18 Classes in One Day

I woke up at 5am this morning and got in the shower. I got a roommate last night at like 11pm or so last night. He didn’t really say much and if he did I was too tired to understand him. After being sent to breakfast at 5:45am we went to the headquarters for Camp Foster. We were going to have classes all day. In the end we had 18 speakers with an hour for lunch.


That is the ocean near the horizon. The island is 8 miles at its widest.


We waited outside the headquarters until 7. I sat with Lance Corporal Means and continued transfering my notes from one notebook to another. I ended up finishing near the end of the work day.

The first man was Sergeant Major Hunt. In November he will have been in the Corps for 25 years. He was on his third tour of Okinawa which means about 9 and a half years combined. He welcomed us and told us about staying busy. He talked about the Single Marines Program which is basically like an organization that makes trips for Marines and hosts tournaments in anything from pool to video games. He also talked about how we have a 96 (3 day weekend) coming next week. There have been 29 motorcycle deaths, the highest ever in the Corps. It makes me not want to try it out now. Ha. He also talked about how this is a small island, about 67 miles long and 8 miles at its widest point. The roads are especially dangerous because they are made out of coral dust. I guess it’s very slippery when wet. He also explained that, “We are a guest in someone else’s country.” We’re ambassadors. He also mentioned about how Marines can really get the whole base in a lot of trouble like in the case of the few rapes that have happened in the past 10 or so years. Apparently, the Japanese police are very nasty. They can hold you in jail without charging you for 21 days. The cell has concrete walls and floor and they only give you a blanket to sleep on. Also, I think with the drinking age being 20 and not 21 must cause a lot of problems.

After the sgt. maj. We listened to Sgt. Goday, a Marine originally from Los Angeles, CA. He explained that we would be going through a day of “death by PowerPoint”. I came at a good time. We’ve been having a 6 month “period of reflection” which means that all Marines have a “Cinderella” curfew. Sgt. Goday did a class on civilian attire. More or less it came down to wearing ball caps properly and not wearing flip flops. Whatever will I do? Haha. I don’t have either. What really made me laugh was that there are male Marines who wear clip on earrings. (You’re not allowed to have any piercings).
The next speaker was Jerry. He taught a class on the medical services on Okinawa. The emergency number on base is a little different than in the states. It’s 911-1911 for an American ambulance out in town but if you want a Japanese ambulance (why, I don’t know?) it’s 119. Haha. He also told us about a blood drive that would be held after all the classes – they’d even have pizza.

A 48 year old Navy chaplain named Belmet spoke. He was the first Jewish chaplain I’ve seen. He even wore a yarmulke (the skull cap). He was very funny and talked about moral conduct. He told stories like the time he had a speeding ticket and had to take a driving class with Phyllis Diller. He said he worked in Hollywood before he joined the Navy. He told us a scary story about a man who was chewing gum in Singapore which I guess is illegal. He was flogged for it. Ouch. He explained how we could see one of the 50 chaplains on the island and get whatever help we needed. He must be involved with the Boy Scouts because he told us they needed help.

