MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- When you joined the military, you knew the life-changing implications that were going to take place. What you didn’t know was the endless sacrifices and stresses you and your family was going to endure.
But don’t forget what exactly those sacrifices stand for.
We fight to answer the call of terrorism. We fight for honor. We fight so that our families and friends can sleep under the blanket of freedom every night. We fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
Two hundred thirty-four years ago, the United States separated itself from the Kingdom of Great Britain. And come Sunday, more than 9,000 miles away, Americans will be celebrating the independence of our beloved country.
But just because you’re in Japan doesn’t mean you can’t still celebrate.
Erma Bombeck, an American humorist, once said, “You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”
Below, the Iwakuni Approach has compiled a list of must-do activities that are going on around the station.
So, forget those summer diets, fire up the grill, forget about the stresses of daily life and enjoy living under the blanket of freedom that you so generously provide. Go ahead, you deserve it.