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Marines

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

News Stories

Archive: 2000

OBSERVERS PREDICT RAIN OR SHINE

An old man once created a device he said could tell the weather just by looking at it. From his pocket, he pulled a golf ball-sized rock hanging from a piece of twine. A "weather rock" he called it. It was a simple thing. If the rock was bright on top it was nice out; gray if it was cloudy; wet when it was raining and if the rock turned white,

TRIATHLON CLINIC PROVIDES INSIGHT

Training is a huge part of the racing process for triathletes and must be started months before a race. To prepare for the upcoming Sprint Labor Day Triathlon here Sept. 3, more than 20 Japanese and Americans met at the Main Gym to hone their skills. Training focused on the three areas of a triathlon - running, biking, and swimming. After a 5

IWAKUNI RESIDENTS BUILD LANTERNS, MEMORIES

Twelve Americans jumped in a bus and headed south to take part in an annual Japanese tradition Aug. 11. Led by Cultural Adaptations director, Chiaki Ikeue, the group journeyed to Yanai to assemble kingyo, or goldfish lanterns. "It was a very good way for station residents to learn about Japanese culture," Ikeue said. "We also learned a lot about

OKUDA DELIVERS MESSAGE OF PEACE

Some people work for money, and others to gain success, but Zero Center Director Torao "Tiger" Okuda feels he is working for a greater purpose. Nearly every day for the past 17 years, Okuda has freely devoted his time to teaching generations of Japanese and Americans the history of one of the most recognized Japanese fighter aircraft of World War

MOONLIGHTERS NAMED BEST IN CORPS

Every year there is a fighter attack squadron that stands out among the rest and receives the Robert M. Hanson Award for Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron of the Year. This year that honor was presented to the Moonlighters of VMFA-332 from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. "The Hanson Award recognizes the Marine F/A-18 squadron who has made

MARINES TEST METTLE

Marine Wing Service Support Squadron 171 finished up the force-on-force portion of Cloud Warrior 2000 at Camp Fuji, Mount. Fuji Japan. Marines units from MCAS Iwakuni and Okinawa split into four platoons, making up a red team and blue team. The teams spent five nights and six days in a tactical field environment during the exercise. "The

Marines Land On Beach: TAKE OUT TRASH

Marines from MALS-12 Support Equipment section cleared a beach June 30 without a single casualty. The enemy they faced was not an enemy of flesh and blood - it was trash. Eighteen Marines traveled 45 miles by bus to an island near the town of Kaminoseki.They chose to take the beach for themselves and for the community. What they received in return

DEFY TAKES TO THE WOODS

Twenty-seven air station children spent the week in the woods getting high -- a natural high that is. The mentors and students of the Drug Education For Youth program stayed at the Tokuji campground near Tokuyama learning about the dangers of drug and alcohol use, conflict resolution, leadership, teamwork concept, how to resist peer pressure and

FLIGHT SIMULATORS MORE THAN GAME

Looking over his shoulder, the F/A-18D pilot saw the jet behind him fire a single missle. He tried to dodge, but the explosion rocked the cockpit. Everything went black. The canopy opened and the pilot stepped out of the simulator. Though this training mission ended negatively, the pilot may have picked up enough experience to handle the

Start Your Engines

Today's sports cars are pulled around by more than 300 horses - a considerable amount of power for a car. However, Marines at the test cells have 76,000 horsepower at their fingertips daily, the equivalent of about 250 sports cars. Before engines are installed in an aircraft, they must be tested, according to Gunnery Sgt. Craig Elliott, test cell