USS Hopper Inaugural Trunk or Treat

by FCA2 Dounya Rad, USS Hopper public affairs

15 November 2019

What started as the USS Hopper (DDG 70) Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) Chapter coordinating a command event, quickly evolved into a base wide celebration. Nearly one thousand participants attended the Inaugural Trunk or Treat extravaganza presented by the Junior Sailors of Hawaii at the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange (NEX).

Even before the evening officially started in the NEX parking lot, children in costumes made their rounds through the spooky mix of decorated vehicles to reap the rewards of Halloween candy. Many of the trunk or treat participants had to return to the NEX several times to purchase more candy.

Almost 40 vehicles participated in the best trunk contest, with first place going to a realistic recreation of Jurassic Park. The NEX also sponsored a best costume contest for all ages.

The NEX marketing manager, Stephanie Abdul, was a driving force behind the coordination of the trunk or treat with Hopper’s junior Sailors. Steve Morales, a NEX store manager, said he was thrilled to see what a success the event was and said he was interested in hosting the event again next year.

The coordination between the NEX and USS Hopper CSADD members including Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Julia Malbrough, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Richards, and Operations Specialist 3rd Class Naomi Finchum led to increased participation from across Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH).

Cmdr. Holeman Agard, Hopper’s commanding officer, said he could not be more proud of his junior Sailors for leading such an awesome event.