thedrifter
02-24-08, 09:46 AM
USFJ community pauses for ethics training
Thousands take day to reflect on recent Okinawa incidents
By Jennifer Svan, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thousands of U.S. military personnel and civilians at military bases in mainland Japan and on Okinawa paused Friday to reflect on repercussions one act can have on a long alliance between nations.
The words “personal behavior” and “good ambassadors” punctuated conversations from Yokosuka to Misawa in a mandatory Day of Reflection following a string of Okinawa-based incidents. Among them are the alleged Feb. 10 rape of a 14-year-old Okinawa girl by a Marine and an alleged Feb. 17 rape of a woman by a soldier.
Servicemembers spent part or all of the work day in meetings. They heard speeches from commanders, saw slide presentations and participated in discussions.
Some sessions were interactive. Marines at Camp Fuji near Tokyo, for example, were given hypothetical scenarios or problems to solve. What if a dinner in town with a liberty buddy turns into 12 friends at the same restaurant or bar, all drunk and all needing a ride home?
“It’s easy to do a class or lecture, but we know that the world is not that simple,” said Marine Col. Kenneth Lissner, Camp Fuji commander.
Base leaders throughout Japan emphasized the importance of professional conduct — on and off duty — stressing that another major incident off base could further escalate tensions.
“Part of our message is really quite positive,” Col. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, 35th Fighter Wing and Misawa Air Base, Japan, commander, said in an interview Thursday.
Most servicemembers at Misawa, he said, “are wonderful ambassadors of the United States and what we stand for.
“But we’re only one event away from a strategic level impact to our alliance with the government of Japan, and so we just have to reemphasize that.”
Japan’s Defense Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, warned Friday that further crimes could harm relations between the United States and Japan.
U.S. military leaders have taken a number of steps to address concerns, from imposing travel restrictions on all status of forces agreement personnel on Okinawa and mainland Japan Marine bases to Friday’s Japan-wide Day of Reflection.
People in mainland Japan communities said they hope Friday’s training will help prevent crimes.
“As a result, [Sasebo] hopes it will lead to no more crimes that undermine the relationship of trust to be committed,” said Setsuo Kuga, a city base affairs official.
U.S. Forces Japan commander Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright said Friday at Yokota Air Base, Japan, that he thought the training was going well.
“Ninety-nine percent of the force gets it,” he said. “They reinforce why it’s so important” to be good neighbors.
All Air Force personnel at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, were required to participate in commander’s calls and unit-level training focused on sexual assault prevention, cultural awareness and the importance of being good ambassadors in Japan.
Status of forces personnel at Marine bases, including Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni near Hiroshima, completed similar training.
The 140 Marines at Camp Fuji, between lectures, role playing and discussing scenarios, heard from one Marine who did the right thing in an embarrassing situation.
The sergeant, an explosive ordnance technician, said he recently punched a door during a night of drinking at the military-run New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo, causing $500 in damage. He confessed immediately to his master sergeant and told hotel staff he’d pay to fix the door.
“It comes up eventually,” he said, so it’s better to come clean rather than try to hide something.
The all-hands training at Sasebo Naval Base consisted of an hour of lectures, video and slides.
At Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, shore-duty sailors, officers and senior enlisted sailors were asked to “renew their efforts in providing strong guidance and counsel to junior sailors,” said a Commander Naval Forces Japan statement.
On the fleet side, training emphasized “unwavering professionalism,” said 7th Fleet spokeswoman Cmdr. Dawn Cutler.
“By and large, our sailors in 7th Fleet have made all of us very proud by their dedication, professionalism and good behavior,” Vice Adm. Doug Crowder, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, said in an e-mail. “However, it is essential for us to take the time to reflect upon and reinforce the importance of good conduct ashore here in Japan.”
At Misawa, O’Shaughnessy said senior leaders are being placed at base gates Friday and Saturday nights to remind people as they’re heading out into town “what they do that night could have a strategic-level impact.”
O’Shaughnessy and Chief Master Sgt. Ricky Price, the wing’s command chief, held four mandatory commander’s calls Friday for all military personnel and Defense Department civilians assigned to the installation.
They were encouraged to keep up the good work, but also to be cognizant of their surroundings. They were told to diffuse the situation and look for ways to save the day if they see someone making a bad choice.
At the Army’s Camp Zama near Tokyo, servicemembers and DOD civilians were required to attend one of three 75-minute training sessions. They spent the rest of the day with their commanders and first-line supervisors, reinforcing the issues discussed.
One briefing focused directly on the recent incidents on Okinawa and the effect any such crimes has on U.S.-Japan relations.
A slide read: “Japanese will judge all Americans and its military on the Americans that they know — even if the only one they know is the one they meet in the newspaper.”
Stars and Stripes reporters Allison Batdorff, David Allen, Christopher B. Stoltz, Bryce Dubee, Teri Weaver, Travis Tritten and Hana Kusumoto contributed to this story.
