VOLUME SUBMIT STORIES TO: [email protected] 9 NO. 24 Congratulate CELEBRATING a 2021 grad! MONTH OF THE highlightingOur annual Pacific Grad DODEA Tab high schools and their graduating MILITARY CHILD classes will appear in the May 27 edition of Stripes Korea. own messageFor just $19,that customizewill appear your in this keepsake edition. STRIPESKOREA.COM What you need: • A photo of the graduate • Graduate’s first name • Your name, as you want it to appear in print (e.g. “Suzy & • A congratulatorySteve” or “Mom message & Dad”) of no more than 20 words • The graduate’s high school ‘SHE’S GOT Send info by May 7, 5 p.m. to WHAT IT TAKES’ Pacifi[email protected] and a Stripes representative will FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC follow-up with you right away. APRIL INSIDE INFO 1 – APRIL 14 can comeMarine home band to singer Okinawa shows aagain yyou , 2021 FREE ENJOY THE CHARMS OF SEONYUDO ISLAND PAGES 11-13 DODEA-Korea spring sports in bloom old soloistser ElementaryElementar sang her heart School out in as 2001.her teacher The 6-year- Jan Stroud playedpla singings ingingguitar debut and herduring first-grade a talent showclass- at Kin- matesm backed so her up. ates lo and a bit nervous,nerv made her public i STORYS AND PHOTOS BY aagainNow,N singing fast-forward on Okinawa.st san 19 years, But this and time, Emily she’s is once a ga o b EmilyE Talampas, wide-eyed w, mily T fewf miles northac at yCamp Foster, wearing a Ma-CAMPCA FOSTER DAVE – ORNAUER,Little ew min s ed STARS AND STRIPES t won’t be like most spring sports seasons riner Corps dressfast- kuniform gwith ylance-corporal M ine Corps dress uniforme h School i I that DODEA-Korea teamsBY DAVE usually ORNAUER, enjoy. ing d g er Published:STARS March AND 18,STRIPES 2021 il f h uitar and h a Not evenNo Far a district East tournaments champion- at seasons’ end. stripes ones her norting sleeves onorwar O erand u performingh as a o ship event featuring the non- eart o DODEA teams that Daegu, p. a Osan and Humphreys nor- vocalist with the III Marined Expedition-n h 19 u mally face. at Campki F nawa.y e aryar Force Band. ear Soccer,But boys it isbasketball, a sports trackseason. y and field, softball and baseball get under- Force Band B way among those three schools starting Sat- And it proves that a military child urday, with four weeks of competition fol- – now EmilyEmil Talampas-Figueroao – lowed by a three-way DODEA-Korea district can go home again anda continue doingd what has become a life- championship in each sport April 30-May 1. o g . timet i passiono for her. EXCLUSIVE NEWS FROM: i n navirusAnd pandemic while athletes has wrought recognize many that chang- the coro- me g h y w ome T es to the picture, they say they’re OK with wa forFigueroaFi thep first returned time since to Okina- her ass h taking the field (or the court) in any form. first-grade guero days atlast August. SheS was fopart of a new recruit- he was pr io “It is better than not having anything at inging prograprogram put in place in 2018 byb the Marinethe Corpsa to find vocalistsv for their bands, accord- ingin tooca III MEF bandmaster Master Sgt.S Michaelg Stanley. g to III MEF t. M li y a sts the m ic f all,” said Bethani Newbold, h or M ae have a season. I thank God fora it senior every pitcherday. who helped t l St It might not have been what I Daegu’sdreamt of,softball as team win the to ending my senior year of highFar school, East Divisionbut II tourna- a seeing the positive of every mentsituation in 2019has and earn Most Valuable Player honors. SEE SINGER ON PAGE gotten me through everything in life. Every- “I am so grateful that we’ll thing happens for a reason.” are usedNewbold to getting and offthe the Warriors deck. It wassoftball feared team at 2019 season’s start that Daegu wouldn’t have enough players to field a team; but they did and went all the way. 4 said. Newbold“We’re ready is joined to byplay,” first coachbaseman Joy Lex- Sims ie Berry among four seniors who have played four seasons for Sims and the Warriors. though“All it ofisn’t us exactlyare excited what towe play expected … even this season,” Berry said. “The team is really bonding and we’re having a ton of fun just be- ing able to play.” SEE SPORTS ON PAGE 7 2 STRIPES KOREA A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 1 − APRIL 14, 2021 Never too busy for milspouse time ne would think that volunteered to be Parliamentar- military spouses are The Meat and ian of the Spouses’ Club, just so Obusy enough, manag- I wouldn’t be left out of Crystal Max D. Lederer Jr. ing homes, children, jobs, pets, Potatoes of Life Bingo. I committed to three … Publisher in-laws, bills, school, and other or was it four? … Bunco groups, Lt. Col. Richard E. McClintic Commander endless details, often while their Lisa Smith Molinari joined book clubs, took sailing Chris Verigan active-duty partners are away. In lessons on base, competed in Engagement Director fact, it would make sense if they a wives’ base bowling league, Marie Woods turned away from added pres- I never pictured myself, a young ridiculous games, taking on te- golfed on military courses, hung Publishing and Media Design Director sures, withdrew from obligations litigation attorney with plenty to dious volunteer responsibilities out at the base dog park, and at- Chris Carlson Publishing and Media Design Manager and isolated themselves altogeth- keep me occupied, seeking that or adopting hobbies in which I tended every home sales party Eric Lee er to maintain control. particular kind of entertainment. had no interest. hosted by military spouses I Advertising and Circulation Manager However, no matter how many But there I was, crammed Even after our 3-year-old son knew. Despite our limited bud- Enrique “Rick” W. Villanueva Jr. plates military spouses spin in with a dozen other military wives was diagnosed with developmen- get, I dropped cash (or credit) on Korea Area Manager the air, they’re always game to in cramped Army quarters, nib- tal delays — requiring me to do Longaberger baskets, Mary Kay Jinsun Song Operations Manager add one more. bling deviled eggs and cheese daily home therapy and attend cosmetics, Discovery Toys, Silpa- Kentaro Shimura One weeknight about 27 years dip, watching our host dem- multiple weekly speech and oc- da silver, Tastefully Simple foods, Production Manager ago, I was a new Navy wife, liv- onstrate Micro Steamers and cupational therapy appoint- Creative Memories scrapbooks, Rie Miyoshi ing in Army housing on Fort Ord Modular Mates. The wide-eyed, ments while caring for our infant Lia Sophia jewelry, Pampered Engagement Manager in California. Although our mili- goofy grin on my face was clear Denisse Rauda daughter — I needed the com- Chef gadgets, and yes, Tupper- Publishing and Media Design Editor tary marriage was simple with- indication that, despite not being pany of other spouses even more. ware — just so I could be with my out kids, a mortgage, sea duty or “the Tupperware party type,” I Publishing and Media Design Writers During deployments, I learned milspouse peers. ChiHon Kim complicated taxes, I kept myself was happier than a pigeon with Shoji Kudaka that the best way to handle the No matter how busy we are, busy working as a research attor- a french fry to be with my fellow Takahiro Takiguchi mountain of responsibilities and military spouses will always cre- ney for a local law firm. But, when milspouses. Layout Designers crushing loneliness was to meet ate excuses to get together. Why? Mamoru Inoue my friend Karen suggested that Captivated by one wife’s Yukiyo Oda up with military wives as often as Companionship? Understanding? Yuko Okazaki we go to her neighbor’s Tupper- riveting testimonial about her possible. Fun? Distraction? Avoidance? Kayoko Shimoda ware party on post, did I decline? “timeless” Meat Marinator, I Despite my sausage fingers Therapy? Multimedia Consultants Choosing instead to relax at home was hooked. I ordered a Freezer Max Genao Doug Johnson and medieval hand stitch, I took The reasons may be compli- Jason Lee Hans Simpson after a long day at work? Mates starter set (which I still Chae Pang Yi Gianni Youn up quilting with Army wives. cated, but being in the presence Robert Zuckerman Hell no. use) and won a door prize — a While overseas, I went on count- of fellow spouses reveals one Graphic Designers I jumped at the chance like a bright yellow plastic corn cob simple, but sometimes hidden, Kenichi Ogasawara Yosuke Tsuji less military spouse shopping long-tailed cat in a room full of butterer, with a nifty built-in salt truth about why we volunteer for Sales Support trips for antiques, Polish pottery, rocking chairs. shaker (which we eventually this crazy military life in the first Kazumi Hasegawa Hiromi Isa Now, mind you, I wasn’t the French linens, Italian leather, Ichiro Katayanagi Yoko Noro gave to Salvation Army, unused). place: Yusuke Sato Saori Tamanaha Tupperware Party type. I remem- During the tours of duty that Belgian antiques, Czech crystal, Toshie Yoshimizu Un Chong Yu Because you are never alone. bered my mother, in gabardine Swiss Army blanket bags, Bavar- For feedback and inquiries, followed, I had more babies Read more of Lisa Smith Molinari’s contact [email protected] bell-bottoms, a cigarette perched and got much busier, but I al- ian carved wood, cheese, wine, columns at: To place an ad, call DSN 755-2255 between her coral-tinged lips, ways sought out fellow military beer, chocolate — you name it, themeatandpotatoesoflife.com stripeskorea.com/contact bringing home burping bowls spouses, even if it meant buying we used it as an excuse to go Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@ from one such party in the 1970s.