CASEY GARRISON, South Korea - Smiles were the order of the day as volunteers and parents watched their children, graduate June 25 from an English Camp at the Warrior's Club.
Yu In-seon, the vice-mayor of Dongducheon and guest speaker for the evening, congratulated the children on their accomplishments and noted how proud he was of their participation. Shortly after his remarks, the volunteers and children sang, dance, set-up skits and played guessing games to entertain the parents who attended the ceremony.
Sophia Lee, USO Casey and Warrior Country program coordinator, echoed the vice-mayor's remarks about how happy she was for the children. It was her ninth English program. The USO offers a four- or five-day camp twice a year for an estimated 30 to 40 Korean students from the local community.
The camp gives the students a rare opportunity to get a glimpse behind the tall perimeter walls that surround the installation, visit some of the facilities and participate in a wide array of activities with Soldiers.
"The Soldiers participation is really awesome," Lee said. "The first day the Soldiers showed up they didn't really know what was going on, but after we had orientation the Soldiers got really involved with the children; it seems the Soldiers who participate genuinely love children and I truly appreciate it."
Lee said the program provides children with various fun-filled activities and gives them an opportunity to learn new things that can benefit them in their future. They also participate in activities like bowling, field trips and sightseeing with American Soldiers.
Pfc. Jonathan Green, a volunteer from the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, agreed the program provides the children a lot of fun activities, which helps them learn English.
"The children had a good time learning English and witnessing a Soldier's way of life," he said.
Not only did the children get to witness a Soldier's life, they also had the opportunity to visit the simulation cells for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. They eat at various restaurants and even experienced Army chow at the Iron Triangle. Each day was capped off with a three-hour English class.
"The class may seem long but the children were very involved and actually enjoyed it," Green said.
"This program is a good opportunity for children to learn English and explore a new culture," he added. "It's also good for Soldiers because it gives us insight on how to help out and interact with children while learning a new culture, as well."
Lee said the children really enjoyed the program and connected with the volunteers in a very short period of time. She hopes the students' enthusiasm carries over to the volunteers.
"I hope we can get even more Soldier volunteers involved with the program in the future," she said.
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