Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Henry Gundacker | Anna in her office at 10th Support Group Headquarters in 2025, surrounded by reminders...... read more read more
Before she ran protocol for generals, Anna Taka brewed tea for men who never remembered her name. She scrubbed office toilets and watched from the sidelines as others held the clipboards. That was Japan. And that was enough. "I always envied the base employees," she says. "They looked so professional, confident, and capable. I wanted that life." So she quit. No fanfare. No backup plan. She left Canon and took a modest clerk position on Kadena Air Base. "I didn’t know what I was getting myself into," she says. "But I knew I couldn’t stay where I was." What she didn’t know then was that her roots already ran deep in the U.S. military community. Her father had served in the Army. So had her late husband, XO at Naha Port, then the 1315th Medium Port Command. They met in 1995 during meetings with local leaders and the JSDF, where Anna was interpreting. They married in 1997 while she worked in Community Relations.
-A New Language, a New World
Even with her U.S.-accredited education, moving from an all-Japanese office to the U.S. military workplace was disorienting. "The acronyms, the structure, the pace, it was a lot," she says. She remembers walking into her new office and realizing she didn’t even know how to format a memo. "I stayed late just to study templates and quietly observe how others did things." "It felt like stepping into someone else’s language, even though it was English." Still, she adapted quickly, learning to navigate a space where expectations weren’t always clear, and leadership wasn’t always kind.
-The Test: When Work Turns on You
Her first toxic boss made work unbearable. "He harassed me constantly. Even called me at home on sick leave." There was no EEO office. No recourse. "I applied for a job with the Army," she says. "Within a year, I was promoted two grades above where I’d been." She smiles. "Army is and always will be my family."
-The Bridge Between Two Worlds
Around this time, she began writing a column for the Coral Courier called Ask Anna. Soldiers and families sent her questions about Okinawa and Japanese culture, and Anna answered with honesty and care. One reader asked why tombs in Okinawa look like turtle shells. Another wanted to know what the xylophone-like structures along the seawall were. She explained the story of the Shisa lions, why one has its mouth open and the other closed, and helped people understand local festivals like Shee Mee. "It was a joy," she says. "A way to bridge two cultures that often misunderstand each other." Even after the newsletter folded, her words lived on in reprints and memories.
-The Turn: Trust Over Permission
Everything changed the day she briefed COL Tony Williams, (R) United States Army. "I was explaining the status of an event. He stopped me and said, 'Anna, just carry on and show me the results. If you hit a problem, let me know. Otherwise, I trust you." That moment stayed with her. "He gave me the freedom to believe in my own judgment." Williams agrees: "In my 26 years of active service in the United States Army and 13 years as a Department of the Army senior civilian, I’ve had the privilege to work with thousands of talented, dedicated, and trustworthy employees and colleagues," he says. "But none come close to Anna. My only regret is that I didn’t have more time to learn from her, as a professional and as a caring human being."
-Protocol in a Yukata
Her dream job arrived when she was transferred, unannounced, to the Protocol Office. "Just me. A one-person operation," she says. "I loved it." She handled every detail of DV visits, motorcade routes, and diplomatic customs. Then came the beach event. Wearing a yukata, she was ready to translate for visiting JSDF generals when a helicopter flew over the designated LZ and landed near the back gate. "The pilot had old info. I ran, in my yukata, grabbed two drivers and said, 'Don't ask questions. Just drive." She got the generals to the site in time. "No one waited. No one wondered. That’s a win in protocol."
-The Moment That Changed Everything
At the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa, Anna met American veterans who returned to the island.
"They cried," she says. "Told me what they saw, what they did, what they carried." She also spoke with Okinawan elders who remembered being children during the war. "They talked about the suffering, and how American soldiers often helped provide food and shelter." "It changed how I saw both sides of the story."
-Saying Goodbye to a Giant
Of all her career's emotional moments, one stands apart. "Losing my boss was one of the hardest," she says, referring to CSM Barcena. "He was more than a supervisor, he was a mentor, a steady compass in every crisis." "He was fair to everyone. Quick-witted. When he was mad, he’d storm down the hall cussing while we tried not to laugh. He’d catch us smiling and laugh along. That was him. Real, sharp, unforgettable."
-Grace in the Chaos
Summer protocol season means back-to-back events: the Army Ball, Change of Command, and visiting DVs.
"When things get crazy, I sing Jingle Bells," she laughs. "It helps." Outside work, she found release through ballroom dancing and bowling leagues. "Sometimes I surprise people with a 200," she says with a grin. But it’s her family that keeps her grounded. "My grandson, he’s eight, asks if my energy is low. If it is, he hugs me to recharge me."
-The Ones Who Know Her Best
To understand Anna’s impact, just watch how people move when she enters a room.
LTC Shawn C. Ross, her current supervisor, puts it plainly: "Anna is irreplaceable," he says.
"She’s not just good at her job, she’s the cultural backbone of this installation." The legacy she’s built isn’t in binders, it’s in the way people feel when she’s in charge: prepared, understood, and confident. "We’ll manage when she retires," Ross adds. "But we won’t be the same."
-The Legacy
"It was crazy," Anna says. "But I had so much fun. More laughter than tears."
Her goals now? "Retire. Travel. Spend money on my grandkids." But she’s not done. "I want to keep teaching protocol. I’m certified by the Protocol School of Washington and the Japan Manners & Protocol Association." She smiles. "These days, people don’t write in to Ask Anna. But they still ask me." And she still answers with the same clarity, heart, and grace. Even now, she answers in heels instead of a yukata. Her colleagues say she leaves behind more than event plans and checklists. She leaves behind a standard. "She made us better," one coworker reflected. "Not just at our jobs, but at how we treat people. That’s a legacy you don’t replace."
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2025 03:08 |
| Story ID: | 502089 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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