News Stories

9th annual US-Japan Friendship Concert held in Iwakuni City - Students with elementary, middle and high schools from Iwakuni City, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and surrounding cities perform “Remember Me” by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez at the Sinfonia Iwakuni Concert Hall in Iwakuni City, Japan, Feb. 23, 2019. Seven schools with an accumulative 222 students participated in the 9th annual U.S.-Japan Friendship Concert that was hosted by the Chugoku-Shikoku Defense Bureau. The purpose of the concert was to strengthen understanding and collaboration with local residents within the vicinity of Iwakuni City. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Stephen Campbell)

New experiences bloom: Flower arrangement and farm visit - Marine Corps Station (MCAS) Iwakuni residents and local Japanese make flower arrangements in Tada, Iwakuni, Japan, July 12, 2018. The flower arrangement and farm visit was held in support of the Cultural Adaptation Program to give MCAS Iwakuni residents the opportunity to experience Japanese culture. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Angelo A. Sagum)

NEO exercise enhances station readiness - Amanda Braudt, a Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni resident, visits the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society booth during a Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) exercise at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, Nov. 21, 2017. The exercise consisted of a processing center at the IronWorks North Gym where U.S. service members, dependents and other station residents walked through various checkpoints, practicing what they would do in the event of an evacuation and receiving all the necessary information regarding their departure. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Jones)

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)

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)

Orville Burrell, better known as “Shaggy,” a musical artist and Marine Corps veteran, dances on stage while performing a live concert at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 26, 2017. Shaggy sang a variety of his hit songs including “Boombastic,” “It Wasn’t Me” and “Oh Carolina.” The concert was part of an Armed Forces Entertainment tour that included three military installations across Japan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Justin Fisher) - Orville Burrell, better known as “Shaggy,” a musical artist and Marine Corps veteran, dances on stage while performing a live concert at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 26, 2017. Shaggy sang a variety of his hit songs including “Boombastic,” “It Wasn’t Me” and “Oh Carolina.” The concert was part of an Armed Forces Entertainment tour that included three military installations across Japan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Justin Fisher)

A U.S. Marine assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, rushes to provide security for a forward operating base during an immediate action drill while participating in exercise Eagle Wrath 2017 at Combined Arms Training Center Camp, Fuji, Japan, June 17, 2017. Forward operating bases and forward arming and refueling points were established during the two-week exercise to train the Marines to provide explosives, weaponry, fuel, security, logistics and personnel to a forward line of troops and aircraft. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stephen Campbell) - A U.S. Marine assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, rushes to provide security for a forward operating base during an immediate action drill while participating in exercise Eagle Wrath 2017 at Combined Arms Training Center Camp, Fuji, Japan, June 17, 2017. Forward operating bases and forward arming and refueling points were established during the two-week exercise to train the Marines to provide explosives, weaponry, fuel, security, logistics and personnel to a forward line of troops and aircraft. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stephen Campbell)

U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 communicate to each other after loading quadcon shipping containers onto a seven-ton medium tactical vehicle replacement during exercise Kamoshika Wrath 17-1 at Haramura Maneuver Area, Hiroshima, Japan, Jan. 27, 2017. The Marines worked through inclement weather conditions and a short timeline to build a 96-foot by 96-foot vertical takeoff and landing pad. The exercise is a biannual, unit-level training exercise that is primarily focused on establishing a forward operating base and providing airfield operation services. MWSS-171 trains throughout the year completing exercises like Kamoshika Wrath to enhance their technical skills, field experience and military occupational specialty capability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Donato Maffin) - U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 communicate to each other after loading quadcon shipping containers onto a seven-ton medium tactical vehicle replacement during exercise Kamoshika Wrath 17-1 at Haramura Maneuver Area, Hiroshima, Japan, Jan. 27, 2017. The Marines worked through inclement weather conditions and a short timeline to build a 96-foot by 96-foot vertical takeoff and landing pad. The exercise is a biannual, unit-level training exercise that is primarily focused on establishing a forward operating base and providing airfield operation services. MWSS-171 trains throughout the year completing exercises like Kamoshika Wrath to enhance their technical skills, field experience and military occupational specialty capability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Donato Maffin)

U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171 move a flood light through the mud during exercise Kamoshika Wrath 17-1 at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Haramura Maneuver Area in Hiroshima, Japan, Jan. 22, 2017. The exercise is a biannual, unit-level training exercise that is primarily focused on establishing a forward operating base and providing airfield operation services. MWSS-171 trains throughout the year completing exercises like Kamoshika Wrath 17-1 to enhance their technical skills, field experience and military occupational specialty capability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Donato Maffin) - U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171 move a flood light through the mud during exercise Kamoshika Wrath 17-1 at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Haramura Maneuver Area in Hiroshima, Japan, Jan. 22, 2017. The exercise is a biannual, unit-level training exercise that is primarily focused on establishing a forward operating base and providing airfield operation services. MWSS-171 trains throughout the year completing exercises like Kamoshika Wrath 17-1 to enhance their technical skills, field experience and military occupational specialty capability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Donato Maffin)