Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 I V II Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States III Department of Pacific Areas VI Commander Barry Hirshbein IV VII Volume VII – Number 4 A non-profit publication 20 January 2012 The Around the Pacific newsletter showcases local activities throughout the VFW Department of Pacific Areas through articles, photos, etc. The Department Editor may provide articles on the various programs and activities. District I Okinawa - Japan Post 9723 Veterans Day Ceremony Veterans Day ceremony held on Kadena Air Base at the 18th Wing Headquarters the flag pole. Department of Pacific Areas Page 1 Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 Air Force and Navy personnel participating in ceremony ***************************************************************************************** VFW Buddy Poppy Activities on Okinawa Post 9723 Buddy Poppy Drive at the BX and Commissary were assisted by the Air Force Jr. ROTC as part of one of their school programs on our Poppy Drive Commander Stewart leading the Buddy Poppy Drive Smiling volunteers working with VFW Post 9723 on the Buddy Poppy Drive Department of Pacific Areas Page 2 Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 CDR Stewart and Dennis Provencher present a $499.00 check to the Presentation of a Buddy Poppy Certificate for their AFJROTC at Kadena High School to assist with their programs. MSGT support and assistance in helping with our Shepard USAF Retired Instructor, a Life Member of Post 9723, Veterans Days Buddy Poppy drive at Kadena Air Base. Quartermaster Dennis Provencher, ROTC Commander Major Hoksch, USAF Retired, and Commander Stewart Comrades Bowers and Provencher doing a Buddy Poppy Drive at the Camp Foster Commissary on the 14th of Jan. 2012. Post QM Dennis Provencher at the Buddy Poppy Drive Commander Stan Stewart with Comrades Quartermaster Dennis Provencher and Comrade Al Pearson holding a Buddy Poppy Drive at the Foster Commissary on the 15th of Jan 2012. Department of Pacific Areas Page 3 Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 Post 9723 New Clark Cemetery Life Member Cambodia School Support Program Commander Stewart presenting Comrade Al Pearson his Clark Cemetery Grave Diggers new life membership. ************************************************* Post 9723 New VFW Life Member Commander Stewart donating school supplies and books to Debbie Talleri, wife of Major General Talleri, for Cambodia schools. Quartermaster Dennis Provencher giving school supplies Commander Stewart pinning a new life member to Debbie Talleri for Cambodia schools. of Post 9723 with the VFW Cross Of Malta Department of Pacific Areas Page 4 Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 District II Mainland Japan REMEMBERANCE DAY CEREMONY AT BRITISH COMMONWEALTH WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY Photos by Nathan Payne, Crew Advisor, Crew 22 and Joe Mortimer, VFW Post 9612 VFW Comrades from Camp Zama and Yokosuka and members of the Boy Scouts of America (left) and Comrade Mortimer with members of Venturing Crew 22 at the entrance to the British Commonwealth War Memorial Cemetery. HODOGAYA, YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – Department Adjutant Dick ceremony, there was food and refreshments. It is a very beautiful Keeley, Department Surgeon Joe Mortimer, Department Historian John cemetery. Johnson, Post JVC Steven Triggs, Post Quartermaster Casey Roberts, and Post Trustee Scott Newhart of VFW Post 9612 joined with Comrades of VFW Post 9612 and members of Venturing Crew 22 NAF Comrades of District 2 Mainland Japan during the Remembrance Day Atsugi, Japan District, Far East Council, Boy Scouts of America, paid Ceremony at the Hodogaya British Commonwealth War Memorial their respects at the cemetery and also visited the Yokohama Cemetery, Hodogaya, Yokohama, Japan in November 2011. After the Cremation Memorial. Department Surgeon Joe Mortimer (also Crew Committee Member) along with Crew Advisor Nathan Payne, Crew President Sibei He, Crew Secretary Darianne and Venturer Brennan Astorga and other members of the Boy Scouts of America took part. A final section can be found above and behind the India-Pakistan section. It contains some of the newest graves in the cemetery. The Yokohama War Cemetery is a little known cemetery located in Veterans from several commonwealth countries who died during the Yokohama City, Japan. Prior to becoming a cemetery, the land was occupation of Japan or during the Korean War are buried here. part of the Yokohama Children's Amusement Park. But following Japan's surrender in 1945, the 38th Australian War Graves Unit began In the Yokohama Memorial Building there is an urn containing the to bury servicemen and women here. It eventually became the only