iii marine expeditionary force and marine corps bases japan OCTOBER 3, 2008 WWW.OKINAWA.USMC.MIL NEW LIBERTY ORDER SIGNED III MEF CG consolidates initiatives into single liberty campaign order MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER — Lieuten- order is an end to the midnight curfew for all Marines ant Gen. Richard C. Zilmer, commanding general of and sailors, which has been in effect since early April. III MEF and MCBJ, signed a new Liberty Campaign However, the midnight curfew still applies to red lib- Order Sept 29. erty card holders who must observe a midnight to 5 The order effectively combines all orders and direc- a.m. curfew and are required to have a liberty-buddy tives relating to leave, liberty during off-base liberty. Gold liberty card holders now FROM THE and special liberty. The order have no curfew. III MEF provides simple guidance The new order also prohibits all military members COMMANDER and expectations of military from patronizing bars or clubs off-base as well as con- members assigned to MCBJ suming alcohol off base after 2 a.m. Service members and III MEF within Japan may be in eating establishments after 2 a.m., but the while in an off-duty status. purchase of alcoholic beverages is prohibited. “This order includes measures designed to prevent The new 70-page Liberty Campaign Order is the misconduct and promote responsible and mature be- result of a series of actions taken by Marine Corps havior,” said Zilmer. “I expect the highest degree of leadership to improve the conduct of service mem- responsibility, maturity and self-discipline from Ma- bers during off-base liberty on Okinawa. Many of rines and sailors, family members and civilians here in these measures are the result of a series of off-base Japan. We are all ambassadors and must serve as good liberty incidents earlier this year that garnered sig- neighbors to our Japanese and Okinawan hosts.” nificant negative reaction from U.S. and Japanese Lt. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer The most significant change as a result of the new SEE CAMPAIGN PG 3 New humidity control CEASE, FIRE shelter on Hansen preserves equipment Lance Cpl. Joseph A. Cabrera OKINAWA MARINE STAFF CAMP HANSEN — The 12th Marine Regi- ment recently unveiled two new shelters designed to combat rust and corrosion on equipment by reducing indoor humidity. The Controlled Humidity Protection shel- ters, the first of their kind on Okinawa, are comprised of the shelter, the air dehydration equipment and the control system. The computer controlled automatic system is completely hands-off and monitored by phone where the inside and outside tempera- tures along with humidity are recorded and posted on the Logis-Tech Incorporated Web site for customers to view, said Bill Martin, a program manager with Logis-Tech, Inc. One of the two units will be used to store M777 Lightweight Howitzers for the 12th Two firefighters with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting and Marines and the other will store howitzers their safety advisor battle burning jet fuel Sept. 25 during a training exercise on Marine Corps Air SEE PROTECT PG 4 Station Futenma. SEE STORY ON PAGES 6-7. Photo by Lance Cpl. Thomas W. Provost CFC 2008 LONG WAR CASUALTIES DOWN HarMonious friendsHip The 2008 Combined New study finds mortality rate among Long War III Marine Expeditionary Force, DE I Federal Campaign casualties lower than most 20th-century wars due Japan Ground Self Defense Force bands began Wednesday to improved care techniques play combined concert at Okinawa Civic hall INS PG. 4 PG. 9 PG. 10 2 okinawa marine | OPINION & EDITORIAL | october 3, 2008 IS CONVENIENCE WORTH DESTRUCTION? ‘Lieutenant Recycle’ says curb your habit, eliminate excessive use of plastic bags 1st Lt. Patrick Boyce trillions of these bags would be even China have begun to tax or bags, and these can be recycled a problem, until you consider require payment for the use of or returned at the place where n both my personal and pro- the vortex-like cesspool of trash, plastic bags, dropping their use you received them, or you can fessional military life I have mostly composed of plastic bag in some locales by as much as find other uses for them, such as Ialways considered myself a fragments, which is twice the 90 percent, again according to trash-container liners. fairly laid-back guy, however size of Texas and floating in http://www.salon.com. Similar One might think it unim- there is one issue in particular the middle of the Pacific. This changes may soon be coming portant to raise such a stink I take as seriously as a heart at- occurs because of the bags’ to a store near you, as