Photo By Cpl. Ramon Cardoza | U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary...... read more read more
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CAMP COURTNEY, Okinawa, Japan —
U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company and III Marine Expeditionary Force Support Battalion bring a sense of home to Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan by hosting a Trunk-or-Treat celebration on October 25, 2024, with the help of Marine Corps Community Services. The Trunk-or-Treat event was held to celebrate Halloween for the overseas stationed servicemembers and their children.
Trunk-or-Treat consisted of popcorn, hot dog stands, bouncy houses, corn hole, a DJ, and decorated car trunks filled with candy to hand out.
“When we first came out, we all brought out costumes, got dressed up, we dressed up our cars and decorated them,” said U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Xzaveon Mundie, an influence operations specialist with 5th ANGLICO. “We placed candy in our trunks and stood by while our brothers and sisters brought their family members over to the cars.”
In Okinawa, Japan, Halloween is not a widely celebrated holiday. Due to this, many familiar seasonal traditions like trick-or-treating or haunted houses are rare on the island. Events like the Trunk-or-Treat are held to increase morale and to bring a feeling of home to our service members and families.
“Trunk or Treat supports the community because it allows service members that are thousands of miles away from home to give their family a sense of life in America,” said Mundie.
While volunteering for this event, Mundie fondly recalled walking from door to door with his sisters as a young boy, and remarked on how the Trunk-or-Treat event brought the small children of attending families that familiar joy. “It reminds me of myself when I was younger. Seeing them go from car to car represents me going from house to house,” Mundie finished.
Along with handing out candy, a contest was held for best decorated trunk. The volunteers in attendance competed against one another to have the spookiest car trunk in the lot.
“What motivated myself and my group to have the best vehicle was probably thinking about the smiles and the laughter that the car was going to bring when the kids first saw it, as well as the competitive nature that we have when competing with our peers,” laughed Mundie.
Although his group did not win first prize, Mundie’s and his group’s teamwork and effort was recognized by his fellow peers.
“My biggest takeaway from Trunk-or-Treat was the camaraderie that was displayed,” said Mundie. “Walking by the different vehicles, checking out everyone else's work, meeting the kids and even meeting people from other units brings it all together.”
As a community, the Marines with 5th ANGLICO and III MSB gathered to celebrate their seasonal sense of home through the Trunk-or-Treat event in hopes of reviving American Halloween traditions for service members overseas.
“Although I'm thousands of miles away,” Mundie shared, “Seeing the smiles on my brother’s and sister’s faces as well as our family members, it reminds me of home.”
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| Date Taken: | 10.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.31.2024 03:39 |
| Story ID: | 484286 |
| Location: | CAMP COURTNEY, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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