CHANTHABURI, Thailand – Military Sealift Command Far East (MSCFE) and the Singapore Area Coordinator Community collected more than 1,200 used English children’s books in Singapore and delivered the offerings to the Pong Nam Ron, Pliu and Ban Trok Nong elementary schools here as part of a community outreach event to foster goodwill, Dec. 21.

“We were received with an outpouring of love and appreciation,” said Lt. Cmdr. Glen D. Kitzman, chaplain, MSCFE. “The Thai people are just a very grateful people and I think every time we have the opportunity to come to schools like this in Chanthaburi and other regions of Thailand we’re always received with open arms and welcomed spirits.”

The community outreach event was held at the schools, which are collocated, and the books benefited more than 120 students. In addition to the books being delivered, the volunteer civilian mariners (CIVMARS) and MSCFE personnel also sang songs with the children, played soccer and painted items on the playground. At the conclusion of the event, all shared a traditional Thai meal that was hosted in the school lunch room.

Additionally, local Thai organizations such as the Navy League Siam Council, the Rotary Club of Chantanimit and the Marriot Hotel of Pattaya also contributed with donations and volunteer time.

“There’s a deficiency here with the number of grade-school English text books and reading books for teachers to use as they teach English in their normal curriculum,” said Kitzman. “So with the generosity of the Singapore families, a lot of American families came together and we were able to distribute over 1,200 books in this region to the school children of Chanthabury; really, to help them promote English literature. We were also able to donate some holiday gifts in the form of small care packages.”

According to Peter Thorand, a 70-year-old active volunteer to the U.S. Navy and President of the Navy League Siam Council, these types of activities make a lasting and memorable impression to individuals.

Peter has been a resident of Thailand for more than 30 years, and has traveled the globe over the years, but he vividly recalled an encounter he had with a U.S. soldier in the late 1940s in war-ruined Germany as a young child when U.S. soldiers were camped out in a field not far from his home near Munich.

“I was 4 or 5-years-old, I would sneak out and go to where the soldiers were camped out,” said Peter. “It was tough times. I remember this (soldier) gave me a box and said, ‘take this home to your mother.’ It was a big box of (pork belly). I never forgot that. The next day, they saw me and gave me grapefruits. I had never seen a grapefruit before. Times were tough and I never forgot that. They were all nice guys.”

Peter said that these Thai kids will always remember the volunteers. “You create a lasting memory and that is why I like to do these community relations events,” said Peter. “They will go home and they will talk about this event.”

The books were collected over a two-month-period in Singapore during a book drive that was sponsored by MSCFE and the Singapore Area Coordinator Community in Sembawang after volunteers from the Keystone Club, a local teen club in the Sembawang American community, posted various collection boxes in different high-traffic areas in the Sembawang community.

The books were gathered in November and travlled as space-available cargo on the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193), which was bound for Sriracha to conduct voyage repairs.

From Sriracha, the Walter S. Diehl’s crew delivered the books to the schools and interacted with the children through games. One midshipman cadet from Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy in New York, Joe Gutierrez, even played a much-younger Santa Claus and handed out to the kids care packages that contained toys, snacks and hygiene materials.

According to Steve Scott, chief mate of the Walter S. Diehl, the ship had a motivated bunch of volunteers.

“We just put it out to the crew that we were looking for volunteers to come up to the school to spend the day and volunteer their time to paint the playground and pass out the gifts,” said the eight-year MSC CIVMAR veteran. “We have about 80-85 crew on our ship and we had over 20 volunteers. I think they were just interested in helping other people.”

MSC operates approximately 115 noncombatant, U.S. merchant mariner-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.