Marine spouse presents $11,050 to Okinawa governor to help restore fire-ravaged Shuri Castle

NAHA, Okinawa — A Marine Corps spouse who raised more than $11,000 through a GoFundMe campaign gave the money to Okinawa’s governor on Thursday to help restore Shuri Castle, a landmark destroyed by fire Oct. 31.

More than 200 people, mostly U.S. military members and their families serving on Okinawa or who had served there previously, as well as Okinawans living in the U.S., gave to the fund, said Mari Gregory, 41. She and her husband, Maj. Indigo Gregory, 44, of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., were stationed at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, until summer 2019.

“Through the fundraising, I’ve really felt how much people love Okinawa,” Mari Gregory told Stars and Stripes before the presentation. “And even if you don’t live in Okinawa, Okinawa still stays with you in your heart wherever you go in the world. And it’s been demonstrated through the fundraising that people literally from around the world donated because they want to see the castle to be rebuilt and they love Okinawa just as much as everybody else.”

Shuri Castle, which dates to the 15th century, was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in 1992. It was considered a symbol of Okinawa’s struggle to recover from World War II.

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