A BEACON OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy Sailors help illuminate Okinawa’s Peace Memorial Park

ByCandiceBarber

Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa

ITOMAN, Japan In a poignant display ofunityandremembrance,over30U.S.Navy Sailors teamed up with local volunteers to arrangethousandsofcandlesattheOkinawa Peace Memorial Park on the eve of Okinawa Memorial Day. This symbolic act commemorates the hundreds of thousands of Japanese and American lives lost in the Battle of Okinawa,recognizedasthedeadliestbattlein thePacificWar.PeaceMemorialParkisbuilt onMabuniHill,thelocationoftheendofthe battle and the current site of memorial walls namingthemorethan200,000deadfromall involvednations.

Now in its twelfth year, the “Light the Lights for Peace” initiative, led by the non-profit organization Bankoku ShinryoNo-Kai,aimstofilltheparkwiththeglowof candlelight Atitscore,theorganizationaims to share an international appeal for peace, emphasizing the importance of sharing this critical message with the world’s younger generations Each year, in line with this mission, the U.S. Navy is extended an exclusiveinvitationtoparticipate,reflectingapartnershipofmanyyears.

U.S. Navy Sailors from Fleet Activities

Okinawa, U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, PatrolSquadronSixteen,TacticalOperations Center NavalMobileConstructionBattalion, and Commander Navy Region Japan White Beach Fire and Emergency Services volunteeredinthetypicalOkinawansummerheat and humidity. American servicemembers, alongside Japanese college students, also exchanged language and culture. In a key moment,AmericanandJapanesevolunteers worked together to spell out peace in Japanese (pronouncedhei-wa),inameters-long candledisplay.

“It’s a profound honor for the U.S. Navy to be invited from year to year,” said Capt. PatrickDziekan,Commander,FleetActivities

Okinawa(CFAO).“ThedeeprespecttheNavy has for Okinawa is reflected here today. It’s remarkabletoseeournationscometogether and work towards the common goal of sharingpeace.”

For many of the participating Sailors, the event held significant personal meaning CFAO Staff Judge Advocate Lt Terence Grado shared, “Volunteering today to honor those who fought and died in the Battle of Okinawa put my own military service in perspective. It helped me better connect with Okinawa and its people, and served as asomberreminderontheseverityofwar.”

AccordingtoDziekan,“Thiscollaboration signifies more than a single act of remembrance; it embodies the joint commitment to fostering peace throughout the Indo-Pacific. Each candle in the Peace Memorial Park stands as a testament that unity and understanding are the cornerstones of lastingpeace.

Q: Whattypesoffamily housingareavailable?

A: There are three types of housing available to families:

Public/PrivateVenture(PPV)

Housing is also referred to as privatized housing in the Navy

The Navy partnered with different private management companies to provide housing to Service Members. These companies are responsible forthe construction, renovation,maintenance and day-to-day management ofthe housing PPVhousing may be located on oroffgovernment property and in most cases will be formermilitary housing GovernmentOwned (also known as Military Housing orNavy Managed Housing is what was formerly called on-base housing While only available in limited quantities CONUS,Government Owned Housing is still widely available OCONUS.

CommunityHousing is any housing that a Service Member may choose that is not PPVor government operated This is housing outside ofthe base that is privately owned and operated

NAVY HOUSING Norfolk: 757.445.2832 JEBLCFS: 757.462.2792

Oceana/DamNeck: 757.433.3268

Yorktown: 757.847.7806

Mid-Atlantic Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC) programs and services are designed to help you make the most of your military experience, and they’re all available to you at no cost.

FUNCTIONSAND/OR SERVICESFFSCPROVIDES:

ClinicalCounseling – Individual, Couplesand ChildCounseling

Personal Financial Management

Information & Referral

Family EmploymentAssistance

TransitionAssistance

FamilyAdvocacy Program

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Parenting Programs

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ITOMAN, Japan (June 22 2023)

U.S.Navy Sailors from Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa (CFAO) and tenant commands set up candles fora candle lighting at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Japan,June 22 2023.

ITOMAN, Japan (June 22 2023) Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Cidney Johnson and NavyCareer Councilor1st ClassTihtina Habtemariam, both assigned to U.S.Naval Hospital Okinawa lights candles at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Japan,June 22,2023.

LeoTancreti,a construction engineertechnician in the Facilities Engineering andAcquisition Division (FEAD) Project Management and Engineering (PM&E) Branch at Public Works Department,Rota,Spain,poses foran environmental photoJune 6,2023 Tancreti is thewinnerofthe 2022 Hard HatAwards - Construction EngineeringTechnician category which recognizes construction field office technical staff including construction engineers,construction managers,and construction-engineering technicians,who make day-to-day construction management decisions and exercise technical authorityon construction projects.(U.S.NAVYPHOTOBY NAVFACEURACENTPUBLICAFFAIRS.)

Nikolaos Kokonas,a construction engineerin the Facilities Engineering andAcquisition Division (FEAD) Project Management and Engineering (PM&E) Branch at Public Works Department,Souda Bay,Greece,poses foran environmental photoJune 7,2023 Kokonas