Blogs

By Staff Sgt. Alesia D. Goosic, courtesy of 18th Wing Public Affairs

More than 130 projects are under construction this year to improve quality of life and meet aging infrastructure needs.

            Kadena Air Base officials hope the projects, worth approximately $921 million, will make the base a better place to live, work and play.

By Jennifer Harwood

Peeling the month of August page off the calendar means it’s time for some long awaited events. With September come school days and the coveted Labor Day weekend. For many of Okinawa’s Jewish residents, it’s already time for a new year and a clean slate.

            The small lay-led Jewish congregation at the Camp Foster chapel is ready to welcome members, old and new, to the High Holiday services set to begin on Sept. 8 to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Along with ringing in the Jewish New Year, the group will observe a time of reflection during this millenniums-old tradition.

By Melissa Petrini

When most people think of quilting, they might picture their grandmothers or something that super crafty people do in their spare time. However, over the past several years, quilting among service members and their spouses has taken on a new meaning.

            In fact, several people making these Okinawan memory quilts have never sewn before, but seek to preserve the memories they made while in Okinawa.

By 18th Wing Public Affairs, photos courtesy of Senior Airman Amanda Grabiec

The society and customs of Okinawa, like those of its Asian neighbors, have survived thousands of years, including more recent years of industrialization and modernization. In the Chibana district of Okinawa, traditional pottery making is alive and well. 

            Although the island has changed over the years from an agrarian and trading culture to a modern business and tourism frontier, Okinawans still maintain many ancestral traditions.

By Christine A. Brown, photos courtesy of Murasaki

If you’re a diehard culture vulture hungry for a concentrated dose of rock’n’roll, Japan’s musical sensation, Murasaki, may be your tonic of choice. Laced with machine-gun percussion, glamorized guitar solos and bold vocal calisthenics, Murasaki is a Diamond in the Roth when it comes to live performances.

            A leading light of a ruthlessly cutthroat industry, Murasaki birthed the first rock’n’roll movement in Japan. And when the idol band recently took to the stage at Coconut Moon’s 20th Anniversary Party in Onna Village, it still knew how to rock the house.

By 18th Wing Public Affairs

Airmen from Kadena Air Base recently returned from performing exercise Commando Sling in Singapore. F-15s and Airmen from the 67th Fighter Squadron, 67th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and other maintenance group units spent a month flying alongside their Singapore counterparts.

            In addition to generating and flying sorties, the Airmen had a chance to give back to the community that hosted them through volunteer community service projects.