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Never forgotten: Okinawa residents, Status of Forces Agreement members gather for Okinawa Memorial Day services

Distinguished visitors prepare to lay wreaths at the memorial walls during the 2016 Okinawa Memorial services June 23 at Peace Memorial Park, Itoman, Japan. The ceremony brought Okinawa residents and Status of Forces Agreement members together to honor those whose lives were lost in the Battle of Okinawa. During the ceremony, distinguished guest speakers gave speeches to honor the fallen in the Battle of Okinawa and laid wreaths at the memorial walls, on which the names of the fallen were engraved. Attendees, in turn, took a moment of silence and paid tribute to the fallen heroes.

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An hour for a lifetime: Ambassador Kennedy visits Marines during weekly outreach event with Henoko, Okinawa community

Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and Lance Cpl. Keven Romero interact with students during a service member-taught English class June 22 aboard Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan. For the past 14 years, Marines aboard Camp Schwab have been teaching children and young adults basic grammar and commonly used words for communication. According to Romero, they not only learned from and taught their Okinawan neighbors, but they continue to build on a bond 71 years in the making. Romero is a warehouse clerk with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

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U.S., Japanese Naval Officers Attend APNIC Class in Tokyo

Lt. Cmdr. Christina Wong is one of the 25 staff level naval officers attending the first Asia-Pacific Navy Planning Process International Course (APNIC) at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Command and Staff College, June 20, 2016. 25 students from eight navies showed up for the first day of the two-week course to learn how to formulate a plan to conduct Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

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USAF, JSDF work together

U.S. Air Force NCOs from Kadena Air Base traveled to Gifu AB, Japan, to participate in 10 days of activities with the Japan Air Self Defense Force member during a bilateral exchange held May 17-26, 2016. The 10 day schedule was packed full of activities that proved just how important the culture of trust and respect between the USAF and JASDF is, as well as the warfighting integration and being ready to facilitate deterrence and assist each other in the area of responsibility as needed.

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RED FLAG-Alaska 16-2

U.S. Marine Corps F-18 Hornet assigned to the Fixed Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, Iwakuni, Japan, are prepared for flying operations June 7, 2016, during RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) 16-2, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. RF-A enables enables joint and international units to sharpen their combat skills by flying simulated combat sorties in a realistic threat environment.

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Green Dot takes effect across Air Force

Personnel from the 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office hold green dots at Misawa Air Base, Japan, June 02, 2016. The non-profit organization Green Dot has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to support its five-year strategy to curb interpersonal violence across the service. Under the terms of the agreement, Green Dot will provide the USAF with violence prevention tools for a period of three years.

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AFSA Chapter 1553 partners with Promise Keepers assisting locals in need

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jamie Smith, Air Force Sergeants Association Chapter 1553 vice president and 31st Rescue Squadron resource advisor, exchanges a goodbye with Yoshihiko Nishime, pastor of Yugafu Church, after assisting with an outreach project, June 2, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Yugafu Church partners with Promise Keepers, a local non-profit organization, in caring for the homeless and needy in the surrounding community.

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Misawa honors fallen comrades during Police Week

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. John Reilly, a senior force protector with the 35th Security Forces Squadron, and his son observe a Japanese Air Self-Defense vehicle during a static display at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 19, 2016. The static display was an event held during Police Week, which honors police officers who died in the line of duty.

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Closing the gap: Airmen, Marines and Sailors practice Air Field Damage Repair

U.S. Marine Corps Marines observe Airmen operating heavy equipment during a two day joint airfield damage repair exercise May 18, 2016 at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Airmen demonstrated the method and technique the U.S. Air Force uses for airfield damage repair the first day of the exercise and the Marines applied those techniques during the second day.

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Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 finishes Exercise Thunder Horse 16.2

IWAKUNI, Yamaguchi, Japan (May 12, 2016) - Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 participate in a hike during exercise Thunder Horse 16.2 at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Haramura Maneuver Area in Hiroshima, Japan. The week-long exercise focused on reinforcing skills that Marines learned throughout their military occupational specialty schooling and during Marine Combat Training in order to maintain situational readiness. Motor transportation operators, bulk fuels specialists, and field radio operators trained in various areas including direct refueling, recovery and general engineering operations and established a tactical motor pool.

