Serving country and community: HM-15 volunteers at Camp Allen Elementary field day
05 June 2024
NORFOLK, Va. -- Twenty-seven members of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HM) 15 volunteered at Camp Allen Elementary School for the end of year field day, May 31.
HM-15 partnered with Camp Allen Elementary earlier this year to organize a volunteer event and tie military appreciation month with their closing event of the school year.
“There is no greater purpose in life than to be in service of those in need,” said Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Jackson Osborne, assigned to HM-15. “As service members, we all feel some sense of need to help others.”
In April, members of HM-15 volunteered at other local establishments such as the Virginia Zoo.
“We cleared out three quarters of an acre of invasive bamboo,” said Osborne. “Part of our job is to serve our country. When we have an opportunity to help the community directly around us, it is especially important.”
Around 50 percent of the children attending Camp Allen Elementary are children of military members.
“Seeing the military members come in and support these events creates a sense of community,” said Deena Johnson Copeland, Camp Allen principal. “Our students know that there is a greater community out there that supports them, their academics, and their social growth.”
For many Sailors who either grew up as military children, or who have children themselves, events like these are pivotal in connecting military life to their local communities.
“It’s important to come here and show support to the students who have worked hard all year long,” said Aviation Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Arkezznik Washington. “It is important for us to show up for the kids, to let them know we are still physically present and not gone while we serve the country. We serve them too.”
HM-15’s mission is to maintain a world-wide 72-hour Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) rapid deployment posture and a four aircraft forward-deployed AMCM and Vertical Onboard Delivery (VOD) capability in the Arabian Gulf.