Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Carkeet IV | Children from Holy Family Home dance along service members from U.S. Army Japan, U.S....... read more read more
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OSKA, Japan - Dozens of service members from the U.S. Army and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) temporarily set aside their intense training regimen in preparation for Yama Sakura 69, one of the world’s largest bilateral training exercises, to share the holiday spirit with the children, volunteers and staff members of Holy Family Home Dec. 2, 2015, in Osaka, Japan. Organized by the senior noncommissioned officers of U.S. Army Japan (USARJ) and the JGSDF’s Western Army, the event promoted a closer connection between the Osaka community and its Pacific allies.
A guitarist and French horn player fine tune their instruments as the lead singer plugs her microphone into a speaker nestled next to a Christmas tree. Television news crews lock cameras onto tripods as photographers illuminate the decorative hall with their flashes.
Men and women in green and gray digital camouflage uniforms take off their boots and don slippers as they enter their honored hosts’ home. Excited chatter in English and Japanese pauses momentarily as sounds of laughter and creaking footsteps echo throughout the courtyard. A keyboardist plays the opening notes to “Jingle Bells,” enticing his fellow band members to quickly follow suit. Soldiers and civilians commence a rhythmic clap as scores of children file into the room and sit on a white rug rolled out for their comfort.
Cameras swivel and zoom in on several service members as they make their way to the center of the room to join their young hosts on the floor. Some of the boys and girls clamor onto the Soldiers’ laps and burst into song as the timeless Christmas carol fades into a popular Japanese nursery rhyme.
Good tidings and cheer had descended upon Holy Family Home.
Dozens of service members from the U.S. Army and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) temporarily set aside their intense training regimen in preparation for Yama Sakura 69, one of the world’s largest bilateral training exercises, to share the holiday spirit with the children, volunteers and staff members of Holy Family Home Dec. 2, 2015, in Osaka, Japan. Organized by the senior noncommissioned officers of U.S. Army Japan (USARJ) and the JGSDF’s Western Army, the event promoted a closer connection between the Osaka community and its Pacific allies.
Most Japanese [civilians] seldom interact with the military outside of a [Japan Self-Defense Force] sponsored event such as an airshow or musical performance,” said JGSDF Sgt. Maj. Makoto Yahara, plans and operations sergeant major, JGSDF Middle Army. “We want our local communities to see firsthand how the compassion of the JGSDF and its American allies extends beyond maintaining a strong national defense and responding to natural disasters.”
“For decades the U.S. Army has cultivated a close relationship with the JGSDF,” added U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Samuel W. Metzger, an Aurora, Colorado, native serving as a civil affairs sergeant major, I Corps. “We can strengthen this partnership by establishing a close rapport with the people of Japan. What better way to do that than show our holiday spirit to the children of this amazing country?”
Although Holy Family has only recently received formal visits from JGSDF service members, its history with the U.S. Army dates back to the end of World War II.
“Holy Family Home began when a few [Catholic] sisters and adult volunteers started caring for a group of orphans who had sought shelter in an abandoned barracks in Osaka shortly after the war,” said Sister Suzanne McMahon, daughter of charity of St. Vincent de Paul. “When food became scarce, several sisters approached a group of American Soldiers stationed in Osaka to offer handmade items in exchange for food. When the sisters explained that they were trading goods to help feed orphans on the brink of starvation, the Soldiers’ reaction was nothing short of miraculous.”
According to Peace Bridge, Inc., website, a dozen Soldiers from the 27th Infantry Regiment—better known as the Wolfhounds—visited Holy Family on Christmas Day, 1949. Upon seeing firsthand the home’s appalling conditions bred by years of financial hardship, the men persuaded their brothers-in-arms to donate money, building supplies and construction labor to transform the dilapidated orphanage into a hospitable children’s home.
“At the time most people thought this act of charity would be a one-time blessing,” said McMahon, who has cared for the children of Holy Family Home for more than 43 years. “Thanks to the life-long efforts of Hugh O’Reilly, one of the first Wolfhounds to come to Holy Family’s aid, the 27th Infantry Regiment officially adopted our home. Since then its Soldiers have graciously donated to Holy Family, and many of them visit our home during Christmas to give gifts to the children … A few Wolfhound families also sponsor several children for what’s likely a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hawaii.”
Although members from the 27th Infantry Regiment were not scheduled to return to Holy Family Home until Christmas Eve, the JGSDF, USARJ and I Corps service members carried on the Wolfhound tradition with great energy and enthusiasm.
“The [JGSDF Middle Army Band] put on quite a show,” said Army Staff Sgt. Proctor Brooks, civil affairs noncommissioned officer, USARJ. “They played [Western] Christmas carols and Japanese children’s songs … Their performance got all the kids and most of the adults in the room (myself included) to get up and dance.”
“Kids are the best judges of character,” said Metzger, a father of seven children. “They gravitate to adults who express sincere compassion. I’m not surprised that every Soldier in attendance was holding hands and dancing with at least one child.”
In addition to spreading holiday cheer with upbeat tunes, the service members also organized several team0oriented games that enticed children and adults alike to quickly sit, stand, skip, run and jump.
“The games were very similar to the ones I played in elementary school,” said Brooks, a native of Colorado Springs, Colorado. “They brought back some fond memories from my childhood while showing my battles and me that, regardless of culture, language or nationality, kids just want to have fun.”
The festivities reached its apex when nearly every American and Japanese service fell to one knee and gave every child a small, wrapped gift filled with snacks and candy.
“It’s truly a blessing to see this tradition played out year after year,” said McMahon. “We owe so much to the Soldiers who have kept this close connection for seven decades … I hope the children understand and remember the gentleness shown by these brave men and women uniform.”
As the children shook hands and waved goodbye to their guests, several service members noticed that some of the youngest kids gazed at the large collection of JGSDF and U.S. Army issued boots lined along the wall. A couple attempted to pick up a boot, while one tried to insert his relatively tiny feet into the massive tan and black footwear.
“Maybe it’s a sign that some of these children will one day join the JGSDF,” said Yahara. “If that happens, then we have truly achieved the Ichi Dan [one team] concept.”
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2015 02:09 |
| Story ID: | 185521 |
| Location: | OSAKA, OSAKA, JP |
| Hometown: | AURORA, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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