Camp Murray Clean-Up Day '99

Story & photos by SPC Charles Ames

[Clean-Up Day 04]          [Clean-Up Day 00]

 

 

Dump trucks full of shredded bark?  Check.  A fleet of medium-duty tractors?  Check.   A trailer of vegetation, shrubbery, and flowers?  Check, check and check.   If it sounds like a shipment to a huge nursery, you would be right… for one day, anyhow.  This would, of course, be Camp Murray Clean-Up Day '99!
Another successful Clean-Up Day!

One day was set aside this Spring, as has been done for many years, to help our normal Groundskeepers maintain Camp Murray’s refuge-like grounds.  This year it was May 21st, and we couldn't have asked for better weather!  Canada geese and gray squirrels meandered about boldly as workers toiled in shorts and t-shirts soaking up a  brilliant Pacific Northwest afternoon.

A tradition for many years, Spring is sometimes the first chance the Guardsmen who work on Camp Murray have to clean-up debris and repair damage from the all too frequent Winter storms.  This is especially true if those same Guardsmen had spent their Winter helping their fellow Washingtonians keep things high and dry during those same stormy Winters!

Mr. Emory Lehman of the Facilities Maintenance Office reflects on the Clean-Up Days he has seen.  "We’ve had luck all the way through.  We haven't had any real gully-washers spoil the event.  It’s too bad we couldn’t have had the barbecue this year, but that was a budgetary decision.  Maybe next year."

"I think it started in ’91.  A few of us were trying to get a little camaraderie, pride in the workplace, also to assist in keeping this place somewhat park-like and a nice place to work.  Then it grew to where we would have a big picnic.  Last year we fed almost 500.  You’d get to know people, there weren’t any uniforms, there weren’t ranks,  there wasn’t a boss and an underling,  we were all a family."

"Everybody just enjoys being at Camp Murray rather than a concrete city", says Lehman.  "Just this morning, right across the street, a couple of deer were feeding between the buildings.  It’s just a nice environment."

The historic old Headquarters building and shady, winding roads of the camp give more the impression of a park than a military installation.  Miles of natural running trails weave through the woods all the way to the banks of American Lake.

MSG Cathy of the Civil Military Support Office remembers the first Clean-Up Days. "They only had two or three people taking care of all of Camp Murray.  We would take one day and the people would go outside and help the state [normal groundskeeping] people.  The state people would barbecue hot dogs and hamburgers and everybody would bring a potluck and it would be held down at the beach."

The potluck meals took place at various locations around post between noon and about 2:00pm, with soiled workers wandering in and out between tasks.  The weather held out and Camp Murray is better than ever.  Thanks to all who participated in this year's event, and a special thanks to the full-time Groundskeepers who hard year-round to make Camp Murray a great place to work!