MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- A Noncombatant Evacuation Operation training night was held in the Club Iwakuni Ballroom Aug. 22 to inform Station residents of what to do in case an evacuation of non-military personnel is ever needed.
One of the main objectives of training nights is to help put residents at ease about the NEO process, according to Capt. Thomas Holley, NEO coordinator and assistant operations officer.
"I think people feel a lot more comfortable once they see how the whole exercise works," said Holley. "In an emergency people may not be in the right state of mind to handle all the things they need and that's why it's so important to have everything in order before hand."
The training also helped to explain and simplify the paperwork included in NEO packages and stressed the importance of having all your documents in order.
"It's tremendously important for people to know where to go to get their families to a safe haven in case of an emergency," said Holley. "We want to make sure the NEO packages are filled out properly so that people know what to expect."
"As long as residents have their packages in order, they should have no trouble departing quickly and with the confidence that their possessions will be properly looked after, noted Holley.
"Once the NEO packages are complete they can pretty much just show up, leave and stay safe without having to worry about what's going to happen to all their belongings," said Holley.
Petty Officer 1st class Michael Cooke, NEO night participant, said that he felt more confident after learning how a NEO works.
"It's great that they have this training to keep us up to speed, especially with everything going on in the world," said Cooke. "Being active duty we sometimes get called away from home, and I feel a lot better knowing that my family will be taken care of if something were to happen."
The training night came just a week before the NEO exercise which also helps show noncombatants how such an operation works and to insure the readiness of the personnel who run them, noted Holley.
"We have a NEO exercise every year to make sure everyone knows their role in executing the process," said Holley. "We have people available to take care of everything from finances to the family pet."
For more information about filling out your Noncombatant Evacuation Operation packages, contact your unit representatives.