Marine Corps Base Hawaii -- Marine Corps Base Hawaii’s Headquarters Battalion came together and bid “Aloha to Summer” hosting Warrior Day at Dewey Square, Aug. 30.
Headquarters Battalion Marines and sailors gathered with their families and coworkers for the event, which encouraged camaraderie, and provided a way to end the summer on a good note before Labor Day weekend.
The attendees spent the Hawaiian afternoon relaxing with bounce houses, prize giveaways, horseshoes, Frisbee, corn hole and a dunk tank. The dunk tank was stocked full of command leaders, and service members had the opportunity to help them beat the heat with a toss of a ball.
Lance Cpl. Kazeviyon Felton, a finance pay clerk and native of Perry, Ga., said the event was a great time on a great day.
“It’s awesome to come out here and see all the families,” Felton said. “This is Headquarters Battalion’s day of unity, a day for everybody to come together and have fun on a beautiful day.”
Felton won a boogie board and flip flops during the raffle ticket prize giveaway. He said he enjoyed playing horseshoes and wishes the unit would host events like this more often.
Corporal Travis Benton, a base communication office technician and native of Spring, Texas, said it was good to get together with coworkers outside of work.
“Seeing some people with their families makes me miss mine,” Benton said. “But days like this make me appreciate my family that much more when I go home or when they come visit me here in Hawaii.”
Attendees enjoyed the food under white and red striped tents while most children played inside the bounce houses. A variety of typical barbecue food was prepared for the occasion: hot dogs, barbecued pulled pork, hamburgers, chocolate cake and potato salad. They could also sample local dishes including teriyaki beef, noodles and white rice. Music played over the loud speakers while horseshoes and Frisbees were tossed around.
Private First Class Victoria Ellis, a distribution management office clerk and native of Elgin, Ill., said she enjoyed the festivities and good food.
“It’s great spending time outside of work with everyone from my shop and those I don’t get to see as often in our unit,” Ellis said. “This event was a perfect way to see how family friendly the Marine Corps truly is.”