Marines take pool cool to Japan.

In 2004, Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Semper Fit Aquatics, Okinawa, Japan, introduced the Pool Cool program in conjunction with the American Red Cross Learn to Swim lessons.

During the course of the program, children and their parents were educated about the harmful effects of the sun and how to protect themselves from the sun. Children learned about the sun's UV rays, different cancers, the appropriate clothing to wear out in the sun, and how and when to apply sunscreen. As with implementing anything new, the biggest challenge was making sure that parents actually saw that value in spending those few moments using the tool of the program, opposed to simply having their swim lesson.

The activities that are included with the program served as a great learning tool to captivate the attention of the children and ensured that they had fun while learning. Semper Fit Aquatics will continue to use the Pool Cool Program next year.

Being in a unique situation on a tropical island so far away from the states, it makes it imperative to continue educating both children as well as their parents about the hazards and prevention tools taught in the Pool Cool Program. This programs greatest success was that the children walked out of the pool understood how important it was to be "Sun Safe."