Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

VMFA-121 trains to fuel airpower in contaminated environments - U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Tristan Aber, a motor transport operator with Logistics Department Fuels Division, helps fuel an F-35B Lightning II during a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Nov. 15, 2017. A hot refuel is a fast-paced fueling method that allows aircraft to take in fuel while powered up, which gets them back to the fight quicker. Executing missions on time and being faster than the enemy is a vital aspect to the Marine Corps, and exercises like these assure that Marines can keep working quickly no matter what environment they’re forced to work in. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Carlos Jimenez)

DPRI, MCCS hold grand opening of new gas station - Workers prepare for a ribbon-cutting ceremony during the new gas station grand opening at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Nov. 6, 2017. The gas station provides a secondary place for Status of Forces Agreement personnel to fuel vehicles and facilitates other amenities such as coin-operated vacuums, a tire pressure check station and an automatic car wash. The project was paid for by the government of Japan to accommodate the growing population of the base. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Jones)

VMGR-152 conducts nighttime aerial refueling with VMFA-121, VMFA-251 - An F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 based out of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, conducts a nighttime aerial refueling training operation with a KC-130J Hercules with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 based out of MCAS Iwakuni Oct. 25, 2017. The training was conducted at night to improve operational readiness and enhance pilot proficiency. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mason Roy)

Japanese barbers cut through time - Chieko Murakami, left, Hisato Murakami, center, and Tomie Shigemura, barbers working at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, pose in front of the Torii Pines barber shop at the air station, Oct. 25, 2017. They are currently three of the oldest employed Japanese workers on base. Shigemura began working in 1970, and Hisato and his wife, Chieko, joined her a year later. After nearly half a century, these barbers have whizzed their clippers through the hairs of countless Marines. From the dog days of the Vietnam War to the ongoing War on Terror, they’ve buzzed their way through time at MCAS Iwakuni while watching it flourish, grow and transform in the process. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Carlos Jimenez)

Japanese, Americans build relationships in a unique way - Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni residents build a replica of the Kintaikyo bridge alongside Japanese locals during a Cultural Adaptation trip in Iwakuni City, Japan, Sept. 15, 2017. Station residents were taken to a hangar filled with wooden parts from Japanese Hinoki and Keyaki trees, the kind used to build the Kintaikyo Bridge, where they worked to create a model replica one-fifth the size of the bridge. The building of the bridge became symbolic for the cooperative, friendly nature between America and Japan, consistently working together in civilian and military environments to achieve mutually-beneficial goals. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Carlos Jimenez)

Students welcome new school year with new facilities - Dwayne Jefferson, principal of Iwakuni Elementary School, gives a speech to the students during the first day of school at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Aug. 30, 2017. The day marked the first time the school facility was going to be used since its construction finished this year, along with Matthew C. Perry Elementary School and Iwakuni Middle School. The new school facilities have been setup to benefit the students, faculty and staff. They are also capable of taking in more students as the MCAS Iwakuni population increases. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Donato Maffin)

Single Marine Program volunteers cleanup Yuu Beach - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kaysom Montgomery, a heavy-equipment operator with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171, holds a trash bag for other volunteers during a Single Marine Program Yuu Beach cleanup at Iwakuni City, Japan, Aug. 25, 2017. The event was an opportunity to demonstrate the willingness of service members to be respectful ambassadors and contribute to making Japan a better, cleaner place to live in. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Carlos Jimenez)

Friendly Baseball Tournament unites American, Japanese families - Ethan Kowalski, pitcher for the Iwakuni All Stars, begins to pitch during the Youth Sports’ Friendly Baseball Tournament at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Aug. 19, 2017. The Marine Corps Community Service’s Semper Fit Program held the Youth Sports tournament to encourage a positive and healthy relationship with the Japanese locals through sports. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Carlos Jimenez)

Americans dance with Japanese locals to honor ancestors - U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Milton Bridges, a Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni resident, gets dressed in a summertime kimono, called a Yukata, during the Bon-Odori festival at Kinjuen nursing home in Iwakuni, Japan, Aug. 14, 2017, as part of a Cultural Adaptation trip. This was the second time Bridges and his family attended the festival with Cultural Adaptation. He said the event was a good opportunity to dress-up, go dancing, enjoy good food and mingle with the locals. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Carlos Jimenez)

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Rodney Harris, right, an aircraft rescue firefighter with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS), explains to Lance Cpl. Dahee Park, an aircraft rescue firefighter with H&HS, how to put out an external fire on an F/A-18C Hornet at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 19, 2017. Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Marines visited the display to familiarize themselves with the aircraft so they can be more efficient in emergency situations. (U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera) - U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Rodney Harris, right, an aircraft rescue firefighter with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS), explains to Lance Cpl. Dahee Park, an aircraft rescue firefighter with H&HS, how to put out an external fire on an F/A-18C Hornet at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 19, 2017. Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Marines visited the display to familiarize themselves with the aircraft so they can be more efficient in emergency situations. (U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera)