Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

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. Marines with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 12 perform pull ups at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 21, 2017. The USO hosted a field meet and cookout for MALS-12, which included several competitions such as grappling, pull-ups and a Humvee pull. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Farbo) - U.S. Marines with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 12 perform pull ups at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 21, 2017. The USO hosted a field meet and cookout for MALS-12, which included several competitions such as grappling, pull-ups and a Humvee pull. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Farbo)

Veronica Kerrigan, American Red Cross field Coordinator, holds Emi Vazquez as she sits on her dog at the Active-Duty Fund Drive Dog Parade at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, April 1, 2017. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society held the event to bring the community together and increased awareness of its fund drive. Eleven dog owners registered for the event and walked from Penny Lake to the harbor gate and back. They also participated in a dog-costume contest. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera) - Veronica Kerrigan, American Red Cross field Coordinator, holds Emi Vazquez as she sits on her dog at the Active-Duty Fund Drive Dog Parade at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, April 1, 2017. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society held the event to bring the community together and increased awareness of its fund drive. Eleven dog owners registered for the event and walked from Penny Lake to the harbor gate and back. They also participated in a dog-costume contest. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera)

Col. Richard F. Fuerst, station commanding officer for Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, addresses station residents and Japanese locals during the U.S-Japan Children Soccer event at the Suo-Oshima Athletic Field in Suo-Oshima, Japan, Oct. 1, 2016. As part of a good keeping with the U.S.-Japan relationship, soccer was used to break the barrier of communication through words and teach children communication through actions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joseph Abrego) - Col. Richard F. Fuerst, station commanding officer for Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, addresses station residents and Japanese locals during the U.S-Japan Children Soccer event at the Suo-Oshima Athletic Field in Suo-Oshima, Japan, Oct. 1, 2016. As part of a good keeping with the U.S.-Japan relationship, soccer was used to break the barrier of communication through words and teach children communication through actions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joseph Abrego)

Students of Iwakuni-Kawashimo Kindergarten pose with zero hangar stamps they received during a school visit at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 21, 2016. The school visit is a time honored tradition between the base and the local community and holds a lasting memory with the visiting students. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Nathan Wicks) - Students of Iwakuni-Kawashimo Kindergarten pose with zero hangar stamps they received during a school visit at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 21, 2016. The school visit is a time honored tradition between the base and the local community and holds a lasting memory with the visiting students. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Nathan Wicks)

Students from Noda Gakuen High School in Yamaguchi City and Matthew C. Perry High School at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, participate in a drama class at MCAS Iwakuni April 21, 2016. Events like these help secure the two nations’ relationship with positive activities that educate students about each other’s culture. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Aaron Henson/Released) - Students from Noda Gakuen High School in Yamaguchi City and Matthew C. Perry High School at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, participate in a drama class at MCAS Iwakuni April 21, 2016. Events like these help secure the two nations’ relationship with positive activities that educate students about each other’s culture. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Aaron Henson/Released)

From left to right, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jason Perry, military liaison officer with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Masahiro Kurosaki, professor at the Japan National Defense Academy, and U.S. Air Force Col. Derek Grimes, staff judge advocate for United States Forces Japan, answer questions during the Legislation for Peace and Security seminar at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, March 11, 2016. Recent changes in national policy gives Japan the capability to take a more proactive stance in matters that may threaten Japan, its citizens and its allies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Nathan Wicks/Released) - From left to right, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jason Perry, military liaison officer with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Masahiro Kurosaki, professor at the Japan National Defense Academy, and U.S. Air Force Col. Derek Grimes, staff judge advocate for United States Forces Japan, answer questions during the Legislation for Peace and Security seminar at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, March 11, 2016. Recent changes in national policy gives Japan the capability to take a more proactive stance in matters that may threaten Japan, its citizens and its allies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Nathan Wicks/Released)

Mandie Woods, left, and April Rosales, residents from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni dig lotus roots during a cultural adaptation program at Yamaguchi’s Agricultural, Forestry, Fisheries, and Stockbreeding in Iwakuni City, Japan, Feb. 10, 2016. After learning about lotus roots, residents along with other Japanese nationals took to the fields to dig up their own. - Mandie Woods, left, and April Rosales, residents from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni dig lotus roots during a cultural adaptation program at Yamaguchi’s Agricultural, Forestry, Fisheries, and Stockbreeding in Iwakuni City, Japan, Feb. 10, 2016. After learning about lotus roots, residents along with other Japanese nationals took to the fields to dig up their own.

The Marine Aircraft Group 12 color guard marches in formation during a Sgt. Maj. Sergio MartinezRuiz’s relief and appointment ceremony at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Feb. 5, 2016. This ceremony symbolizes the end of MartinezRuiz’s tour after assuming the role of MAG-12’s sergeant major in May of 2014. - The Marine Aircraft Group 12 color guard marches in formation during a Sgt. Maj. Sergio MartinezRuiz’s relief and appointment ceremony at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Feb. 5, 2016. This ceremony symbolizes the end of MartinezRuiz’s tour after assuming the role of MAG-12’s sergeant major in May of 2014.