Marine f or a Day: O pe rat ion O oh- Rah Kids give s c ...Capt. Matthew Dieska, a UH-1Y Venom helicopter pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367, Marine Aircraft Group

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Marine for a Day: Operation Ooh-Rah Kids gives children a taste of the Corps

By Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk | Marine Corps Base Hawaii | April 2, 2018

180323-M-RA909-115Lance Cpl. Robyn Lebuffe, a military police officer with the Provost Marshal’s Office, Marine Corps BaseHawaii (MCBH), sits with her group of children while they take a lunch break during ‘Operation Ooh-RahKids’, MCBH, March 23, 2018. MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year to give the children a chanceto experience what it’s like to be a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk)

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180323-M-RA909-010A U.S. Marine with Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, helps a childspray a fire hose during ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), March 23, 2018.MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year to give the children a chance to experience what it’s like to bea Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk)

180323-M-RA909-039Ned Kanekoa, a military working dog handler with the Provost Marshal’s Office, Marine Corps Base Hawaii(MCBH) and his dog, Dar, wait during a military working dog demonstration for ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’,MCBH, March 23, 2018. MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year to give the children a chance toexperience what it’s like to be a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk)



180323-M-RA909-049Sgt. Maj. Juarice Collins, sergeant major, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, recites the senior drillinstructor speech during ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), March 23, 2018.MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year to give the children a chance to experience what it’s like to bea Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk)

180323-M-RA909-071Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, Marine Aircraft Group 24, teach children about thefunctions of a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter during ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’, Marine Corps Base Hawaii(MCBH), March 23, 2018. MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year to give the children a chance toexperience what it’s like to be a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk)



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180323-M-RA909-075Capt. Matthew Dieska, a UH-1Y Venom helicopter pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367,Marine Aircraft Group 24, teaches a group about the functions of the aircraft during ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’,Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), March 23, 2018. MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year togive the children a chance to experience what it’s like to be a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl.Matthew Kirk)



180323-M-RA909-065Lance Cpl. Robyn Lebuffe, a military police officer with the Provost Marshal’s Office, Marine Corps BaseHawaii (MCBH), leads her group to their next station during ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’, MCBH, March 23,2018. MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year to give the children a chance to experience what it’s liketo be a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk)

180323-M-RA909-111Capt. Matthew Dieska, a UH-1Y Venom helicopter pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367,Marine Aircraft Group 24, introduces himself to a child during ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’, Marine Corps BaseHawaii (MCBH), March 23, 2018. MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each year to give the children achance to experience what it’s like to be a Marine (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Kirk)



180323-M-RA909-078Capt. Zoar Morales, a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter pilot with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463,Marine Aircraft Group 24, teaches children about the functions of the aircraft during ‘Operation Ooh-RahKids’, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), March 23, 2018. MCBH Marines and Sailors volunteer each yearto give the children a chance to experience what it’s like to be a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by LanceCpl. Matthew Kirk)

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Marine Corps Family Team Building (MCFTB),Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS), hosted the “Operation Ooh-Rah Kids” eventaboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Mar. 23, 2018.

The event is held every year on base to provide children an opportunity to meet with and learnabout being a member of the Armed Forces.

“There are over 100 children at this year’s ‘Operation Ooh-Rah Kids’,” said ClaudiaLaMantia, a family team building readiness trainer with MCFTB. “This year we have 70representatives from the Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy and Waianae joining us.”

The Marine Corps boot camp style event taught the children how to march, respond to theirleadership when spoken to and gave the children information on what the military does on adaily basis.

LaMantia said the instructors for each group of children were service members from variousunits around the base.

“We marched them over and presented them displays of helicopters, firetrucks and othermilitary vehicles,” she said. “At each station, the instructors talked about what they do for theCorps, so the children can get a feel of what their parents do.”

Capt. Matthew Dieska, a UH-1Y Venom helicopter pilot with Marine Light Attack HelicopterSquadron 367, Marine Aircraft Group 24, volunteered for the event to show the children whatthe service members do on a daily basis.

“I’m teaching the children history on the aircraft I fly,” Dieska said. “I’m also teaching them



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about the capabilities and our mission.” Dieska said that teaching the children about his job made him remember how much he wanted

to be a Marine when he was a child. “It allows me to connect back to my roots when I was a child,” he said. “It’s validation seeing

children where I once was and where I’m at now. If there’s a dream that they have, theyshould stick to it and not stop pursuing it.”

Dieska said he was pleased with how his expectations were met coming into the event. “It’s been great having different groups of children come around and asking questions,” he

said. “They’re very curious. They were also very excited to get in the aircraft and sit in thepilot seat.”

LaMantia said the children sometimes have to deal with their parents being away and came tothe event to learn about what the service members do while at home and forward deployed.

“We have a mix of children here,” LaMantia said. “Through explaining to them what was goingto happen, actually doing it, the children become more resilient with the adversity of differentbackgrounds we show them.”

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Marine f or a Day: O pe rat ion O oh- Rah Kids give s c ...Capt. Matthew Dieska, a UH-1Y Venom helicopter pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367, Marine Aircraft Group