The next person to talk to us was Eddie who was from the Substance Abuse Counseling Center. He was a proud Pananamanian. During his slideshow he showed us a picture of his building, “If you go to this building your ass is already in trouble.” He had spent 27 years in the Marine Corps and got out as a master sergeant. He talked about alcohol and “mega drinks” like Long Island iced teas and Kamikazes which I’m sure only gave the Marines ideas. He also talked about the Japanese police, “Ever heard of Miranda rights? Japanese have never heard of Miranda. They know about Yoshi and Mario but not Miranda.” He also told us stories of some of the drunken service members he’s met. One man asked a Japanese girl to dance and when she said no he started peeing on her. Now he’s a sex offender for life. He did give some good advice though and I hope to remember it. He said, “One drink per hour and 3 drinks per occasion.” He also mentioned that on Okinawa there have been 15 cases of sexual assault to men… from men. Yikes. He talked about how the Marine Corps has the most drinking problems, “They say we were born in Tun Tavern. I don’t know about you but I was born in the Republic of Panama. I had never heard of Pennsylvania.”His final story involved a Marine who beat up a 50 year old Japanese taxi driver for under a $100. He then spent the next 5 years in jail. On the upside, he did learn Japanese.
A female Marine named Sgt. Porter gave us a legal brief. On Okinawa we have the right to be silent, but no rights to stop questioning, and no right to a lawyer during interrogation. I think I’ll just be a good Marine and stay out of trouble! Her best advice was to just be cooperative and truthful. She also mentioned sexual assault adding, “Dating never involves chloroform.”
Our eighth speaker was Staff Sgt. Taylor. He let us know that the brig is not someplace you want to be. On base the blood alcohol count is .05% but outside base it’s .03% which means if you use mouthwash then drive if pulled over you can spend those 20 days in jail. Simply amazing. He explained the liberty card program. I’ll get a red card so I can get off base and if I’m a good Marine I can get a gold card that would allow me to come back after midnight. Also corporals and below must have liberty buddies. There is no switching of buddies and if you lose yours you should immediately go back to base and pray the guy doesn’t get in trouble… meaning you’d get in trouble for not being there to stop him.
The equal opportunities advisor, Gunnery Sergeant Davis talked to us next. There are a total of 37 advisors like her. Today was Women’s Equality Day – the day women got the right to vote. She showed up that with the 70-some of us that are going through the classes we had nearly all 50 states represented even Hawaii and Alaska. She went over the 3 big sexual harassment signs which are unwanted, sexual in nature and create a hostile environment.
We then were released for lunch. I had some chicken fajitas.
We had a class taught by a woman named Yemanja who talked about the counseling and advocacy program. She explained it was alright to seek help. Also talked about the 7 elements for a healthy relationship which are trust, communication, honesty, love, respect, understanding (acceptance) and responsibility (roles).
A class on sexual assault from a Marine female named Major Bradley was more of the same I’ve heard from boot camp but important nonetheless.
Mr. Johnson did a class on safety. Basically told us about wearing protective and reflective gear. Also about the flags that tell us if we can train outside or not. They start off at green with a range of 80-84.9 degrees then to yellow 85-87.9 degrees, to red 88-89.9 degrees and finally to black which goes from 90 degrees on. Also let us know that May through November is typhoon season. Finally we moved onto dangerous animals. I could already imagine Marines poking at unknown Asian animals with sticks. We learned about the banana spider which is about the size of my hand but not poisonous and then the Habu snake that is poisonous. Don’t suck the venom out – it’ll just put you in the hospital too. Finally he reminded us we are on an island that involved a large battle in WWII. There is still unexploded ordinance around and it can kill you. Joy. Makes me want to take a metal detector to the beach!
Keena was the next speaker. She was a self described, “crazy lady”. He told us about the education opportunities on the island and put a lot of ideas in my head. I’d like to get my associates here. She gave us some handouts and I’ll be speaking to her people soon.
The next speaker was our first Japanese speaker, a woman named Atsuko Kinjo. She spoke fairly good English and said “oorah” cute. We learned that the Japanese signal people to “come here” with their palm down. Also they read right to left and up and down. We learned a few kanji symbols and I learned cheeseburger is said the same in Japanese. There are also 9 world heritage world sites on the island. Hopefully, I’ll see them all soon. We also learned there is no tipping and that dollar stores here are 100 Yen Plazas. Also, slurping is polite. Take that mom!!
Shelby Johnson talked next. I don’t know if she was related to the other Johnson. She spoke about the Single Marine program. The dragon boat race sounded like fun. Also the discover scuba class is coming up soon. Hooray!
A long class taught by John “JD” was next. It was about financial management and I’ve come to realize the Marine Corps really wants you to be smart with your money. They made me question if I want to ditch my cell phone or not. I like my number… but is it worth holding it for like $8 a month for 2 years. Also the Marine Corps makes credit card companies cap their interest rates at 6%.
There were two classes left and our final civilian speaker was the “man from Mediatti” Brian. He works for the only cable company on Okinawa. He was in the Corps for 23 years and this man was hilarious to listen to. He was extremely outgoing and funny. I’m sure I’ll be doing business with him soon. You can even pause your account when out on Iraq tours or whatever. Nice.
Our final speaker was a colonel. He started asking who was the gutsiest in the room. He told that Marine to time him and if he went over 15 minutes to stand up and tell him to shut up. Haha. He was on his 3rd tour of Okinawa and at 49 he was quite happy since his family is here. He too talked about the Japanese police (I see a trend) He said, “You’re looking at hard time for simple things.” He added, “Drinking is not a hobby.” Unfortunately, he finished before the Marine could tell him to shut up.
We were released but since it was 1700 the Marines who wanted to donate blood went to the room next door.