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Marines and sailors with Marine Aircraft Group 31 Headquarters gathered at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort bowling alley for an esprit de corps booster, Feb. 14. Unit activities give staff noncommissioned officers a chance to know their Marines on a personal level in order to help their Marines reach their personal and professional goals.

Photo by Cpl. Brady Wood

Feeding hunger

27 Feb 2014 | Cpl. Brady Wood Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

Marines and sailors of Marine Aircraft Group 31 gathered at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Bowling Alley for an esprit de corps booster, Feb. 14.

"The whole point of this event was to show the Marines that their work is appreciated," said Col. William Lieblein, the commanding officer for MAG-31. "Best of all it helps build esprit de corps."

Prior to starting the event, Marines ate pizza, picked their bowling teams and bowled two free games.

"This is just a small slice of appreciation that we have for the Marines," said Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Monssen, the MAG-31 sergeant major. "They work hard and do great things every day and this is one way for us to say thank you for a job well done."

The mission of MAG-31 is to conduct anti-air warfare and offensive air support operations in support of Fleet Marine Forces from advance bases, expeditionary airfields and aircraft carriers, and to conduct such other air operations as may be directed.

A unit activity can increase operational readiness especially when new Marines report to the unit.

"It’s going to offset their nerves and plus it’s very casual so the new Marines can get to know everyone else at their own pace," said Staff Sgt. Lawrence Jones, the ground safety manager and deputy family readiness officer for MAG-31. "On top of that, it gives them time to relax from running around and checking in if they happened to arrive the day of the event."

Jones also said that feeding the Marines is "a great way to build a family."

In MAG-31 Headquarters’ case, they have Marines that are assigned to the different squadrons aboard the Air Station and occasionally, deploy with that unit as an augment.

"It’s important to remind Marines that we are a family," said Lieblein. "We need them to feel proud of being a part of something bigger than themselves and coming together as a unit for an activity accomplishes that."

Monssen agreed with the commanding officer by saying that, "getting to know Marines on a personal level and seeing them for who they are allows the building of relationships between different sections and makes it easier to get things done."

By coming together, staff noncommissioned officers are able to find out what makes their Marines tick, learn what their personal and professional goals are and help get them on the path to accomplish those goals.