the cities over what appears to be a few tack, and it never fails to make tendency to escape the confines of San Francisco and Oakland, measly bags, but the degree of me click off safe when I see oth- of landfills and become airborne Calif., have eliminated plastic fossil fuel waste, the danger to ers demonstrate the lack thereof. (remember that stupid blowing bags from supermarkets. Seattle wildlife and overall environ- I speak of being environmen- bag in “American Beauty”?), and Los Angeles are scheduled ment degradation is no laughing tally conscious, although this often ending up as sea litter. to follow suit within the next matter. The consequences may pet crusade of mine has mostly On account of this, plastic bags couple of years. be dire, but the solution is a been to the amusement of others are annually responsible for the Until these initial bans be- relatively simple one. Although (hence my earned “Lt. Recycle” deaths of a million sea birds and come far-reaching laws, there is they have become so ingrained nickname). Individuals either an estimated half-million sea much both you and I can do to in the operations of our daily joke about my concern, imag- mammals and sea turtles that wean ourselves off plastic bags. lives, divorcing ourselves from ining my ‘retribution’ should make the fatal mistake of eating The solution is simple: don’t the overuse of plastic bags is a they not show proper the very thing you used to bring use them. When you purchase relatively painless process if one OPINION deference to my green home the milk last week. an item at a commercial outlet, takes a moment to think and demands. Otherwise, they com- reflect on the impact of their pletely disregard my suggestion, actions. finding it nearly impossible to ...you’d hardly think trillions of these [light and Okay, Lt. Recycle has said fight the effects of gravity, get wispy] bags would be a problem, until you consider his piece and it’s time for him up off their butt and walk the “ the vortex-like cesspool of trash...twice the size of ” to step off the soap-box, but to five feet to properly dispose of Texas and floating in the middle of the Pacific. paraphrase my previously men- applicable waste in the recy- tioned speech, go out there and cling bin. — 1st Lt. Patrick Boyce (a.k.a. Lt. Recycle) recycle and reuse! While I momentarily have Author’s note: certain facts this environmental soapbox, I’ll A common misperception inform the cashier you do not in this article came from http:// concentrate fires on one evil I in recent decades is the envi- require a bag if you can eas- www.salon.com, http://www.envi- see diabolically infesting our ronmentally savvy consumer ily carry the items. Now, most ronmental-activism.suite101.com society, wrapping itself around should chose plastic over paper supermarkets offer reusable and http://www.oberlin.edu/re- every facet of our day-to-day at the supermarket to save trees canvas bags for retail — many of cycle/facts.html. lives like the tentacles of an ab- from a pulp saw. The problem them for less than a dollar. Boyce is a media officer with horrent octopus — plastic bags. with this myth is (with proper Often though you can’t help the Marine Corps Base Quantico The seemingly harmless management) trees are a renew- but accumulate some plastic public affairs office. plastic bag, an omnipresent able resource, while plastic bags hallmark of our disposable con- are not. Similarly to paper bags, sumer culture, is in fact a dev- plastic bags are in fact recy- astating environmental blight, clable, but only one percent of which, strange as it sounds, de- them are recycled. Some retail FACT CHECK grades the overall quality of life stores will actually take your GREEN UNDERSHIRT WEAR for every living being on Earth. plastic bags back once you’ve Think about how many used them, however these plas- plastic bags you go through in a tic bags are often recycled into day. Whether it’s picking up the other plastic products that can- groceries, a prescription, a book not be recycled, so it’s best not or just about any consumer item to use them at all. you can think of, chances are if I guess we might be less you’re buying it, it’s going in a careless about chucking plastic While participating in physical training and plastic bag, and I’ll bet dollars to bags in the trash if we realized Q: wearing green-on-green PT clothing, am I donuts once you’ve lugged what- our yearly waste of them is the allowed to wear my green undershirt untucked? ever you acquired back home equivalent of dumping out 12 you never use the bag again. million barrels of oil, accord- According to the Web site ing to the Web site http://www.