News Stories

Awareness for Fire Prevention Week flares across MCAS Iwakuni - Girl Scouts gather around Sparky the dog during Fire Prevention Week at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 12, 2017. Fire Prevention Week raises awareness in communities on how they can prevent, combat and aid where a fire can or is currently taking place in a real-world scenario. Fire Prevention Day was established Oct. 8, 1920, by President Woodrow Wilson to commemorate The Great Chicago Fire in 1871, which claimed 300 lives and left 100,000 homeless. It later became known as Fire Prevention Week in 1922 and has been proclaimed by the president every year since 1925, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mason Roy)

Wrapping up exercise Kamoshika Wrath - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jason Taylor, a combat engineer with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171, patrols during exercise Kamoshika Wrath at Haramura Maneuver Area, Japan, Oct. 3, 2017. The exercise allowed Marines to test mission performance and meet training requirements by placing them in real-world scenarios. Marines conducted defensive measures and dug fighting holes during a simulated assault, where the enemy progressed from the north. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera)

Sentinels hone their skills exercise Kamoshika Wrath - U.S. Marines with Marine Wong Support Squadron (MWSS) 171 settle in their tents during exercise Kamoshika Wrath at Haramura Maneuver Area, Japan, Oct. 2, 2017. Marines participated in the training to hone their skills while simulating a forward-deployed environment.

MWSS-171 kicks off exercise Kamashika Wrath - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ryan Barber, a tactical switch operator with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171, digs a ditch at Haramura, Japan, Sept. 30, 2017. MWSS-171, stationed out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, kicked off exercise Kamashika Wrath. The exercise helps Marines test mission performance and prepare for real-world situation. The ditch helped cover wires to provide electricity to tents. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera)

. - U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Christopher Melling, the pilot training officer with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 251, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., enters and F/A-18C Hornet while wearing Joint Protective Aircrew Ensemble (JPACE) and Respirator equipment at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, Sept. 29, 2017. VMFA-251 has intensified training on familiarizing aircrew members with the JPACE, a pilot’s Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Defense equipment, while still maintaining focus on the squadron’s mission. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Abrego)

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)

US service members celebrate end of summer - U.S. Marine Pfc. Terrence Pennywell, an embarkation specialist with Combat Logistics Company (CLC) 36, plays a saxophone during the 20th annual Single Marine Program’s End of Summer Party at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Sept. 27, 2017. The event gave Marines one last opportunity to enjoy the season with their peers as it turns to fall. There was a karaoke competition, pool tournament and sumo wrestling competition. They held raffles giving away a bicycle, a TV, coupons worth $250, a one-hour massage and other prizes during the event. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stephen Campbell)

Japanese, Americans participate in triathlon - A participant in the 30th annual Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Triathlon hosted by Marine Corps Community Services Iwakuni, races during the 23-kilometer bicycle portion of the event at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, Sept. 24, 2017. Marine Corps Community Services Iwakuni hosted the triathlon to energize the community and provide a positive experience through friendly competition. The event was composed of a 1-kilometer swim, a 23-kilometer bike ride and 8-kilometer run. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stephen Campbell)

Hiroshima Dragonflies overcome MCAS Iwakuni - Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni and Hiroshima Dragonflies players pose for a photo at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, Sept. 26, 2017. The game was organized to bring two cultures together, through spirit and competitiveness, and assist the Dragonflies in completing their final scrimmage game, beginning the season. MCAS Iwakuni dribbled their way up and down the court starting the game off on the right foot with several rebounds and a few 3-pointers, but as time went on the game slowly slipped out from underneath their sneakers. The Dragonflies won 69-20. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mason Roy)

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)