Soldiers conduct cleanup at local children’s home

Photo and story by Keiko McPherson, Torii Station Public Affairs

505th Quartermaster Battalion Soldiers gather up grass clippings and trim weeds around the grounds of the Ishimine Children’s Home in Naha, Okinawa Oct. 23. More than 30 Soldiers from the battalion spent several hours at the home to help beautify the grounds for the more than 90 children that reside there.

TORII STATION, Okinawa - More than 30 505th Quartermaster Battalion Soldiers visited Ishimine Children’s Home in Naha City to help out with a little housekeeping Oct. 23.

The Soldiers pitched in and cut grass, washed windows, and mopped the floor of the children’s gymnasium. The Soldiers spent several hours working on the home’s grounds and interior dormitories as well as a playground area the children use in the center of the complex.

“I think this is a great opportunity for the 505th Soldiers to breach the gap between the local community, especially coming down here to Naha outside the normal circle of the military community around Kadena Air Base and Torii Station,” said Sgt. Maj. Jeffery Crawford, 505th Quartermaster Bn. command sgt. maj. “The Soldiers are really enjoying it, and they were really looking forward to it. This is all on a volunteer basis.”

This was the first visit to the home for the Soldiers of the 505th QM Bn. but Sgt. Maj. Crawford hopes this will be the start of a strong friendship between the command and the home.

“As we get a little deeper into the relationship, the Soldiers will start to bond with the kids here,” he said. “Coming out here allows them an opportunity to get to know the local community and to get to know the kids and the Naha area.”

Most of the children who live at the home were away at school during the cleanup project but the few that were there had a chance to smile and greet some of the Soldiers.

Having an opportunity to “give back” to a local children’s home was a great opportunity for the Soldiers, Crawford said and he wasn’t alone in hoping for a continued relationship with the children and staff of Ishimine.

“We are really excited about it. In fact, we have been looking for something like this for a long time,” said 505th executive officer Maj. Timothy Haylett. “Any time we can do something to help out the community, it helps Soldiers’ morale, and it builds camaraderie within the community, and it provides them with a sense of purpose.”

The school really benefited from the yard work and cleaning that the Soldiers performed at the home, Haylett said. The command has already started to eye future projects as well.

“We are looking at trying to come out here at least once a month and help out cutting grass and providing some lawn maintenance and some area clean up,” he said. “We are also looking at trying to get involved in helping out during Christmas time and during some of the special holidays coming around so that the kids can share what we can provide for them for gifts… It will make the children feel good and it also makes the Soldiers feel good.”

Approximately 90 children ages 2 to 18 live in four separate dormitories at Ishimine Children’s Home with about two dozen children living in each dorm.

“The Soldiers are very welcome here. This is a large place and we just cannot do everything by ourselves like cutting grass,” said Ichimine director Eiko Uchima. “So we really welcome the Soldiers’ help. I am really happy that they came to cut the grass. They will always be very welcome.”

The staff of the home also looks forward to future events with the Soldiers on Okinawa, said Hideyuki Tamamura, a counselor for the children at Ichimine.

“The children are gone during the day but when they come back, it will make them so happy to see their home looking so nice,” Tamamura said. “We would like to invite the Soldiers to some of our future events and let them play baseball and soccer with the kids.”