TH - Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

page 4The Iwakuni Approach, February 22, 2013NewsNewsThe Iwakuni Approach, February 22, 2013Page 5The legend of YasukeCpl. Kenneth K. Trotter Jr.Iwakuni Approach StaffThe month of February issynonymous with Black HistoryMonth. Every year, the mostpopular Black figures are discussed,showcasing how they helped make adifference to those around them andacross the world. Whether HarrietTubman, Fredrick Douglass, or thecelebration of Dr. Martin Luther KingJr.'s birthday, the contributions ofthose who are of African descent arenumerous and well-known.But what of those not so well known?This is the legend of Yasuke.Some aspects of Yasuke aresubstantiated.Othersmuddledthrough the ages, becoming thebasis for legend. The possibility of anAfrican slave as the first of his kind inJapan is indeed somewhat true.Yasuke, means, “the black one,”in Japanese. He’s been erroneouslygiven the name of “Kuru-san,” whichis highly unlikely as the word “-san”wasn’t used during that period ofJapanese history.He was a slave who traveled toJapan with members of one of severalItalian missionary groups thatarrived in Japan in 1579.No one knows where Yasuke camefrom. Some unsubstantiated claimssay he came from Mozambique,others say somewhere in the Congo.It is almost certain he was fromsomewhere in central or westernAfrica as that was the region wheremost slaves came from.Yasuke found himself at a somewhatpeculiar time in history not only forhimself but also involving the world.Two separate yet unique world eventstook shape during the time of hisarrival in Japan. The TransatlanticSlave Trade hit its stride. Whilethe slave trade boomed in westernand central Africa and the NewWorld, political and social upheavalwas taking place across Japan,with warlords vying for control ofthe country, during the SengokuPeriod. This was soon brought to anend by the steeled determinationand military decisiveness of OdaNobunaga, the Japanese warlord wholaid the foundation for the unificationof Japan.Another unsubstantiated claim isYasuke was the first person of Africandescent to ever set foot in Japan. Ifso, he was probably a sight to behold.Reports state Yasuke’s skin wasas dark as an ox, surprising to theJapanese. He towered over thosearound him, even the Italians, as hewas rumored to stand between 6’3” to6’5”.There are conflicting reports as tohow old Yasuke was when he arrived.Some say he was just a boy of 16 or17. Others sources claim he was 26 or27.In fact, he created such a sensationthat the news of this dark-skinnedforeigner reached the ears of evenNobunaga himself, who requestedYasuke’s presence to his castle. WhenYasuke appeared before Nobunaga,the warlord forced him to strip andscrubbed him vigorously as Nobunagabelieved his black skin was paintedon.Yasuke intrigued Nobunaga themore he spoke with him. The talesof this fantastical land he came fromwere surely appealing to the warlord.He supposedly was very intelligentand understood the basics of theJapanese language so Nobunagarequested the missionaries leaveYasuke with him for a time.Though Yasuke was Nobunaga’s“servant,” or vassal, it was a stepup from before when Yasuke wasseen merely seen as property anda beast of burden. Yasuke had aset of standards he probably neverencountered before. He ate not onlyat a table with the other Japanesebut often ate with Nobunaga andhis family and received money fromNobunaga and his brothers, eitherOda Nobukane or Oda Nagamasu.Nobunaga was also impressed withYasuke’s great strength.Yasuke was not just a novelty item forNobunaga. He allowed Yasuke to donSamurai armor and weapons duringseveral instances of battle. This istruly impressive as traditionallyonly those born into samurai familiescould become samurai, let alonewield their weapons and wear theiruniforms, regardless if they werewarriors elsewhere.Though he was now considered afree man by most standards, he didnot own any land of his own. He wasessentially a samurai in name only.After Nobunaga allowed Yasuke tolive with him for more than a year,Akechi Mitsuhide, one of Nobunaga’smost trusted generals, betrayedNobunaga at Honno-ji and forcedhim to commit Seppeku, or ritualisticsuicide.When Yasuke received the news ofNobunaga’s death, he immediatelywithdrew to Nijo Castle, the homeof Nobunaga’s heir, Oda Nobutada.Sometime later, an attack byMitsuhide’s forces followed as well.Yasuke fought alongside Nobutada’swarriors and only surrendered hissword when the last of Nobutada’swarriors did likewise.When asked what to do with theformer slave, Mitsuhide dismissedhim as an afterthought, sayingYasuke, and those of the same hueas him, were animals and as hewas not a true samurai, not worthkilling. With that, Yasuke was takenback to Kyoto to the Jesuits. This is,regrettably, the end of Yasuke’s tale.No one knows what became of Yasukeafter he returned to the missionaries.He faded into obscurity, his true storylost to time. He may have earned hiscomplete freedom and traveled backto his homeland. He may have stayedin Japan, or he may have returnedwith the Jesuits. It is uncertain atthis point. But this is the story ofYasuke, the first “Afro-samurai .”Lance Cpl. J. Gage KarwickBarbara and Abe Roman, Sweat With Your Sweetheart participants, punch a punching bag during thekickboxing portion of the Sweat With Your Sweetheart workout at the IronWorks Gym here, Feb. 13, 2013.During the workout, couples participated in three separate aerobic workouts meant for fun as well as a goodcardio.Lance Cpl. J. Gage KarwickElle and Nick Watson, Sweat With Your Sweetheart participants, pass a weighted ball back and forthduring the Sweat With Your Sweetheart workout at the IronWorks Gym here Feb. 13, 2013. Couples werechallenged to venture away from the norms of dinner and a movie for an early Valentine’s Day sweating itout during couple's exercises.Lance Cpl. J. Gage KarwickChris Thomas and Kathy Vargas, Sweat With Your Sweetheart participants, stretch during the yoga portionof the Sweat With Your Sweetheart workout at the IronWorks Gym here, Feb. 13, 2013. Aerobics instructorsfound that holding the event a day early from Valentine’s day attracted more participants.Sweethearts who sweat together stay togetherLance Cpl. J. Gage KarwickIwakuni Approach Staffillustration by paul r. bondocAn artist's illustration of Yasuke, an African slave who traveled with Italian Jesuit missionarieswhen they arrived in Japan in 1579. Legend has it Yasuke caused such a commotion upon hisarrival people came in droves and clamored over one another to see him. He was rumored tohave stood between 6'3" and 6'5" tall, towering over the Japanese and even many of theItalians. Tales also stated he was either 26 or 27 years old, and stronger than 10 men. Aftertraveling with the missionaries for a time, Oda Nobunaga, the famous Japanese warlord,asked the missionaries that Yasuke be left with him for a time as he was intrigued about theAfrican's homeland. Legend has it he was made a samurai in title only but was also said tohave traveled with Nobunaga in full regalia and armaments.Station residents celebratedValentine’s Day early in theIronWorksGymaerobicsroom here as station residentsworked up a sweat with theirspecial someone in the SweatWith Your Sweetheart workoutFeb.13, 2013.The workout combined threedifferent cardio aerobic classesdesigned for partners to worktogether.“I thought it was great,” saidBarbara Roman, Sweat-WithYour-Sweetheart participant.“This year, we had a lot moreparticipation than we normallyhave. I think all the coupleshad a really great time.”The event was not meant tojust be a workout, but also afun bond -building exercise.“We shared a lot of laughsand that was the whole idea tocome and celebrate Valentine’sDay in the heart-healthy wayinstead of your typical dinnerout or chocolates,” said Roman.“This is a healthy way to beginValentine’s Day and connectwith your partner.”Though the event is annual,many of the instructors havenever taught this particularclass before.“I am the normal kickboxingcourse instructor,” said SayakaTakabayashi, Sweat-With-YourSweetheart aerobic kickboxinginstructor. “It’s a very goodevent and compared to last yearwe had a much better turnout.I think it is because we did itthe day before Valentine's Day.Having it a day before allowscouples to sweat togetherduring a workout, then dosomething sweet on Valentine’sDay itself.”With so many differentexercises and workouts, it wasdifficult for the participants topick out their favorite portion.“I think my favorite part waswatching my husband try tobe flexible. It was all fun, butmy personal favorite was thekickboxing,” said Roman.Sweat With Your Sweetheartis an annual event hostedaboard station and alwaysoccurs in close proximity toValentine's Day.Couples perform Yogaposes during the yogaportion of the SweatWith-Your-Sweetheartworkout at the IronWorksGym here Feb. 13, 2013.During the workout,couples participated inthree separate aerobicworkouts meant for funas well as a good cardio.Lance Cpl. J. Gage Karwick

The Iwakuni Approach, February 22, 2013page 6&7FEATUREVMFA(AW)-224 aviation ordnance, backbone for F/A-18D missionLance Cpl. Todd F. MichalekCOMBAT CAMERAMANNAKHONRATCHASIMA,Kingdom of Thailand —Aviationordnance MarineswithMarineAll-WeatherFighter Attack Squadron 224(VMFA(AW)-224) work aroundthe clock to ensure jets areready to fulfill their mission forExercise Cobra Gold 2013 atWing One Royal Thai Air ForceBase, Nakhon Ratchasima,Kingdom of Thailand, Feb. 18."Our work revolves solelyaround the flight schedule,"said Cpl. Andrew Welliver, anaviation ordnance technicianand quality assurance safetyobserver with VMFA (AW)- 224.OrdnanceMarinesworkgrueling shifts because theirjob revolves around the flightschedule. These long shiftsthough, make ordnance Marinesone of the closest-knit groups inthe Marine Corps' air wing."If you compare the workloadwe have with any other shopin the air wing, we have doublethe work because not only dowe have to complete our normalworkload, we have to configureeverything for the flight schedulethe next day," said Welliver. "It'sone of the reasons ordnancesticks together and have thecamaraderie we do, becausethe flight schedule has so manymoving parts, we work throughit together and try to make eachother better."The purpose of VMFA (AW)224's involvement in CG 13 isfor the F/A-18D pilots to dropordnancewhileconductingbilateral training with RTAFpilots. Assuring the pilots areable to complete this missionrests on the backs of theordnance technicians. Theirjob, however, entails more thanjust loading ordnance onto theaircraft."We also check the weaponssystems in the jets, repair andreplace gear on the jets that helpdrop the ordnance as well," saidLance Cpl. Jonathan Lynch, anaviation ordnance technicianwith VMFA (AW)- 224.Loading ordnance onto aircraftrequires a lot of know-how asthe F/A-18D can support manytypes of ordnance."The F/A-18D is a versatileweapon, which is good, but itcan make the job intimidatingsometimes because there's a lotof ordnance we can load on it,"said Lynch. "We also take a lot ofpride in our job because we canput anything on the jet, and wecan deliver."Getting a solid grasp on the jobisn't easy and can take a newMarine some time to get usedto. The hardest part of the jobis understanding the seeminglyendless nuances there areto making the aircraft andordnance work in unison."If you have a guy who isfresh out of the schoolhouse youliterally have to guide him stepby step," said Welliver. "You takefor granted what you know whenyou've been doing the job for awhile. You can teach a new guyeverything they need to know,but without the application ofthat knowledge, it doesn't meana whole lot."The mistakes of a new Marinecan set a shop back, sometimesfor hours, causing unexpectedproblems loading and qualitychecking the ordnance. Whilemistakescausesetbacks,they are expected with newMarines and give everyone theopportunity to learn somethingthat will get them out of a jam inthe future."I actually love days like thatbecause it means we're all goingto learn something, and learningin our job is essential," saidWelliver. "Knowledge gainedcan be the difference betweenspending two hours versus thirtyminutes working on something."Because ordnance is veryhands-on, the chance to sharpenone's craft and learn somethingnew is always available."Ordnance is one of those jobswhere you never stop learning,"said Welliver. "Even if you arethe best ordnanceman, you'llstill be able to learn something."The ongoing learning processis something ordnance Marinestake a lot of pride in. To be wellrounded in their profession andto help those who are learningimprove is also very important.In doing these things, Marinesare fulfilling CG 13's primaryobjective of strengthening ourmilitary-to-military cooperationwith Thailand. But what thismeans the most to these Marinesis knowing they've done their jobas well as it could be done."It's very rewarding when yousee the jet going out with all theordnance you put on yourself,"said Lynch. "When the jet comesback and the pilot says, 'Thatmissile you loaded hit targetperfectly, good job', I really takea lot of pride in that."CPl. Vanessa JimenezAn F/A-18D Hornet takes off at Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Kingdom of Thailand, Feb. 8 during Exercise Cobra Gold 2013. CG13, in its 32nd iteration, is a multinational exercise that promotes regional prosperity, security and cooperation amongpartner militaries. Thailand and the U.S. are committed to working together in areas of common interest for the betterment of regional security. The F/A-18D is with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine AircraftWing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.Lance Cpl. Todd F. MichalekCpl. Issac Lindner, left, removes a captive air training missile from an F/A-18D during exercise Cobra Gold 2013 at Wing One Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima, Kingdom of Thailand, Feb. 17. CG 13is the largest multinational exercise in the Asia Pacific. The Marines are with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.Lance Cpl. Todd F. MichalekBefore sunrise, aviation ordnance Marines load a Guided Bomb Unit 12 onto an F/A-18D to be used later that day as a part of bilateral training with Wing One Royal Thai Air Force pilots during exercise Cobra Gold 2013 at Wing One Royal Thai AirForce Base, Nakhon Ratchasima, Kingdom of Thailand, Feb. 17. CG 13 is a multilateral exercise and develops multinational solutions to common challenges. The Marines are with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, Marine AircraftGroup 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

page 8The Iwakuni Approach, February 22, 2013Corps NewsNewsHighlighting Marines andSailors around the globe1st MAW brings smiles to Thai Children's HomeLance Cpl. Todd F. MichalekCOMBAT CAMERAMANNAKHON RATCHASIMA, Kingdom ofThailand — U.S. Marines and sailors visitedthe Thailand Children's Home in NakhonRatchasima, Kingdom of Thailand, during acommunity-relations event Feb. 9 prior to thestart of exercise Cobra Gold 2013.The community-relations event was plannedby U.S. Marine Capt. John Helm, CG 13 LiveFly Cell officer in charge with 1st MarineAircraft Wing, III Marine ExpeditionaryForce, in coordination with Thai personnelfrom Wing One Royal Thai Air Force inNakhon Ratchasima."I've been to the children's home in the past,and I felt that the children needed some help,"said Helm. "My wife and I decided earlierthis year that we wanted to do a communityrelations project here."1st MAW and Wing One supported the projectand provided what was necessary to make theproject happen."We talked to the representatives of the LiveFly Cell and were able to get them to pitchin some money," said Helm. "We receiveddonations and were able to purchase clothes,toys and lunch."Before the project, Helm, his wife and othersfrom the Live Fly Cell purchased more thanenough food to feed the nearly 25 childrenthey would visit. They also brought clothes,school supplies and toys.When the U.S. Marines arrived, they werewelcomed by Julaporn Eurwisawakul, directorof the Thailand Children's Home."I would like to thank the participants ofCobra Gold very much," said Eurwisawakul."They visit and give to us often, and they helpmake the children happy."After spending time with the children duringlunch, the Marines distributed the donatedgoods to the children. Among the other itemswere soccer balls, basketballs, Frisbees,towels, diapers and hygiene supplies.The donations help Eurwisawakul carry outher mission of serving the kids and gave thechildren a chance to make some new friends."The children are always excited whenAmericans come," said Eurwisawakul. "Theyare excited when they bring food, toys and getto play with them."Eurwisawakul has been director of thechildren’s home for more than 30 years, andwhile donations are greatly appreciated, shehas done excellent work on her own."I take care of children until they are finishedwith high school," said Eurwisawakul. "Whenthey complete high school, I raise money forthem to go to a four-year university. In return,they come back and help me raise the childrenwho are in grade school and high school."Giving these children a good upbringing is amajor point of pride for Eurwisawakul, butsomething else that gives her a great source ofsatisfaction is that she provides the childrenwith a wholesome upbringing."Every Sunday, I take the children to church,"said Eurwisawakul. "My husband is apreacher, and he teaches them the Bible."While the purpose of CG 13 is to promoteregional prosperity, security and cooperationamong partner militaries, providing for thebasic human needs of the local populationis just as essential in forming theserelationships. Community-relations projectsand humanitarian and civic assistanceprojects support the needs and humanitarianinterests of our friends and partners.Thailand and the U.S. have enjoyed 180years of strong relations. The two nations arecommitted to working together, which makescommunity relations projects essential togrowing and strengthening that partnership."This is my last year at 1st MAW," said Helm."I hope in the future that my predecessorscome back to the Thailand Children's Hometo provide toys, clothes or build something toadd to these children's quality of life."CommunityThe Iwakuni Approach, February 22, 2013Page 9Community Briefs CLASSIFIEDSBriefsSubstance Abuse PreventionIf you or anyone you know isstruggling with substance abuseor for more information onservices provided, please contactthe Substance Abuse CounselingCenter at, 253-4526 or visitBuilding 411 Room 219.CREDO OkinawaCREDO Okinawa is scheduled tobe in the Iwakuni area hosting aMarriage Enrichment Retreat atthe Kure Hankyu Hotel March7-9, 2013. Sign up begins Feb.1. There is room slated for 15couples; eight E-5 and below,seven E-8 and above. For moreinformation, contact Petty OfficerSecond Class Raymond Suiter at253-3371 or raymond.j.suiter@usmc.mil.Off-limit

The Osprey is with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force and the Hornet is with Marine Fighter Attack