MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The new south side post office held its grand opening on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 9, 2016.
Since the 1990s, the old south side post office has sent and received over millions of pounds of mail.
With MCAS Iwakuni’s population growing, the base was in need of a new post office that could handle the increase of personnel on station said Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Solla, postal officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron.
“With the base expansion there was a need for a larger postal facility,” said Solla. “The old facility was built in the 90s and no longer has what is required to operate effectively with the expanding numbers of the air station.”
Cpl. Tony Carter, postal Marine with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, said the new facility will help the postal Marines handle the growing amounts of mail and number of personnel on the base while maintaining a positive experience for the customers.
“This new post office is significant for the base because the base is growing,” said Carter. “We’ve been handling record amounts of mail recently and that’s only going to go up. We’re going to need to get comfortable with this new post office so we can continue to do great things for the base.”
Solla said this event is special to him because he feels he is paving the way for the future postal Marines to come.
“There are Marines in this occupation that have been around for over 20 years now that were involved for the old post office’s grand opening,” said Solla. “Now I get to reach out to them and say, ‘Hey, you started the old one 20 some years ago paving the way, and now it’s my turn.’”
Solla said he hopes to achieve a great customer experience at the new facility through the improvements in technology and size they have been given.
Like the Greek historian Herodotus said, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."