MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- In light of recent changes to policies aboard the Station, Col. Dave Darrah, Station Commanding Officer, called an emergency Town Hall meeting Jan. 16.
The meeting was held four times throughout the day so all service members and their families could attend.
Each meeting kicked off with a few words from Darrah then the microphone was turned to Maj. Jonathan Foster, Station Provost Marshall, for an antiterrorism/force protection brief.
"The purpose of the brief was to provide Station personnel an overview of AT/FP information in order to increase community awareness and review specific actions individuals can take to minimize their risk against acts of terrorism," said Foster.
Foster went on to say the community plays a vital role in reporting suspicious behavior right away.
"We would all rather be the hunter than the hunted and just simple measures can make that possible," he said.
The Counter-Chemical Warfare brief followed and was given by Lt. Col. Philip King, Station Operations officer.
With a crowded Sakura Theatre listening attentively, King explained what CCW is all about and what should be expected to happen here.
"Ultimately its about flying airplanes and we need service members and their families to have the training in case something happens with chemicals so we can still accomplish the mission," said King.
Once King finished, the brief moved on to topics consisting of the Respirator Program, Station Fire Department, Post office, Noncombatant Evacuation Operation, Information Security/Alerting Systems and then on to Stop Loss/Stop Move.
Chief Warrant Officer Sequoia Johnson, Permanent Change of Station/Temporary Assignment of Duty officer-in-charge, explained the differences between the policies to dispel any confusion amongst those in attendance.
"The whole brief was very informative. I had no idea about some of the chemical threats they mentioned and I'm glad a lot of people showed up for the meeting," said Lori Williams, library technician.