remains of 335 Prisoners of War of which there are 49 American Commonwealth War Cemetery in Japan. As such, the remains of names and 10 unknown Americans who died during their captivity. service men and women were moved from temporary burial spots around Japan and brought to Yokohama. The Yokohama War Cemetery now houses 1,555 graves and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The cemetery grave markers and grounds are kept in a neat and pristine condition. It reflects the honor which is paid to those who sacrificed their lives for their countries. Although a major highway runs next to the Yokohama War Cemetery, it is a remarkably quiet and tranquil location. Trees abound and birds can easily be seen and heard. The cemetery is laid out in several large sections and is broken down, for the most part, by country. The largest section is closest to the cemetery entrance and contains hundreds of graves of people from the United Kingdom. A second section located to the north contains Australian graves. Past the Australian section are the graves of New Zealand and Canadian veterans. Two Americans, Rowland and Harding, are also buried in the section because he was serving with the Canadian Army. Comrade Mortimer and members of Venturing Crew 22 visiting the Up the hill from the United Kingdom section is an area dedicated to Yokohama Cremation Memorial Indians and Pakistani troops and merchant marines who died in the service of the Commonwealth. Department of Pacific Areas Page 5 Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 Joe Mortimer of VFW Post 9612 trains Venturers of Crew 22 how to properly render honors when planting the national flag at a gravesite in the Canadian Burial Plot for the two Americans. Joe Mortimer of VFW Post 9612 and Venturers of Crew 22 during the ceremony (left) and Frank Hunter of VFW Post 1054 playing the bagpipes (right). Department of Pacific Areas Page 6 Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 FALL PATROL-O-REE TAMA HILLS NOVEMBER 2011 Photos by Joe Mortimer, VFW Post 9612 Patrol-o-ree Color Guard Detail (left to right) Joe Mortimer, Brennan Astorga, and Sibei He of BSA FEC JD Crew 22 and and Saito Yoji Scouting Association of Japan. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCOUTING ASSOCIATION JAPAN (SAJ) MOCHI POUNDING EVENT IN YOKOHAMA JANUARY 2012 Photos by Yuko Palmer, Pack 22, and Joe Mortimer, VFW Post 9612 Members of Pack 22 and Crew 22 with SAJ Troop 83. MIDORI WARD, YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - One of the traditional New members of SAJ Troop 83 Yokohama for a traditional Mochi Pounding Year's activities in Japan is making and eating mochi. Most people in event. the city no longer make mochi themselves, however do not tell that to the members of Scouting Association Japan (SAJ) Troop 83 in The event started with introductions of the senior staff of SAJ and BSA. Yokohama. Comrade Department Surgeon Joe Mortimer and also Then SAJ recognized new members of SAJ and their parents. There now Chartered Organization Representative of VFW Post 9612 for was kite making and other traditional Japanese games for all Scouts to Pack 22, Troop 22 and Crew 22 NAF Atsugi got together with enjoy. Department of Pacific Areas Page 7 Volume VII – Number 4 AROUND THE PACIFIC 20 January 2012 Arrival and opening ceremony. Introductions of BSA Adult Leaders Crew President Sibei He and Chartered Organization Representative Joe Mortimer of VFW Post 9612. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice (not to be confused with gluten) pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time. They use a special kind of mochi rice and steam it in a wood fired steamer until it's soft. After the rice is ready it's transferred to a large stone bowl for pounding. At this point it's just rice, so you can't really pound it. The first step is to mush it up using a giant wooden hammer. Then you can pound it slowly until it turns into a paste, taking care not to hit it too hard and spray rice everywhere. Pounding mochi is a two-person operation. One person pounds the mochi with a giant wooden hammer and the other one wets and repositions the mochi between each stroke. Obviously this requires some careful timing and lots of semi-meaningful grunts are employed for communication. Both jobs are fairly difficult to get right. Without the exact right amount of water, the mochi gets too wet or too dry to pound correctly, and, needless to say, without the right timing things could get rather ugly rather quickly. Since the head of the hammer is very long (approximately a foot and a half) it's very easy to twist the head of the hammer, producing a weak hit. The technique used is somewhat different from what you might expect from using a sledgehammer or similar sized smashing tool.