Petty Officer 2nd Class Lanita S. Morgan, an operations specialist serving aboard the USS Essex, interacts with a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force English student at a barbecue Thursday week at Camp Ainoura, Japan. (Adam Cole / U.S. Navy)
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — For nine years, Sasebo Naval Base volunteers have traveled to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Ainoura to make new friends and teach conversational English to Japanese servicemembers.
Base volunteers recently attended a Japanese barbecue at Ainoura which provided an opportunity for students to practice casual conversation, as well as to thank American volunteers.
The Basic Enlisted English course objectives, implemented by command Navy Career Counselor Chief Petty Officer Forrest Powell, remain true to form even though Powell now serves aboard the USS Frank Cable in Guam.
The BEE students, who undergo three months of English lessons, invited their American friends to the barbecue featuring traditional yakiniku, in which fresh, seasoned ingredients such as meat, seafood and vegetables are skewered on a stick and grilled.
Manipulating hashi — chopsticks — to select another piece, Petty Officer 2nd Class Lanita S. Morgan, an operations specialist aboard the USS Essex, said it was tasty.
The conversation was as interesting as the food, indicated JGSDF Sgt. Nagata Shinji, a member of the BEE class. “It was more natural today.
“It felt a lot more free,” he added. “I learned more, which is good.”
Call DSN 252-3409 for more BEE information or to volunteer as a teacher.
