Subscribe
Marines and Sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit participated in a Marine Corps Community Services-sponsored battle sites tour around Okinawa, Japan, July, 13, 2018. When they took their first steps on top of Hacksaw Ridge they were taken back to 1945, standing in the footprints of those before them.
It’s important for Marines to know their history and connect with past generations, according to Chris Majewski, lead tour guide with MCCS.
“This is our history,” said Majewski, a former Marine who has lived in Okinawa since 1993. “You can sit with your nose in a book all day, but to actually be there brings it to life. To know where you’re going you have to know where you’ve been. This is our background. This is our heritage.”
Throughout the day the Marines and Sailors visited the Battle of Okinawa Historical Display at Camp Kinser, the Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters and the Peace Memorial Park. After visiting each historical landmark the Marines and Sailors learned more about the battle, according to Majewski.
“Seeing the cost, the sacrifice and what is was all about, it gave them a different view of Okinawa,” said Majewski.
For most participants, the tour was a first. After talking and learning about the Corps’ history in Okinawa, they were able to fully submerge themselves in history and see where it all took place, according to Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Wood Casella.
“It was an amazing experience overall,” said Wood Casella. “We saw what they saw, we got to see pieces of our history in front of our eyes. We got to reach out and touch the battlefields they were on all those years ago.”
Wood Casella said by the end of the day everyone walked away with something new, a new connection to the generations that came before them.
“Being there was an experience all on its own,” said Wood Casella. “We hear their stories and we stand where they stood. I’ve never felt more connected to history before.”
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.19.2018 21:25 |
| Story ID: | 285033 |
| Location: | CAMP HANSENF, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 31st MEU Marines, Sailors build understanding of Okinawa Battle history, by SSgt Bernadette Wildes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT