Photo By Sgt. Francesca Landis | III Marine Expeditionary Force celebrates Independence Day at Okinawa, Japan, July 4,...... read more read more
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OKINAWA, Japan – Breaking the surface of the crystal clear waters of Okinawa, Cpl. Jamin Powell, a combat graphic specialist with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, takes a deep breath of air before plunging back into the ocean to further explore the coral, fish and underwater reefs.
Powell, Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall, and Cpl. Josue Marquez, along with service members across island received a 96 hour liberty period this weekend as they celebrated the July 4th holiday over 6,000 miles from home.
“My friends and I spent this 96 up north in Nago and explored the different beaches there,” said Powell. “Since restrictions have eased we’ve been going snorkeling almost every weekend all over the island.”
Across Okinawa, service members were able to spend a few days with their families and friends, as they attended celebrations and small get-togethers filled with barbeques and sparklers. Bases across the island hosted events filled with food, drinks, music and fireworks for service members and their families to enjoy a safe and socially distanced way to celebrate.
“Independence Day is important to every service member, it’s a time to reflect on how we earned our freedom,” said Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall, a combat photographer with III Marine Expeditionary Force. “It is especially meaningful when you are away from the U.S. and get to celebrate it with other service members.”
Holidays are viewed in a different light for service members overseas. Most don’t have the luxury of being able to pack up, travel home and celebrate with big family get-togethers.
“4th of July was always one of those holidays where my whole family got together to celebrate, but its different now being overseas,” said Cpl. Josue Marquez, a combat videographer with 3rd Marine Division. “When you can’t celebrate with the usual holiday traditions, you learn to appreciate the Marines who are serving alongside you.”
After a long day of snorkeling, Powell, Hall and Marquez were joined by some of their close friends for a barbeque on the beach.
As the sun started to set, the smell of sizzling meat and the sound of laughter between friends filled the air. Once the sky grew dark the group pulled out and lit sparklers as they reminisced on memories of Independence Days’ past.
“Okinawa is an interesting place to be, because you’re surrounded by other Marines who are also thousands of miles away from home, so you start to build your own family,” said Marquez. “It’s really taught me how to be more appreciative of the people around me and also helped me realize that with the military family, I’m not alone regardless of where I’m stationed.”
| Date Taken: | 07.05.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2020 01:38 |
| Story ID: | 373444 |
| Location: | JP |
| Web Views: | 208 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Sizzling meat and sparkler smoke – Marines celebrate 4th of July, by Sgt Francesca Landis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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