Picking up the pieces in Japan
April 5th, 2011 | Battle Rattle Japan MEU operations Pacific issues | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
- Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, join the massive clean-up of remote Oshima island in Japan, April 4.//31st MEU photo
It’s a field day – on a much bigger scale. With dozers, dump trucks and supplies in hand, hundreds of Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit descended on a small remote island near the epicenter of the March 11 earthquake that devastated northeastern Japan.
On April 1, they began Operation Field Day, with the mission of helping clear mounds of debris on the island of Oshima, population 3,000. The Marines found some 600 residents holed up in shelters as they try to make sense of what’s left of their homes, community and livelihood.
Relief efforts began March 27 as Marines and sailors with Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 (Reinforced) and Amphibious Squadron 11 delivered food, water and supplies and set up much-needed electrical generators.
Working with Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces, Marines also are clearing nearby Uranohama port choked with debris, from remnants of homes and warehouses to wrecked cars, children’s toys, furniture and even sets of porcelain dishes they helped salvage for locals. “We’ve found a lot of personal belonging in the rubble and it makes you wonder how it would feel if it happened to you or your family, and it can sometimes touch pretty close to home,” Lance Cpl. Colton Carlson, a squad automatic weapon gunner with Company G, said in a news release. “We’re glad to help because we know how much we would appreciate it if the roles were reversed.”
- The March 11 earthquake shook the ground, and the tsunami tore into the coastal communities on Oshima island, Japan.//31st MEU photos
The tsunami damaged ferries that islanders relied on to reach the mainland and destroyed waterfront businesses. “Our one key piece of the mission is to help clean out the harbor here,” said Capt. Ben Middendorf, Company G’s commander. “The harbor is the island’s one lifeline to mainland Japan and once they are able to have ships come in and out of the port they will be self-sustainable.”
Marines assisting in worst parts of Japan
March 17th, 2011 | Aviation Japan | Posted by Dan Lamothe
A CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter lands at an improvised landing zone in Sendai, Japan, on Monday. The area was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami last week. (Photo by Master Sgt. Leo Salinas)
The devastation in northern Japan following last week’s tsunami and earthquake is still becoming apparent, but Marines are heavily involved in the relief effort, officials said.
Marine officials said today that Marines stationed at Camp Fuji deported today for Yamagata, Japan, in support of Operation Tomodachi, the relief effort launched following the disaster. III Marine Expeditionary Force has established a forward headquarters at Yamagata Airport to provide humanitarian assistance.
About 588 Marines, sailors and civilians from III MEF and Marine Corps Bases Japan are currently deployed in support of Tomodachi, officials said. Humanitarian assistance survey teams from III MEF reviewed heavily damaged areas in Sendai, Japan, on Wednesday. The area was among the most devastated by the tsunami.
Soothing sounds of Marine artillery
February 21st, 2011 | Camp Lejeune Japan Training Weapons | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
Members of Romeo Battery, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines, conduct live-fire training in February at Camp Lejeune, N.C. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Jeff Drew/Marine Corps)
If you love the sound of friendly artillery, be sure to crank the volume on your speakers before watching this little gem.
Marine Corps Times’ senior video journalist Colin Kelly caught up with members of Romeo Battery, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines, at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in early February — just a few weeks before the start of their six-month deployment to Okinawa.
They were good enough to give him a demo of this wondrous Howitzer, which we — in turn — are happy to share with you. Enjoy. And please be sure to keep these Marines and their families in your thoughts as they embark on a long journey away from home.
Bored Marine Video: Marine + typhoon = AYEEEEEE!!!!!
November 4th, 2010 | Bored Marine Video Japan | Posted by Dan Lamothe
In case you missed it, Marines on Okinawa, Japan, last week experienced Typhoon Chaba, a fierce storm that dumped two inches of rain per hour on the island and included winds of at least 60 mph.
The storm is no laughing matter. However, Marines can find comedy in anything. Below, we give you the experiment that one intrepid Marine tried in the gusty wind. The video quality is relatively poor, but the comedy level is high:
I think we could all see the end result coming a mile away, and yet that was still oddly satisfying.