33rd, 31st Rescue Squadrons, JASDF rescue Marine pilot Published Sept. 22, 2016 KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa, Japan -- Members of Kadena’s 33rd and 31st Rescue Squadrons worked alongside members of the Japan Air Self Defense Force in rescuing a Marine pilot off the coast of Okinawa, Sep. 22. The pilot was rescued successfully after ejecting safely from his AV-8 Harrier during a routine training mission. The aircraft, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, appears to have crashed in the ocean approximately 100 nautical miles east of Okinawa.