Community News

When an active-duty service member dies, his or her mother automatically becomes a Gold Star Mother. It’s a distinction that no mother wants, but it’s one they wear proudly.

You may often see young couples in wedding attire at shrines or traditional gardens for photo shoots. If you know someone who is about to tie the knot – or will soon be doing so yourself – these words and phrases may come in handy. 

There were once street cars running on Okinawa. Known as “Keibin Tetsudo” or commonly called “Keibin,” the cars used to be a popular means of transportation. After its debut in 1914, the transportation covered areas such as Naha, Kadena, Yonabaru and Itoman until it was discontinued because of the battle of Okinawa.

Next time you hear an Okinawan sneeze, tell him or her “Kusuke!” not “bless you.” In the U.S., people would hope God bless the person who sneeze. Okinawans curse demons with this phrase instead because they believe people become vulnerable to evil spirits when they sneeze, according to a theory.

Military service members and civilians who operate American Forces Network (AFN) stations in Japan, Korea and other locations around the world got a chance to see the place where AFN TV programming and music services originate as well as learn more about their 75 years of military broadcast heritage during the recent Worldwide Workshop.

OKINAWA, Japan (NNS) -- The amphibious dock landing ship, USS Ashland (LSD 48), arrived in Okinawa, Japan, to disembark the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) after completing multiple exercises off the coast of Australia followed by training evolutions in Guam.