Ellie
Thousands take day to reflect on recent Okinawa incidents
By Jennifer Svan, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thousands of U.S. military personnel and civilians at military bases in mainland Japan and on Okinawa paused Friday to reflect on repercussions one act can have on a long alliance between nations.
The words “personal behavior” and “good ambassadors” punctuated conversations from Yokosuka to Misawa in a mandatory Day of Reflection following a string of Okinawa-based incidents. Among them are the alleged Feb. 10 rape of a 14-year-old Okinawa girl by a Marine and an alleged Feb. 17 rape of a woman by a soldier.
Servicemembers spent part or all of the work day in meetings. They heard speeches from commanders, saw slide presentations and participated in discussions.
Some sessions were interactive. Marines at Camp Fuji near Tokyo, for example, were given hypothetical scenarios or problems to solve. What if a dinner in town with a liberty buddy turns into 12 friends at the same restaurant or bar, all drunk and all needing a ride home?
“It’s easy to do a class or lecture, but we know that the world is not that simple,” said Marine Col. Kenneth Lissner, Camp Fuji commander.
Base leaders throughout Japan emphasized the importance of professional conduct — on and off duty — stressing that another major incident off base could further escalate tensions.
“Part of our message is really quite positive,” Col. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, 35th Fighter Wing and Misawa Air Base, Japan, commander, said in an interview Thursday.
Most servicemembers at Misawa, he said, “are wonderful ambassadors of the United States and what we stand for.
“But we’re only one event away from a strategic level impact to our alliance with the government of Japan, and so we just have to reemphasize that.”
Japan’s Defense Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, warned Friday that further crimes could harm relations between the United States and Japan.
U.S. military leaders have taken a number of steps to address concerns, from imposing travel restrictions on all status of forces agreement personnel on Okinawa and mainland Japan Marine bases to Friday’s Japan-wide Day of Reflection.
People in mainland Japan communities said they hope Friday’s training will help prevent crimes.
“As a result, [Sasebo] hopes it will lead to no more crimes that undermine the relationship of trust to be committed,” said Setsuo Kuga, a city base affairs official.
U.S. Forces Japan commander Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright said Friday at Yokota Air Base, Japan, that he thought the training was going well.
“Ninety-nine percent of the force gets it,” he said. “They reinforce why it’s so important” to be good neighbors.
All Air Force personnel at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, were required to participate in commander’s calls and unit-level training focused on sexual assault prevention, cultural awareness and the importance of being good ambassadors in Japan.
Status of forces personnel at Marine bases, including Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni near Hiroshima, completed similar training.
The 140 Marines at Camp Fuji, between lectures, role playing and discussing scenarios, heard from one Marine who did the right thing in an embarrassing situation.
The sergeant, an explosive ordnance technician, said he recently punched a door during a night of drinking at the military-run New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo, causing $500 in damage. He confessed immediately to his master sergeant and told hotel staff he’d pay to fix the door.
“It comes up eventually,” he said, so it’s better to come clean rather than try to hide something.
The all-hands training at Sasebo Naval Base consisted of an hour of lectures, video and slides.
At Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, shore-duty sailors, officers and senior enlisted sailors were asked to “renew their efforts in providing strong guidance and counsel to junior sailors,” said a Commander Naval Forces Japan statement.
On the fleet side, training emphasized “unwavering professionalism,” said 7th Fleet spokeswoman Cmdr. Dawn Cutler.
“By and large, our sailors in 7th Fleet have made all of us very proud by their dedication, professionalism and good behavior,” Vice Adm. Doug Crowder, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, said in an e-mail. “However, it is essential for us to take the time to reflect upon and reinforce the importance of good conduct ashore here in Japan.”
At Misawa, O’Shaughnessy said senior leaders are being placed at base gates Friday and Saturday nights to remind people as they’re heading out into town “what they do that night could have a strategic-level impact.”
O’Shaughnessy and Chief Master Sgt. Ricky Price, the wing’s command chief, held four mandatory commander’s calls Friday for all military personnel and Defense Department civilians assigned to the installation.
They were encouraged to keep up the good work, but also to be cognizant of their surroundings. They were told to diffuse the situation and look for ways to save the day if they see someone making a bad choice.
At the Army’s Camp Zama near Tokyo, servicemembers and DOD civilians were required to attend one of three 75-minute training sessions. They spent the rest of the day with their commanders and first-line supervisors, reinforcing the issues discussed.
One briefing focused directly on the recent incidents on Okinawa and the effect any such crimes has on U.S.-Japan relations.
A slide read: “Japanese will judge all Americans and its military on the Americans that they know — even if the only one they know is the one they meet in the newspaper.”
Stars and Stripes reporters Allison Batdorff, David Allen, Christopher B. Stoltz, Bryce Dubee, Teri Weaver, Travis Tritten and Hana Kusumoto contributed to this story.
Ellie