7 Nov 2014 -- Take two companies of Marine Corps Embassy Security Group Marines (Headquarters Company and the Marine Security Augmentation Unit), and turn them loose to build a Zombie themed haunt. That was the starting point for the 2nd Annual Costume Celebration on October 30th, at Marshall Hall. After a great event last year, Marines seemed determined to step up their game this year. Guest judges Rebecca Childress (Family Advocacy Prevention and Education Specialist) , Tami Patton (Family Resiliency Trainer with FOCUS) , and Darcy Litzenberger (Military Family Life Counselor) , had a difficult time deciding which section provided the best overall experience. They had a tough choice—the Comptroller and S-3 sections pulled together to create the city of Gotham on the north 1st deck hall, complete with bats and bat-cave, lit high rise buildings and puffy clouds hanging in the “Hall of Justice” (Comptroller) office , and a phone booth for superheroes who needed a quick change. S-2, Legal and CBRN areas became the checkpoint for a recent epidemic outbreak, complete with personnel in hazmat suits checking to see if anyone had a fever, and as they were escorting people through the “clean” room, victims of the epidemic suddenly attacked. A cemetery, a spider infestation, a terrifying tight squeeze through the darkened basement, and nightmare scenes from an asylum and a horrific carnival freak show, completed the Headquarters Company scares, and MSAU reprised their famous Haunted Zombie Maze, bringing in frighteningly realistic looking body parts to gnaw. There was face painting, pumpkin bowling, a craft area for making pom-pom spiders, and Chaplain Crone shared “The Pumpkin Patch Parable” as part of the scare free zone. Marines and families had a good time, though some were a bit “too scared” for some of the activities, and the winner was the S-2/Legal/CBRN area. After serious debate, the decision was made to award the prize to them because their area was “so realistic and so current”. The event ended with traditional Halloween “trick or treating” and a significant candy haul by the smaller guests.