The 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Sustainment Command, stands on the basketball court at Santos Memorial Park, where Soldier volunteers, villagers, and Boy Scouts participated in a cooperative clean up effort at Santos Memorial...
PITI, Guam-- The Soldiers of the "Never Daunted" battalion volunteered their time and efforts to impact the local community by cleaning up a local park in Piti, Guam, Apr. 13.
The idea for the project came from a local Eagle Scout, James Cook, who wanted to clean up Santos Memorial Park, a park that had debris, overgrown trees, and pavilions in need of painting. It was important to him to ensure joint efforts from the Army, Navy, Boy Scouts, Mayor of Piti, and local villagers.
The project started early in the morning to avoid the midday heat. James divided everyone into groups, allowing for integration, and giving specific tasks. Everyone got right to work with helping. All equipment that was used, to include rakes, paintbrushes, and weed eaters were donated.
Every Soldier that participated in the local park clean up, volunteered, was willing and was thrilled to be able to give their time to help a good cause.
"It was good to go out there and support the Eagle Scout, the community, and represent our battalion as well," said Spc. Reginald Johnson, construction engineer for the Forward Support Company, 84th Engineer Battalion.
Johnson supports the engineer battalion in its construction projects and day-to-day operations in Guam.
"It's a good feeling knowing we will leave a print on the island with the locals here volunteering for humanitarian assistance operations that are outside our mission requirements," Johnson said.
The Boy Scouts and aspiring Eagle Scout enjoyed talking with the Soldiers and learning about what it means to be a Soldier, an Engineer, and to serve others.
Sgt. 1st Class Rene Ompad, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 84th Eng. Bn., was impressed by the number of volunteers and the amount of work that was complete at the end of the day. As a Sergeant Audie Murphy member, he understands the value of giving back.
"This is awesome!" he exclaimed. "We get to impact the young men of our future."
Overall, the impacts were invaluable. The community was excited to be able to utilize Santos Memorial Park once again.
"Thank you very, very much for your support!" Cook said. "The [Boy] Scouts really enjoyed working with the Soldiers, and this is the environment that I wanted to create between the Scouts, Soldiers, and Villagers."
In a way to say thanks to the "Never Daunted" battalion, the Mayor of Piti invited the Soldiers and volunteers across the street to enjoy some local cooked food. Impacting the community in a positive manner is an essential, key message for the battalion as it continues to provide significant efforts in the Pacific realm until October of this year.
Social Sharing