Carthage marine volunteers help at church camp

Stars and Stripes features a story on 30 Marines, including Lt. Bruce Vaughan, 38, Carthage, who did volunteer groundskeeping work at a church camp in Okinawa:

"Including this … shows the importance the MEU commander places on the community relations aspect of the mission," Vaughan said, especially given the nature of the war on terrorism, in which winning "the hearts and minds of a people" can be as important as seeking and killing an enemy.

"So we put into practice here what we would do in another country," he said.

Community relations projects also have a positive effect on the attitude of Marines, Vaughan said. The work "reminds Marines that these are people that they are trying to help."