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III MEF/MCIPAC Consolidated Public Affairs Office

Okinawa Marines in the Asia-Pacific region

Okinawa, Japan
Military families brought together during Easter “Eggstravaganza” events

By Lance Cpl. Drew Tech | III MEF/MCIPAC Consolidated Public Affairs Office | April 22, 2014

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Olivia Hampton, 4, picks up an Easter egg April 19 during an Easter egg hunt on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The egg hunts were separated by age group to keep it fair for all the children. Family readiness officers with the air station organized the event while Marine volunteers filled more than 1,100 eggs.

Olivia Hampton, 4, picks up an Easter egg April 19 during an Easter egg hunt on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The egg hunts were separated by age group to keep it fair for all the children. Family readiness officers with the air station organized the event while Marine volunteers filled more than 1,100 eggs. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Jack Tetreault, 7, left, and Julian Bryan, 4, collect eggs April 19 during an Easter egg hunt on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Marine volunteers filled more than 1,100 Easter eggs and spread them out around the field. Family readiness officers with the air station organized the event.

Jack Tetreault, 7, left, and Julian Bryan, 4, collect eggs April 19 during an Easter egg hunt on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Marine volunteers filled more than 1,100 Easter eggs and spread them out around the field. Family readiness officers with the air station organized the event. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Julian Bryan, 4, picks up an Easter egg April 19 during an Easter egg hunt on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Family readiness officers with the air station organized the event for all status of force personnel and their families. The FROs separated the egg hunts by age group to keep it fair for all the children while Marine volunteers filled more than 1,100 eggs.

Julian Bryan, 4, picks up an Easter egg April 19 during an Easter egg hunt on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Family readiness officers with the air station organized the event for all status of force personnel and their families. The FROs separated the egg hunts by age group to keep it fair for all the children while Marine volunteers filled more than 1,100 eggs. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Children dash around a field to collect Easter eggs April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the Camp Courtney Commissary. Volunteers with groups such as the Single Marine Program, the USO, Navy Federal Credit Union, Camp Courtney Chapel, Community Bank, as well as family readiness officers and Marines provided support for the event. All status of forces agreement personnel were welcome to attend the event.

Children dash around a field to collect Easter eggs April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the Camp Courtney Commissary. Volunteers with groups such as the Single Marine Program, the USO, Navy Federal Credit Union, Camp Courtney Chapel, Community Bank, as well as family readiness officers and Marines provided support for the event. All status of forces agreement personnel were welcome to attend the event. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Children and parents line up to decorate cookies April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Volunteers with the Camp Courtney Chapel tended the cookie stand. The event was all about the children and families, according to Michael Shannon, the store director for the Camp Courtney Commissary.

Children and parents line up to decorate cookies April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Volunteers with the Camp Courtney Chapel tended the cookie stand. The event was all about the children and families, according to Michael Shannon, the store director for the Camp Courtney Commissary. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Gunnar Showalter, 6, gets his face painted like an Easter bunny by Emily Miller April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Face painting was one of many activities during the overall Easter egg hunt event. Miller is a member service representative with Navy Federal Credit Union on Camp Courtney.

Gunnar Showalter, 6, gets his face painted like an Easter bunny by Emily Miller April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Face painting was one of many activities during the overall Easter egg hunt event. Miller is a member service representative with Navy Federal Credit Union on Camp Courtney. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Gunnar Showalter, 6, gets his face painted like an Easter bunny by Emily Miller April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Face painting was one of many activities during the overall Easter egg hunt event. Miller is a member service representative with Navy Federal Credit Union on Camp Courtney.

Gunnar Showalter, 6, gets his face painted like an Easter bunny by Emily Miller April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Face painting was one of many activities during the overall Easter egg hunt event. Miller is a member service representative with Navy Federal Credit Union on Camp Courtney. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Children and parents line up to dye Easter eggs April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Members of the Camp Courtney Chapel supervised the egg dyeing stand. The event was all about the children and families, according to Michael Shannon, the store director of the Camp Courtney Commissary.

