YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. -- The sun shown brightly as Sgt. Tatsumi Yamada swept grass clippings away from the monument. He worked diligently, assuring each severed blade made its way into the surrounding grass. Yamada was one of a number of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force noncommissioned officers who volunteered for this detail in preparation for the flower presentation. The ceremony would be less than five-minutes long, but everything had to be perfect because it was to commemorate their comrades in arms, whom they may not have served with but whom they share a common bond.
After observing an entire minute of silence, eight senior members from the 12th Regiment, JGSDF, stepped forward one-by-one to present a single white flower in front of the Korean and Vietnam War Memorial at Greenway Park, Yakima, Wash., Sep. 6.
"It makes common sense as a military person to show our respect for those who served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, so it's our military to military relationship that makes it common sense," said Col. Masayuki Nemoto, commander of 12th Regiment.
After each service member laid his flower, he rendered a salute and bowed. The flowers, white roses, were picked for a very specific reason.
"The white shows purity," Nemeto said. "So the purity is why we chose the white color and to show respect for the deceased persons."
The ceremony was short, but it is indicative of the relationship between the JGSDF and the U.S. Army, Nemeto said.
"We are here to show respect as fellow military person and because Japan and the U.S. are strong allies, so to follow and pursue this alliance between our nations, that is why we are here," he said.
The 12th Regiment is currently training with 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division as part of the Rising Thunder, an annual, bilateral exercise in support of Pacific Pathways.