Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

Photo by Lance Cpl. Dahkareo Pritchett - Catherine Matchem-Watkins, a Marine Corps Family Team Building Trainer with Marine Corps Community Services Iwakuni, poses for a photo with her family at Akiyoshidai Safari Land, Japan. Matchem-Watkins, a native of Chicago, Illinois, learned time management skills at a young age that she continues to use to this day to effectively balance time with her family, work, and volunteering in her busy schedule. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Dahkareo Pritchett)

Photo by Cpl. Calah Thompson - Yasufumi Nakamura, the president of the Momiji Manju Yamadaya factory, gives a presentation to members of a cultural adaptations trip on the process of creating the momiji manju at Hatsukaichi, Japan, May 23, 2023. Cultural adaptations is a program through Marine Corps Community Services that gives residents of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni opportunities to immerse themselves in the community and culture of Iwakuni and of Japan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Calah Thompson)

Iwakuni City celebrates 63rd Iwakuni Matsuri Festival - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Lance Lewis, commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, dances in the 63rd Iwakuni Matsuri parade in Iwakuni City, Japan, Oct. 20, 2019. The Iwakuni Matsuri Festival is an annual festival and parade that features the local community and local organizations coming together to promote safety and development in the city. (Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

MCAS Iwakuni hosts 2019 Special Olympics - Local Japanese athletes and U.S. Marines participate in a soccer game during the 2019 Special Olympics at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 13, 2019. The Special Olympics was held in order to provide Marines and Japanese families volunteer opportunities with each other in a cultural exchange. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

Families celebrate reading all summer - Families enter in a raffle during a Summer Reading Party hosted by Marine and Family Programs at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, August 7, 2019. The party was held to celebrate all of the reading the children accomplished over the span of six weeks. The party included a raffle giveaway, live music, food and drinks. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Triton Lai)

Iwakuni Expo offers glimpse into Iwakuni activities, resources - Angie Olberding, the Zumba instructor for Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, performs Zumba exercises at the Iwakuni Expo at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, Sept. 8, 2018. The purpose of the event was to educate and inform residents and service members of on-base and off-base resources available to them. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stephen Campbell)

MCAS Iwakuni residents attend festival in Shunan City - Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni residents share a meal with Japanese residents during the 20th Hina Doll Festival in Shunan City, Japan, March 3, 2018. The event brought families from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and the Shunan International Children’s Club together to make new friends and bond while taking part in Japanese traditions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Jones)

Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) welcomed enlisted U.S. Marines and Sailors, grades E-5 and below, to celebrate the grand opening of the Hangar E-Club at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Jan. 26, 2018. - DJ Yone plays music during the Hangar E-Club’s grand opening at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Jan. 26, 2018. The Hangar E-Club is a joint project between the Defense Policy Review Initiative and MCCS intending to provide the enlisted grades, E-5 and below, a place of their own. The two-story building’s features include a VIP lounge, poolroom and food court on the first floor, and four bars and a dance floor, which can accommodate 250 people on the second. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Muriah King)

Running towards unity - U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Joe, the Provost Marshal’s Office training noncommissioned officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS), celebrates crossing the finish line during the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Juu-Gatsu 10km at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 21, 2017. The race helped build comradery between Americans and Japanese by introducing friendly competition. Joe finished 22nd out of 146 runners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera)

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)