CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan -- Headquarters and Service Battalion’s Family Readiness Office held an informative overseas adoption seminar April 25 at the Foster Community Center.
The goal of the seminar was to inform Marines, sailors and their families about the adoption process while living overseas. Melissa Duncan led the seminar providing valuable firsthand knowledge and information she obtained during her own adoption process.
“My husband and I are adopting, and when we started the process we were frustrated because there wasn’t a lot of information out there and (there were) a lot of roadblocks,” said Duncan, a command team advisor for H&S Bn., Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Marine Corps Installations Pacific. “My goal since we’ve lived on island is to tell anyone who wants to adopt all the research we’ve already done and the things we’ve learned to make it easier for them.”
The topics ranged from the necessary paperwork involved to adoption agency suggestions.
“Melissa approached me and explained with all the misinformation and confusing routes for adoption on Okinawa, it would be beneficial to have a centralized piece of information for those looking to adopt,” said Stacy Bush, the family readiness officer for the battalion. “Melissa has done all the research, so we decided, ‘hey, let’s open this up and have people come in who want the information.’”
During the question and answer portion of the seminar, people shared their stories from their own adoption experiences.
“It is a daunting process, and you keep hearing that word ‘process’ and that’s exactly what it is,” said Capt. Jay Woods, the commanding officer of Company B, 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III MEF. “It can be discouraging to a lot of people, and this (seminar) did help get a lot of useful information out there.”
After the seminar was over, attendees swapped contact information to further discuss and support each other.
“It is reassuring that there are other people who are dealing with a similar situation on island,” said Woods. “We will definitely be keeping in contact with the folks who came out here and those who ran this seminar. They seemed very knowledgeable about the entire process and can probably help us out along our way.”