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2016 September 7 - 13 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Ex-US servicemen: we’ll inform fellow Americans about Okinawans’ anti-base movement

The six-member delegation of Veterans for Peace (VFP), a U.S. veterans’ anti-war organization, on September 8 held a news conference at the Okinawa Prefectural government office building. They expressed their determination to increase American people’s awareness of the anti-base movements in Okinawa.

They are visiting Okianwa to join in local protests against the on-going construction of U.S. Osprey helipads in the Takae district and a new U.S. base in the Henoko district.

Ex-U.S. marine Mike Hanes, 40, talked about his experience during his assignment to the Iraq War. He said, “I was sent to Iraq to fight against terrorism. We entered local people’s houses to search for terrorists. However, what we found was just families. I realized we were actually terrorizing them.”

He went on to say, “Helipads construction, the Henoko base, and U.S. servicemen’s crimes, all of these are related to the U.S. military presence. That’s why I totally support the anti-base movements in Okinawa.”

Tarak Kauff, a 75-year-old former U.S. Army veteran, in regard to the local resistance in Takae, said, “I want to convey to American people how beautifully, energetically, and powerfully Okinawan people are staging their protests. It is the time for the U.S. forces to go home.”

Another former U.S. Marine Mat Hoh, 43, who once served at U.S. Camp Schwab as a marine officer, said, “Okinawans are not alone in opposing U.S. bases. In other host nations such as Germany, Poland, and South Korea many people have been voicing protests against the U.S. military presence.”

Past related article:
> Ex-US servicemen join anti-US helipad action in Takae [September 1, 2016]