{"id":208624,"date":"2024-06-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=208624"},"modified":"2024-06-24T19:13:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T19:13:52","slug":"usag-japan-leaders-offer-taste-of-home-to-japanese-partners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=208624","title":{"rendered":"USAG Japan leaders offer taste of home to Japanese partners"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Col. Marcus Hunter, left, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, shakes hands with a member of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024. Hunter and Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, garrison senior enlisted leader, shared details and food items from their respective home states of Virginia and Indiana as part of the cultural exchange.
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\n Lt. Col. Damon Saxton, right, the U.S. Army Garrison Japan chaplain, and members of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa enjoy a buffet of food items from Virginia and Indiana during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024.
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\n Members of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa listen to a presentation during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024. Col. Marcus Hunter, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, and Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, garrison senior enlisted leader, shared details and food items from their respective home states as part of the cultural exchange.
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan \u2013 U.S. Army Garrison Japan leadership shared where they grew up with a cultural exchange group Thursday as part of a \u201cState Day\u201d event at the Camp Zama Community Club.<\/p>\n

Several members from the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa heard presentations from Col. Marcus Hunter, garrison commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, garrison senior enlisted leader, about their respective home states of Virginia and Indiana.<\/p>\n

Hunter welcomed the visitors to the community club for the event, which included a special dinner, after they toured the installation and had briefings on the U.S. Army Japan and garrison missions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so much looking forward to this wonderful food, but most importantly, to be able to share in our wonderful friendship,\u201d he told the group.<\/p>\n

The buffet dinner had various dishes and fixings from both states, including Virginia country ham, southern Indiana barbecue pork shoulder, Brunswick stew and sugar cream pie.<\/p>\n

Before the food was served, Rio introduced some history and highlights of Indiana to the Japanese audience.<\/p>\n

The sergeant major said the state is not only known for its abundant fields of corn, but also for its rich history in basketball and car racing.<\/p>\n

He showed photos of famous basketball players raised in Indiana like Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson, and boasted about his alma mater, Indiana University, having five national championships in men\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n

He also had a photo of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and explained its nickname is the \u201cBrickyard\u201d since the track was originally paved with bricks in 1909.<\/p>\n

Rio then touched on the mysterious nickname of \u201cHoosier,\u201d which Indiana residents are often called.<\/p>\n

He ran through some theories, including one that posits that Hoosier was originally a regional dialect word for hill people, and another that hill people would yell \u201cwho\u2019s yere?\u201d to see if their neighbors over a hill were at their home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is nobody really knows what a Hoosier is,\u201d he said, jokingly. \u201cPick which one you like the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rio also mentioned the area in southern Indiana, where he and his wife are from, is well known for its limestone quarries.<\/p>\n

The quarries produced high-quality rocks that built many iconic buildings, such as the Pentagon, the Lincoln Memorial, the Empire State Building, and the National Cathedral.<\/p>\n

And the deep pits that the mining of the rocks left behind have become favorite swimming holes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of great rocks,\u201d Rio said. \u201cFor people who don\u2019t find basketball, racing or limestone exciting, you can even jump into the limestone quarries once they\u2019re full of water. It\u2019s very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, right, senior enlisted leader of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, provides a presentation on Indiana to members of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024. Rio and Col. Marcus Hunter, commander of USAG Japan, shared details and food items from their respective home states as part of the cultural exchange.
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\n Col. Marcus Hunter, left, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, provides a presentation on Virginia to members of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024. Hunter and Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, garrison senior enlisted leader, shared details and food items from their respective home states as part of the cultural exchange.
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\n Yasuhiro Kojima, president of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa, provides remarks during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024. Col. Marcus Hunter, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, and Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, garrison senior enlisted leader, shared details and food items from their respective home states as part of the cultural exchange.
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\n U.S. Army Garrison Japan personnel and members of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa enjoy a buffet of food items from Virginia and Indiana during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024.
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In his presentation, Hunter spoke of the friendly rivalry that his home state of Virginia has with Maryland.<\/p>\n

While his state\u2019s official slogan is \u201cVirginia is for lovers,\u201d he teased that the one for its northern neighbor is \u201cMaryland is for crabs,\u201d referring to crabby people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a healthy competition between Maryland and Virginia, just like two siblings that fight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The colonel then noted that Virginia is home to many historical sites. One of them is Jamestown, which became America\u2019s first permanent English settlement in 1607, and which he learned about and visited as a youth.<\/p>\n

He said he returned to the site as an adult with his family and also to Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg, the nation\u2019s largest outdoor educational living museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll throughout your life you have to go back and make pilgrimages to these sites,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter said two of America\u2019s most significant wars also concluded in Virginia.<\/p>\n

While the Revolutionary War started in New England, the final battle was won in Yorktown in 1781.<\/p>\n

\u201c[This] was amazing because the British had the largest naval fleet at the time, but it was the French and American forces that were able to [set up] a blockade at the mouth of the Chesapeake near Norfolk and successfully lay siege to Yorktown and the British,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now today, Norfolk is the largest military port area in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, in 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House, signaling the end of the American Civil War.<\/p>\n

Hunter also revealed the state was recently named the most patriotic state in a survey by Wallethub, a personal finance website.<\/p>\n

The website analyzed data from each state, including its veteran and active-duty military populations and civic engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s that part of the [state\u2019s] culture that led me to be drawn to military service,\u201d Hunter said.<\/p>\n

Following the presentations, the society members and some garrison personnel enjoyed the state-themed feast.<\/p>\n

Yasuhiro Kojima, president of the society, which was established in 1978, said the event was one of the best he has ever experienced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been with this organization for about 44 years,\u201d he said, \u201cand I really feel that today was the most meaningful day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yoko Kizaki, also a longtime member, said she has attended many State Day events and finds them entertaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very appreciative for them supporting us,\u201d she said of the U.S. Army community at Camp Zama.<\/p>\n

Kizaki said she enjoys learning about American culture and sometimes joins other members at the community club to interact with Americans and show off her country line dancing skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmericans are open-minded, and they are very kind to us and friendly,\u201d she said. \u201cWe feel very loved. They accept us and always welcome us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rio said the society provides the Camp Zama community an enduring link to the off-post community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re continuing that relationship,\u201d he said of Thursday\u2019s event, \u201cand really, it\u2019s an exchange of culture and an exchange of ideas, but most importantly, an exchange of friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter closed the event by sharing a similar sentiment. He said it provided everyone an opportunity to understand the differences and similarities between both countries.<\/p>\n

While growing up in Virginia, for instance, Hunter said he and his family would visit Washington, D.C., to view the cherry blossom trees. He later learned that those trees were gifted by Japan, and the U.S. gave dogwood trees to Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so, in that spirit, I truly \u2026 thank you all for being able to share in our gifts, to exchange as such and to draw closer together as friends, as nations and as people,\u201d he said. \u201cThank you so much for being with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Army Garrison Japan news<\/a><\/p>\n

USAG Japan official website<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Col. Marcus Hunter, left, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, shakes hands with a member of the Japan-America Society of Central Kanagawa during a \u201cState Day\u201d event at Camp Zama, Japan, June 20, 2024. Hunter and Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, garrison senior enlisted leader, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208626,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=208624"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208634,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208624\/revisions\/208634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/208626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=208624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=208624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=208624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}