Local residents tour Kadena's historical sites

Published July 28, 2010
By Airman 1st Class Lottie Rasmussen
18th Wing Public Affairs

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Nearly 100 Okinawan citizens visited Kadena Air Base recently as part of the 17th Annual Okinawa City Battle Sites Tour.

Thanks to support from various Kadena base agencies as well as sponsorship from the Okinawa City Office, local residents got the chance to see sites signifying peace.

"I have always wanted to come to Kadena Air Base to see the land after the Battle of Okinawa," said Okinawa City resident Ms. Fumiko Shimabukuro through a translator. "I was born before the war broke out, but I don't remember much since I was too little. But I can tell you life has become much better after the war."

The tour group learned about the Peace Garden, the former aircraft hangars of the Imperial Japanese Army, and an old hospital cave.

"I did not know that there were so many structures left in such good condition because I thought most of them were destroyed," Ms. Shimaburuko remarked. "I was also amazed that they have been preserved very well. It's wonderful."

Local residents will have another opportunity next year, to attend the tour and see both the sights, and sites, on Kadena.