Japanese high school students visit Torii Station

Photo and story by Keiko McPherson, Torii Station Public Affairs

10th Support Group deputy commander Lt. Col. Mark McDermott answers questions from Wako High School students at Torii Station’s Coral Cove Club Oct. 15. More than two dozen students and staff from the school travelled to from Tokyo to Okinawa for their annual field trip to Torii Station. Also pictured in Wako High School vice principal Naotoshi Matsuyama and U.S. Army Garrison Japan community relations specialist Chikako Nohara.

TORII STATION, Okinawa - Torii Station rolled out the red carpet for more than two dozen students and staff members of Wako High School in Tokyo Oct. 15.

The annual visit is part of social studies education for the high school students and also serves to inform the students of the important role that the U.S. military plays in the region.

“I thought it was a wonderful event for the students – the younger generation of the Japanese – to have a chance to see what the United States Army is doing to assist the Japanese with the defense of their nation,” said Lt. Col. Mark McDermott, 10th Support Group deputy commander. “Hopefully, it gives them a different perspective and appreciation, and they recognize we are guests in their nation.”

The students and members of the Army community also shared a lunch during the visit to Torii Station.

“I enjoyed it very much,” McDermott said. “It was a good experience for me to interact with them as I hope it was for them to interact with me and to put a face on two different nations because it’s the people that matter.

Wako High School students study the many roles that the U.S. Forces in Japan play and the various contributions they make to the safety and the security of the region, said Wako vice principal Naotoshi Matsuyama.

“The students are very happy to be provided with this wonderful opportunity,” Matsuyama said.

During the briefing, the students were able to ask a multitude of questions about the various missions and roles that the U.S. Army Japan plays both on Okinawa and throughout the rest of Japan.

“As an Army officer and an Army Soldier, my particular focus is to help support the defense needs of the U.S. Army and the nation of Japan,” explained McDermott in response to a question about the role of USARJ. “Our focus is to help protect Japan from foreign adversaries and to work in cooperation with the Japan Self Defense Forces.”

The students also visited Camp Zama in June of this year and enjoyed that visit as well, he said.

After the brief, the students were provided with a windshield tour of the Torii Station facility by Chikako Nohara of the U.S. Army Garrison Japan’s Community Relations Office.