Troops at Okinawa, Japan bases react to restrictions

[unhappycamper]

Troops at Okinawa, Japan bases react to restrictions
Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, February 24, 2008

An incident like the alleged rape of a 14-year-old by a U.S. Marine affects everybody, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jamel Pittman.

“I think something like that disgraces the uniform; we all feel degraded,” the USS Kitty Hawk sailor said.

The incident, and other recent crimes by servicemembers in Japan, has led to restrictions limiting off-base activities of all status of forces personnel on Okinawa and Marine bases in Japan.

“They say ‘one bad apple spoils the bunch,’ but I don’t think that everyone should be punished,” Pittman said. “Restrictions like those are hard to live with — especially if you have a family.”

While Pittman and others at bases in mainland Japan spoke about their thoughts on Friday’s training and the restrictions, Stars and Stripes reporters were not allowed to conduct interviews on Okinawa bases concerning the Day of Reflection. Military officials turned down all requests to conduct man-on-the-street interviews on the bases and to attend the mandatory training held for active-duty personnel and Defense Department civilians.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52755

[CarbonDate]

1. This is hardly "one bad apple".

Repeated incidents of this sort are the reason Okinawa is kicking the Marines out. They're moving to Guam now, where they can rape and pillage without any consequences to the DoD.