Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF), recently recognized for being the Medium Fire Department of the Year for the third consecutive year, hosted a multinational training event that brought together fire and emergency response teams from across the globe. This initiative reflects the department’s continued commitment to excellence, collaboration, and the advancement of emergency response capabilities on an international scale.The Crash, Damaged, or Disabled Aircraft Recovery training held for the first time at MCAS Iwakuni included participation from the United Kingdom’s Royal Airmen from Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron, Germany’s Airmen from German Air Force Command II, Air Force
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Ombudsman are often described as vital, and essential, serving as the bridge between service members and their families. Working quietly behind the scenes, they provide clarity when communication falters - especially during deployments or times of crisis.For Katie Mintz, a Washington native and ombudsman for Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, every minute spent supporting others is rooted in purpose and care.Mintz’s dedication to Sailors, Marines, and their families recently earned her the 2024 Dorothy Flatley Award, which honors a Navy spouse who demonstrates extraordinary support to the military community.“My command is so supportive of me and went out of their way to do so much work, and it turns out I was the one that was chosen, it
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On April 3, 2025, U.S. Marines and Sailors from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni joined local residents in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, to mark the 80th anniversary of a tragic World War II aircraft crash. Together, they honored a moment in history that has since become a powerful symbol of reconciliation and shared humanity.On July 24, 1945, a U.S. Navy TBM-3 Avenger from Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6), flying from the USS Hancock (CV-19), was shot down while attacking the Kure area. The plane crashed into a residential neighborhood, killing four civilians and destroying a dozen homes. Of the three crew members on board, one died in the crash, another died after parachuting, and the third survived for nearly two weeks in the
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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Manuel Alejandro Lopez Chavez, a native of Miami-Dade, Florida, and the meteorological & oceanographic (METOC) platoon sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, MCAS Iwakuni, was recently selected as the recipient for the 2024 METOC Marine of the Year award.The METOC Marine of the Year award is an annual award that recognizes enlisted Marines within the METOC analyst forecaster military occupational specialty who have exhibited significant knowledge and understanding of METOC systems and capability employment in support of Marine Corps operations.“Getting this award shows everybody that it is doable.” said Lopez Chavez, “Apart from the bragging rights, all the experiences that I have had led me to standing
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After spending five years aboard a ship manned by only Navy Sailors; the last thing this Sailor expected was to be stationed with Marines, whom he once feared. After a few months at his second duty station, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, he came to realize that Marines were not as terrifying as he initially thought.U.S. Navy Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class (IC1) Nathan Cobb was taken aback when he received orders to report to Armed Forces Network at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan in June of 2020. This is a unit comprised of Sailors and Marines and his trepidation of Marines began when in his early teens.Cobb was born in North Carolina in 1991, where he was raised by a single mother until she remarried in the fall of 2005 to his
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Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn? You may have heard these four stress reactions, but have you ever been struck with this choice at a moment’s notice? If you found yourself in the midst of an unfolding emergency, would you take charge to make a difference? For U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Brandon Champagne, an air traffic controller with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, all these questions and more quickly became a reality when he came across a car rolled to its side on his way to a volunteer event.Born and raised in Ocala, Florida, Champagne longed for a profession in which people had “a bit more drive in day-to-day life.” He sought after the brotherhood and camaraderie that comes with being a
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