By It looks like no one should expect the US Marines to be moving to Kadena Airbase on Okinawa anytime soon:
Don’t look for Marine Corps helicopters to operate regularly out of this U.S. Air Force base any time soon — if ever.
Although moving the Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the largest U.S. air base in the Western Pacific has been suggested as an alternative to building a new air station on Camp Schwab, the installation commander, Brig. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, says Kadena has never been a good candidate for hosting the Marines.
“This is a tough thing to discuss publicly without getting into operational specifics,” he said during an interview with Stars and Stripes at his office Thursday. “But, believe me, there are very good operational reasons why we don’t want to bring them to Kadena.”
The idea has been suggested several times by various people over the years, most recently by Japan Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada. And it’s been rejected just as many times, Wilsbach said.
“If we did move them here, it would make accomplishing the Air Force mission — providing an unmatched combat posture in this part of the world and providing for the defense of Japan and the peace and stability of the region — much more difficult,” Wilsbach said.
“It’s been looked at and rejected at least three times since 1995,” he said. “It’s just not a viable option.”
One drawback would be noise, said Wilsbach, who has been working to reduce noise coming from Kadena ever since he took command of the 18th Wing in July.
“We’d have to divide the air space,” he said, explaining that the fast-moving aircraft would take the high road, so to speak, while the slower-moving Marine helicopters would be relegated to the lower skies.
“That means more noise,” the general said. [Stars & Stripes]
When I first heard this idea recommended from the Japanese government the first thought that came to mind to me was how it was ironic they want to add helicopter to a base that has persistent noise complaints from locals. Also if you read the rest of the article the governor of Guam also flatly told the Japanese government that the Marines in question are not moving to Guam because there are no room for them after the island already agreed to take in 8,000 Marines from Okinawa.
It also appears from the article that the Obama administration is losing patience with Hatoyama government. It is interesting to see the Roh Moo-hyun administration part 2 playing out in Japan of all places.
1:41 am on December 14th, 2009 1
It's bad enough the Air Force has to suffer being on the same Island as the marines. Kadena could easily support the 8,000 but at what cost? There is a reason why they are kept as far away from each other as humanly possible.
Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii immediately comes to mind. They keep them on A BAY for Christ sake!
3:15 am on December 14th, 2009 2
First of all they are Marines, not marines. Yes, if they showed up, they would show the chunky monkey out of shape Air Force what servicemen should look like. Who knows the Air Force might even learn how to wear their uniforms and learn how to march.
These are the descendents of WW 2 Marines who paid with blood so the Air Force would have a place to land. Each Marine from the wing is a Infantryman first. Same with our pilots.
Marine airwing support would be too far away at K-bay to support the mission in the Far East.
4:10 am on December 14th, 2009 3
Damn, those marines are tough. I read a book about them a long time ago called Maggot. It was grate.
4:15 am on December 14th, 2009 4
The soldiers and marines do a great job. However, The Air Force crews in WWII had it rough too. One of the most dangerous jobs ever designed was ball turret gunner. In Europe they told the Air Crews they had to fly 25 missons before they could go home. Somebody did the math and figured out that 85% would never make it past 20 missions so they changed the rules.
5:01 am on December 14th, 2009 5
The first time flew into Okinawa 30 years ago, I sat next to a Navy Lieutenant who told me as we were about land at Naha that this place would be a great assignment if it weren't for the Marines.
There was a time about 15 years ago when Kadena restricted Marines access to the base, except for official business, after repeated incidents of crime and violence by the Marines on the base.
There was an incident 6 or 7 years ago when a bunch of TDY Marines attacked a Air Force security policeman and a A-10 pilot in the family housing complex area of Osan Airbase at 1am after a night of drinking. The Marines were retaliating after the SP had reprimanded one of them a few days earlier for public urination. The pilot was off flying status for 8 months because of the maiming.
Marines in uniform are one thing. Marines out of uniform are a complete other.
6:47 am on December 14th, 2009 6
Yeah, marines let a lot of shit go to their head. There's not much use for them nowadays as the Air Force now does most of the hard work flying drones and killing the enemy that the marines can't find.
7:38 am on December 14th, 2009 7
Sounds like the Marines have a lot to offer when it comes to educating other services on how to look. I think the Air Force became a separate service in 1947; after the Marines took Okinawa.
9:40 am on December 14th, 2009 8
There's no way Okinawa is going to take the marines after they paid to get them off of there. The reason the marines (I said it, marines) are going to Guam, is that they are not welcome on Okinawa. In fact, if you want good service in a restaurant on Okinawa, make sure the locals know you are Army or Air Force, and not marine.
Don't get mad at me btw, they did it to themselves with some pretty poor behavior.
For those short on memory, it was the Army Air Corps until 1946/1947. And after the marines and Army got the land, the Navy seabees made the runway. So, sounds like a joint effort to me. The Air Force then broke away from the Army to form their own service. Aren't marines just part of the Navy?
10:24 am on December 14th, 2009 9
You mean the Army Air Corps crews had it rough in WWII. Not even my Air Force bretheren tend to remember that.
10:29 am on December 14th, 2009 10
Marines are a department of the Navy. As a friend often reminds me that they are the Mens department.
11:22 am on December 14th, 2009 11
There are 8,000 Marines going to Guam. Nothing is changing with that. The issue are the Marines that are remaining at the air station that was supposed to be relocated to a remoter area of island to reduce noise pollution. The Japanese government no longer wants to make this new base and instead dump the Marines on Kadena which the General is saying is unrealistic.
11:34 am on December 14th, 2009 12
If they claim to not know it, they aren't very bright. It is (at least used to be) in the PME manual they should be studying from every time they promotion test.
12:09 pm on December 14th, 2009 13
I read in the not to distant past that 'more airmen died in Europe, than Marines in the Pacific." I haven't looked up casualties to compare. However, its somewhere on my list of things to do.
12:14 pm on December 14th, 2009 14
Ouch! I am retired Air Force, yet when you're on the ground, there is no better friend around to give a better feeling of security than a platoon of Marines. They will never be outdated.
12:36 pm on December 14th, 2009 15
I also remember a quote by 'Ellenor Roosevelt, after her return from her pacific tour during WWII.
She said "I know of no cleaner men, with filthier minds, no men with higher morale and lower morals than animals, than the US Marines. Thank 'god' for the US Marines.
2:34 pm on December 14th, 2009 16
I can only speak from experience, but in mid 1972 the Marines sent part of an air wing to Danang. The Army had already pull out and left us "chunky monkey out of shape Air Force" personnel to defend the base. When the marines came in they basically huddled near their aircraft while we "chunky monkey out of
shape Air Force" personnel protected the
"descendents of WW 2 Marines who paid with blood so the Air Force would have a
place to land." I guess because "Each Marine from the wing is a Infantryman first" they didn't want to join us out of shape, poorly dressed AF personnel in defending the base from aggressors because so they could stay clean and show us out of shape Airmen what servicemen should look like.
3:32 pm on December 14th, 2009 17
It's true, more airmen died in Europe than marines in the pacific. After the War all the surviving Germans claimed the Allied Air bombing won the war.
3:40 pm on December 14th, 2009 18
But the percentage of marines killed were a lot higher, since they're a much smaller force. The pacific war spun out of control at the end.