MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School gave moms a break from cooking supper Jan. 13.
The staff and faculty of Mary Fay invited its 700 students and their families to their school for a free spaghetti dinner that included oodles of noodles and bundles of breadsticks.
“It’s good to get everybody together,” said Dave Kootman, a first grade teacher at Mary Fay. “It makes us feel like a big family and keeps smiles on (kids’) faces.”
Although everyone was primarily there for the feast, one Marine said the event meant more to him.
“It allowed me to interact with my family before I deploy again,” said Sgt. Marvin G. Abuan, father of two, who recently returned from Iraq. “It’s important for me to be here for my son’s first year of school, go to these functions and be the dad.”
The dinner was a time for parents and children to bond and reflect on the times left before Marines deploy.
“Things like this are good for my son,” said Staff Sgt. Tammy A. Belleville who is scheduled to deploy this spring. “We go to things like this, and I talk about deploying so he’s not so shocked when I leave.”
The school also invited local news media including radio personality Roger Hedgecock from KOGO AM 600. Hedgecock broadcasted the event live from the school’s cafeteria.
Some Marines like Belleville, were afforded the opportunity to chat with Hedgecock on the air.
The school also raffled off prizes, from dollhouses to radio controlled cars to men’s pens.
“It’s awesome, it’s just another way (the school) shows appreciation for what we do,” Abuan said.