Eighty sailors and Marines from the USS Germantown helped spruce up the Garapan tourist district Friday morning with a little help from the Chamber of Commerce, MINA, and 60 students and teachers from Garapan Elementary School.
Using plastic bags and rubber gloves donated by the Marianas Visitors Authority, volunteers cleaned up Garapan's streets and the beach between Fiesta Resort and Hafa Adai Hotel. In total, almost 1,500 lbs of trash were removed, mostly cans, bottles, and food wrappers.
Steve Vince, commanding officer of the USS Germantown, said that “sailors and Marines aren't just about going off and going to war. They are about keeping the peace and building relations.and that is one of the reasons we are here.”
Garapan Elementary School principal Yvonne Gomez was very appreciative of the USS Germantown's participation in the event. “They could have spent their R&R concentrating entirely on their own enjoyment, but they chose to take time out to spend time with the kids doing something meaningful: making sure that we do our part so that we can all enjoy our beautiful island.”
After the cleanup, the USS Germantown hosted a barbecue picnic at the American Memorial Park. Volunteers were treated to hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken cooked on the ship.
During the barbecue, Vince asked if anyone had ever been in the 4th or 5th grade at Garapan Elementary. Most of the students raised their hand and when Vince asked if there was anyone else, USS Germantown sailor Marvin Mascardo, one of the Navy volunteers, raised his hand.
Mascardo went to Garapan Elementary from 1994 through 1995. He left Saipan with his family several years ago and now lives in San Diego. Gomez, who was a teacher when Mascardo was a student at GES said, “I sort of looked at him and said to myself he looks kind of familiar.”
Vince gave each of the students a USS Germantown pin and in exchange many of the sailors and Marines were given Beautify CNMI T-shirts or bags.
Beautify CNMI coalition member FMI regularly hosts a cleanup of the Garapan area on the first Sunday of every month. This month's cleanup was moved up by two days so that the sailors and Marines could participate. MVA, Isa CNMI, American Memorial Park, PDM Promoters, and some individual volunteers like Brad Doerr, Carl Brachear, and Mike Tripp also participated.
Everyone who attended the cleanup was invited to a tour of the USS Germantown on Saturday morning. The Commander was not authorized to conduct general public tours but was allowed to invite participants from their community relations projects, such as the Garapan cleanup.
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