OKINAWA

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Photo Of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Manuel Gomez, a light armored vehicle crewman with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, oils a 25mm barrel during an amphibious landing exercise, part of Iron Fist 24, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Mar. 12, 2024.

Iron Fist 24 at Camp Hansen, Okinawa: Amphibious Landing Exercise, Light Armored Vehicle Support

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Manuel Gomez, a light armored vehicle crewman with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, oils a 25mm barrel during an amphibious landing exercise, part of Iron Fist 24, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Mar. 12, 2024.

Photo Of Hannah with Special Agent Adrienne King and Lester Middle School’s video production teacher, Antiwon Tucker.

Lester Middle school student awarded Girl Scouts silver for cyberbullying project

Students in military families often move and rely on social media to stay in contact with friends.

Photo Of U.S. Air Force Capt. Sarah Kreiser, 909th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, flies a KC-135 Stratotanker over the Pacific Ocean, March 8, 2024.

Kadena 909th ARS celebrates international women’s day

U.S. Air Force Capt. Sarah Kreiser, 909th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, flies a KC-135 Stratotanker over the Pacific Ocean, March 8, 2024.

Photo Of U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Randall Kitchens, U.S. Air Force chief of chaplains, speaks during the Chaplain Corps’ 75th anniversary celebration at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024. As the chief of chaplains for the Department of the Air Force Chaplain Corps, Kitchens is the senior pastor for more than 770,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the U.S. and overseas.

Chief of Chaplains visits Kadena

U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Randall Kitchens, U.S. Air Force chief of chaplains, speaks during the Chaplain Corps’ 75th anniversary celebration at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024.

Photo Of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jacob Vasquez is promoted to the rank of Corporal during his promotion ceremony at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, March 1, 2024. Promotion to the rank of Corporal signifies the undertaking of additional responsibility and the ability to set the standards of being a non-commissioned officer for all junior Marines. Vasquez, a native of Texas, is a data systems administrator with Headquarters Battalion, 3d Marine Division.

Promotion ceremony at Camp Courtney, Okinawa

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jacob Vasquez is promoted to the rank of Corporal during his promotion ceremony at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, March 1, 2024.

Photo Of Madisa Marlor, director of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Okinawa, gives remarks on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, March 1, 2024.

Marines gather for active duty fund drive in support of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society on Camp Foster

Madisa Marlor, director of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Okinawa, gives remarks on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, March 1, 2024.

Photo Of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Samuil Kays, center, an engineer equipment electrical systems technician with 7th Communications Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, poses for a group photo after a naturalization ceremony on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, March 5, 2024.

Camp Foster hosts naturalization ceremony, welcomes eight new US citizens from six different countries

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Samuil Kays, center, an engineer equipment electrical systems technician with 7th Communications Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, poses for a group photo after a naturalization ceremony on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, March 5, 2024.

Photo Of Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer speaks to a group of junior enlisted Airmen during a leadership open forum at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024.

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer visits Kadena

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer speaks to a group of junior enlisted Airmen during a leadership open forum at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024.

Photo Of U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Eric Pak, left, a forward air controller officer with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Master Sgt. Tomoya Tasaki with Fire Leading Company, Field Artillery Battalion, Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, call for air support during a tactical air control party training on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, December 15, 2023.

5th ANGLICO Integrates with Japan’s first-ever JTAC Instructor

U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, train with Master Sgt. Tomoya Tasaki, a fire support coordination chief with Fire Leading Company, Field Artillery Battalion, Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, who made history recently by becoming the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s first member to become a Joint Terminal Attack Controller Instructor.

Photo Of U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shelby ‘Scar’ Duncan, 33rd Rescue Squadron special missions aviator, performs pre-flight checks on an HH-60W Jolly Green II before its first flight at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024.

HH-60W Jolly Green II’s first flight at Kadena

The HH-60W Jolly Green II, successor to and replacement of the HH-60G Pave Hawk, took its first flight over the pacific theater and at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024.

Photo Of

USO Okinawa Staff Spotlight-Meet Mariah

Mariah is a proud Californian, born and raised in Grand Terrace, a small town in Southern California.

Photo Of Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer participates in a physical training event with U.S. Marines on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024. Meyer, one of the three Marines who were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Global War on Terror, visited Okinawa to address service members about his Marine Corps experiences, leadership, transition readiness, and mental health.

Dakota Meyer inspires Marines on Okinawa

U.S. Marines pose for a group photo with Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 27, 2024.

Photo Of Ian Bell, 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron True North social worker and powerlifter, lifts weights at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 16, 2024. Ian’s duties as a True North social worker include counseling uniformed members, promoting positive help-seeking cultures, teaching resilience skills and acting as a guide to helping members get the elevated care they need.

Kadena AB social worker breaks world record

When Ian Bell, 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron True North social worker arrived in town for the International Powerlifting Federation World Equipped Championships, he focused on spending time with old friends and fellow weightlifting patrons, instead of focusing on the task at hand. 

Photo Of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Lane Wilson, an infantry Marine with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, issues an order with a hand signal during a mechanized raid exercise at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 16, 2024.

BLT 1/1 Motorized Raid, Reinforcement at Camp Schwab

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Lane Wilson, an infantry Marine with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, issues an order with a hand signal during a mechanized raid exercise at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 16, 2024.

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