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Army, Air Force exchange decontamination training

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1-1 Air Defense Artillery Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion practice personnel decontamination procedures during a joint Exercise May 12, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. During the training, U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Readiness and Emergency Management Flight instructed the personnel decontamination, while Soldiers from the 1-1 ADA explained vehicle decontamination. The exercise gave participating Soldiers and Airmen alike a chance to work together to bolster interoperability for the continued support and defense of Okinawa and the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

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Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 begins exercise Thunder Horse 16.2

Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171 assemble an M240 Bravo Light-Machine Gun on a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle during exercise Thunder Horse 16.2 at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Haramura Maneuver Area in Hiroshima, Japan, May 9, 2016. The squadron plans to conduct various drills pertaining to aviation ground support forces, aircraft salvage and recovery, convoys, direct refueling, recovery and general engineering operations, establishing a tactical motor pool, providing air operations and planning expeditionary fire rescue services. The exercise focuses on reinforcing skills that Marines learned during Marine Combat Training and throughout their military occupational specialty schooling in order to maintain situational readiness.

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Exercise trains for real-world active shooter situations

U.S. Air Force emergency responders treat a simulated casualty during an active shooter exercise May 4, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The scenario acted as a training tool for participants, giving them insight into a potential real-world active shooter situation in the future.

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Misawa Airmen rally for simulated disaster

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan (April 27, 2016) - Airmen from the 35th Medical Group (MDG) tend to two personnel simulating injuries during an emergency management exercise. Aftershocks following a simulated 8.2 magnitude earthquake forced the 35 MDG to hold injured personnel in their expansion bay to be air-evacuated to another base for care.

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Red Patchers: The Misunderstood Marines

Marines conduct a helicopter support team exercise at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, April 22, 2016. The Marines are landing support specialists, commonly referred to as red patchers, with Landing Support Detachment, 3rd Transportation Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

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JSDF, U.S. Marines continue Ship to Shore Earthquake Relief

HAKUSUI SPORTS PARK, AICHI, Japan (April 20, 2016) - Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) personnel carry supplies from a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), in Hakusui Sports Park, Kyushu island. The supplies are in support of the relief effort after a series of earthquakes struck the island of Kyushu. The 31st MEU is the only continually forward-deployed MEU and remains the Marine Corps' force-in-readiness in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

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JSDF, U.S. Marines continue Ship to Shore Earthquake Relief

AT SEA (April 20, 2016) - Japan Maritime Self Defense Force personnel, U.S. Navy sailors and U.S. Marines load supplies onto a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) that is aboard a JS Hyuga (DDH 181). The supplies are in support of the relief effort after a series of earthquakes struck the island of Kyushu. The 31st MEU is the only continually forward-deployed MEU and remains the Marine Corps' force-in-readiness in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

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31st MEU Marines help JSDF deliver much needed supplies to residents of Kyushu island

KYUSHU, Japan (April 19, 2016) - U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and Japan Self Defense Force members deliver relief supplies to Hakusui Sports Park. The supplies are in support of the relief effort after a series of earthquakes struck the island of Kyushu. The 31st MEU is the only continually forward-deployed MEU and remains the Marine Corps' force-in-readiness in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Samantha Villarreal/Released) 160419-M-TA699-096

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Japanese and U.S. Sailors Load Supplies For Earthquake Relief Efforts

ISLAND OF KYUSHU, Japan (April 19, 2016) - Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Sailors and U.S. Navy Sailors load supplies aboard an MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, aboard the JS Hyuga off the coast of the Island of Kyushu. The Marines with VMM-265 had just flown in from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and landed aboard the JS Hyuga in order to load supplies for the residents of the island of Kyushu. 160419-M-AO893-042

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Navy Personnel Prepare for Kumamoto Relief Support

SASEBO, Japan (April 18, 2016) - Navy personnel from the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) prepare to embark a MH-60S Seahawk helicopter at U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo in support of Kumamoto earthquake disaster relief efforts. At the request of the Japanese government, U.S. Forces Japan is providing airlift support to Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). A JSDF task force of more than 25,000 personnel is providing humanitarian and disaster relief assistance to the people affected by the magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 earthquakes that struck the Kumamoto area on 14 and 16 April 2016.

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