so do we.”
Another benefit of having the Marines volunteering after school as basketball coaches is the fact that some parents get a little extra time to themselves after a long day of work.
“I think, as a parent, especially in the Marine Corp or Navy, that I could use an hour or so after work to relax before my child came home from school,” said Bordog. “It also tires the kids out, and they probably sleep better. So while we’re having fun with the kids, we’re also helping the parents. It is a win-win situation.”
The Marines work together with students that range in age from kindergartners to sixth graders. They work with them on a daily basis, and some of the volunteer Marines said they are surprised at the level of trust and respect the young students have for them.
“The kids look up to you a lot,” said Lance Cpl. Jonathan M. Linhart, a Milwaukee, Wis. native. “I have heard them say things like, ‘Oh you’re a Marine — like my daddy,’ and it makes you realize the impact that you have on the children, and it means a lot.”
Another note Linhart took while being involved in the Adopt-A-School Program was how hard the teachers worked each day.
“There is a lot to say about the students of course,” said Linhart, 20, “but another thing I realized is that the teachers have a tough job, and they have to have a lot of patience and kindness in order to get what they need to get done. I have gained a lot of respect for the teachers and staff, and I hope that other Marines will also get the opportunity to experience what the five of us have. It has been great.”