Children and parents line up to dye Easter eggs April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Members of the Camp Courtney Chapel supervised the egg dyeing stand. The event was all about the children and families, according to Michael Shannon, the store director of the Camp Courtney Commissary. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Damian Trujillo, 7, gets his face painted by Emily Miller April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Face painting was one of many activities during the overall Easter egg hunt event. Miller is a member service representative with Navy Federal Credit Union on Camp Courtney.

Damian Trujillo, 7, gets his face painted by Emily Miller April 19 at the “Camp Eggstravaganza” outside the commissary on Camp Courtney. Face painting was one of many activities during the overall Easter egg hunt event. Miller is a member service representative with Navy Federal Credit Union on Camp Courtney. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Children stand beneath a parachute held up by Marine volunteers during an Easter egg hunt event for the families of Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Regiments 35 and 37 April 13 at Roberts Field on Camp Kinser. Family readiness officers with the regiments organized the event to give all status of forces agreement personnel a way to enjoy the holiday. Both regiments are with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Children stand beneath a parachute held up by Marine volunteers during an Easter egg hunt event for the families of Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Regiments 35 and 37 April 13 at Roberts Field on Camp Kinser. Family readiness officers with the regiments organized the event to give all status of forces agreement personnel a way to enjoy the holiday. Both regiments are with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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Children play beneath a parachute held up by Marine volunteers during an Easter egg hunt event for the families of Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Regiments 35 and 37 April 13 at Roberts Field on Camp Kinser. Family readiness officers with the regiments organized the event to give all status of forces agreement personnel a way to enjoy the holiday. Both regiments are with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Children play beneath a parachute held up by Marine volunteers during an Easter egg hunt event for the families of Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Regiments 35 and 37 April 13 at Roberts Field on Camp Kinser. Family readiness officers with the regiments organized the event to give all status of forces agreement personnel a way to enjoy the holiday. Both regiments are with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Drew Tech)


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CAMP SMEDLEY D. BUTLER, OKINAWA, Japan -- “Ready, set – go!” blares from the speaker as children dash around a field to scoop as many Easter eggs as possible and quickly deposit them into their baskets before scouring the area for more.

Similar scenes played out several times as children participated in Easter egg hunts April 13 at Roberts Field on Camp Kinser, and April 19 outside the commissary on Camp Courtney and the Semper Fit Soccer Field on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Regiments 35 and 37 came together on Camp Kinser to host an Easter egg hunt, which family readiness officers organized for families of the regiments, according to Maralyn I. O’Brien, the FRO with CLR-37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

“The event puts smiles on kids' faces, and provides an opportunity for Marines and sailors of the barracks to connect with families,” said O’Brien. “The event was all about having fun and spending time with the community.”

Events like these help Marines and their families enjoy the holiday while overseas and away from family, according to Col. Edmund J. Bowen, the commanding officer of CLR-37.

“Everybody is forward-deployed, including our families,” said Bowen. “When we come around to these holidays, you start to think about family back home in the states. The young kids don’t have their grandparents, their aunts and uncles or their cousins that they would normally interact with on these holidays. It’s very important that we bring these events together here to celebrate these holidays, so that it’s memorable.”

All three events were organized similarly. The main feature was the Easter egg hunt, which was separated by age group to make it fair for all the children.

In addition to the egg hunts, each event had an Easter bunny to entertain the children and pose for pictures, as well as a variety of games and activities. There was face painting, egg dyeing, cookie decorating, a bean bag toss, parachute games, inflatable bounce houses and egg races.

The egg hunts on Camp Courtney and MCAS Futenma were open to all status of forces agreement personnel.
For some children, this was their first egg hunt, and a special sight to see, according to Mandy Havener, a Marine spouse.
 
“Seeing my one-year-old try to pick up eggs during the egg hunt was the highlight for me,” said Havener. “It’s his first egg hunt, so it’s special.”

The events were all made possible through help of volunteers with the Single Marine Program, the USO, Navy Federal Credit Union, Camp Courtney Chapel, Community Bank, as well as FROs and Marines who dedicated their time to making the day memorable.

In essence, this event was all about the children and families, according to Michael Shannon, the store director of the Camp Courtney Commissary.

“The event reminds us just how important the children are,” said Shannon. “The event brings a little bit of America right here on Okinawa.”
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