Expectations of Hosts
The Marine/Corpsman you have volunteered to host will be your guest for the duration of the event. The expectation is that you will be available to them for the entire time. Perhaps the most important function is to provide a non-judgmental ear should they choose to talk about their experiences. We have learned that this tends to occur rather late in the evening (or early morning). We also learned that this was perceived by the Marines/Corpsmen as the single most important part of the experience.
In addition to supplying a room, you will be supplying breakfast on June 19th and 20th. You need to be familiar with the various activities so that you can transport them to and from that activity and if possible participate in the activity with them. We will endeavor to assign guests whose leisure time activities most closely match yours. We will have a meeting on May 23rd during which the activity chairs will brief you on various activities and the MARSOC support team, along with the Wounded Warrior Regiment, will provide information about any special needs. Representatives from the Roger C. Peace Rehabilitation Hospital will also be on hand.
We expect you will attend the following activities at your own expense:
* Welcome pot-luck picnic at Spinnaker Cove (everyone brings something)
* Veteran's Appreciation Evening in Seneca
* Formal Dinner at the club
* Farewell Breakfast at the club
We also expect you to be certain that your guest does not leave the confines of Keowee Key in the evening. Your Marine/Corpsman may want to visit the local spots, especially if they meet someone at the Veterans Appreciation Evening, but we need to keep them "on the reservation", this is a safety concern and an issue that we need to keep under control
Scheduling/Activity Selection
Each Marine/Corpsman will choose their own scheduled activities- and that schedule will be provided to you. If, after the event begins, your guest should decide to do something different, please coordinate those changes with Barry Hart who maintains the master schedule. Please be sensitive to the fact that each activity requires resources and those resources are being provided by volunteers. We don't want a volunteer to be stood up, or for resources to be stretched beyond what can be accommodated. For instance, if someone is signed up to go fishing with a guide, that guide is expecting a specific number of fishermen. Likewise, golf requires assignment of a tee-time and failure to be there at the prescribed time will put others at a disadvantage or add an additional tee time that may not be available. Overall, we want to be flexible so that our guests have a positive experience. We just need to make sure that those managing various activities are able to accommodate the desired change.
Meals and Start Times
Flexibility in the schedule does not extend to meals. Our guests will be briefed by the MARSOC support staff that meals are required formations. Also, please respect start times. For instance, the buses will depart Keowee Key on Tuesday evening at precisely 6:30 pm for Seneca. You and your guest should be "on the bus" by 6:25 pm, not rolling into the parking lot. Likewise the photo session at the club on Wednesday evening will commence at 6:15 pm. If your guest is late, everyone else, including the photographers, and the Force Sgt Major who will be our dinner guest, will have to wait.
Liability considerations
If you choose to let a guest use some vehicle, such as a jet ski, kayak or boat, you have the same liability that you would have if you loaned that equipment to any other house guest. While you are of course free to loan any equipment to your guest, we specifically recommend that you not loan them motorcycles or cars. Those who ride motorcycles understand that a certain skill is necessary to properly operate one and Marines believe "they can do anything". They probably can do most anything given the time to learn to do it properly, but unless they have the expertise, there is not time to learn it. Also, they are specifically prohibited from bringing their own vehicles because we collectively have responsibility for their safety.
