Photo By Taylor Ardito | NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan (June 2, 2026) - Capt. Tim Osborne (left), commanding...... read more read more
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NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan (June 10, 2026) – Last week, Capt. Tim Osborne, commanding officer of Fleet Air Western Pacific, delivered Letters of Appreciation to personnel stationed onboard Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi that assisted in an off duty medical emergency that occurred last month on Iwo To.
“I specifically want to recognize Inspector Mitsui,” Osborne told the formation of Commander, Navy Region Japan (CNRJ) Fire & Emergency Services firemen when he visited the NAF Atsugi fire department on June 2, 2026. “When he heard the call, he knew someone needed help. He immediately grabbed an automated external defibrillator (AED) and ran to the location.”
Hajime Mitsui is a fire inspector stationed onboard NAF Atsugi that was supporting aircraft training during the Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLPs) that were taking place on Iwo To. In the late hours of the night on May 7, 2026, after a long day of training, Mitsui was off duty and cleaning up after dinner when he heard the call of an emergency on his radio.
“I am a firefighter, I need to do my job,” Mitsui told NAF Atsugi Public Affairs staff in an interview when asked why he responded to the radio call when not on a duty status.
Mitsui arrived to the scene with an AED and saw U.S. Sailors providing aid to an unconscious Sailor. The Sailor, who was experiencing heart failure, is assigned to Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment (AIMD), Iwakuni, and was on temporary duty orders in Iwo To to support the FCLPs.
Mitsui and the Sailors on scene switched out giving chest compressions and shocks with the AED until Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) medical personnel arrived. The higher trained Japanese medical personnel gave instructions to the U.S. Sailors. Being the only bilingual person on scene, Mitsui volunteered to be a translator.
“It was difficult to translate while focusing on giving chest compressions but there was no one else to do it. I had to do both [chest compressions and translating] at the same time.”
The chest compressions and AED shocks ended when the unconscious sailor regained a pulse. The newly formed team of U.S. and Japanese sailors then worked together to move the Sailor to the small clinic nearby. Being on a small island far out in the Pacific Ocean, the decision to medically evacuate the patient to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni was quickly made.
Japan Self-Defense Force sailors and airmen worked quickly to get a Japanese P-1 aircraft ready while the team of first responders moved the patient to the flightline.
Osborne expressed his awe of the seamless coordination to JMSDF Vice Adm. Koji Kaneshima, Commander, Fleet Air Force, during a Letter of Appreciation ceremony on June 1, 2026, at the JMSDF Fleet Air Forces Headquarters. “Without missing a beat… in the middle of the night, Japan’s Air Patrol Squadron 1 and Flight Squadron 21 personnel, along side our Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 medical team, loaded the patient and launched into the dark, flying nearly three hours to MCAS Iwakuni.”
The quick response from dozens of people that were involved resulted in a rapid evacuation that saved the Sailor’s life.
In a statement provided following the ceremony, Kaneshima emphasized the cooperation between Japanese and American personnel that enabled a life-saving evacuation.
“The rapid and seamless coordination demonstrated during the emergency medical response on Iwo Jima [Iwo To] is a testament to the exceptionally high level of cooperation that exists between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the United States Navy in operations, logistics, and personal exchanges. I firmly believe that we must continue to promote and further strengthen the enduring partnership and close cooperation between Japan and the United States.”
The sailor that experienced a sudden and critical emergency was transported to MCAS Iwakuni and is currently in recovery and on limited duty status.
Osborne, proud of his sailors and the Japanese personnel involved, felt the strong need to deliver the Letters of Appreciation personally.
“The actions taken that night were the direct result of decades of shared training, shared values, and mutual respect between the U.S. Navy, the JMSDF, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). I want to say thank you, [for] your rapid response, your clinical expertise, and your unwavering willingness to help save the life of an American Sailor. You have our deepest gratitude, and you have our enduring respect.”
NAF Atsugi supports the combat readiness of Commander, Fleet Air Western Pacific, Commander, Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW) 5, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 51 and 23 other tenant commands, and provides logistic support, coordination, and services to units assigned to the Western Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2026 19:46 |
| Story ID: | 567294 |
| Location: | KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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