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SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE Don’t miss the deadline to apply for grants and interest-free loans from the MOAA Scholarship Fund. Eligibility ex- tends to children from military families who are pursuing their first

DIGITAL EXTRA

Today’s Marines storm Okinawa. Click here to see the Marines in action as they practice martial arts skills.

Marines Hone Martial Arts

W

hen U.S. Marines stormed the beaches of Okinawa, Japan, toward the end of World

War II, they survived by any means nec- essary, including hand-to-hand combat. Today, hand-to-hand combat still is em- phasized in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, which held its instructor course in Okinawa in late November 2014. Students participating in the class en-

dured a long, strenuous day starting with an endurance course and ending with shallow-water grappling. The instructors wanted the students to grasp the history behind close-quarter combat and Okinawa.

PHOTOS: ABOVE, CPL. JOEY HOLEMAN, USMC; RIGHT, SHUTTERSTOCK “For them to understand what Ma-

rines went through arriving on theses beaches, hitting the shores, running, and having that hand-to-hand combat is an incredible realization for them,” says Ma- rine Corps Staff Sgt. Rafael Garcialopez, chief instructor. Marines from each base on Okinawa

and various combative and noncomba- tive specialties participated. The course brought together all aspects of the Marine Corps, emphasizing the importance of a warfighting mindset. The martial arts pro- gram has existed since 2001. — Cpl. Joey Holeman, USMC

undergraduate degree. A parent’s membership in MOAA (if officer) or Voices for America’s Troops (if enlisted) is required for students who are selected. Apply at www.moaa.org/edu cation by noon Eastern time March 2.

PHOTO CONTEST Submit your snapshots to win up to $500 in each of four categories in MOAA’s patriotic photo contest. En- tries will be accepted through March 31, and winning photos will be published in the July issue of Military Officer. MOAA members and their spouses and mem- bers of Voices for Amer- ica’s Troops can enter. Find out more at www .moaa.org/photocontest.

FEBRUARY 2015 MILITARY OFFICER 23