Military bags fall from U.S. copter at
Okinawa; no injuries, damage reported
By David Allen, Okinawa
bureau chief
GINOWAN, Okinawa — Marines on Okinawa are investigating an incident in which two
military bags fell from a U.S. helicopter Wednesday and landed near an Okinawan home near
Futenma Marine Corps Air Base.
The bags were a military duffel bag weighing about 29 pounds and another bag weighing
about 22 pounds, said Capt. Cliff Gilmore, a Marine public relations officer. The bags
contained personal clothing and equipment, including uniforms, gas masks and bulletproof
vests.
Maj. Gen. James E. Cartwright, commander of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, ordered the
investigation.
"Although nobody was injured and no damage was caused by the incident, Maj. Gen.
Cartwright finds the occurrence entirely unacceptable," Gilmore said.
"We are all very fortunate that these bags landed safely without harming anyone or
anything," Cartwright said in a news release. "But this will undoubtedly
increase the anxiety of local residents. I want the cause to be thoroughly investigated so
that it can be prevented from happening in the future.
"Members of the Okinawan community deserve to feel confident that the Marines here
conduct their mission safely and professionally," he said.
The bags fell at 7:25 a.m. from a Marine CH-53E helicopter assigned to HMM-265 of the
31st Marine Expeditionary Unit as the aircraft was preparing to land at the base. It
contained baggage from Marines returning from a deployment. The aircrew immediately
notified the base and Marine Corps Base Japan officials of the incident.
Ginowan police recovered the bags and their contents about 10 feet from the home of
Sadako Tamaki, 68, in a yard between her house and a cemetery about 110 yards from the air
station.
Tamaki said she was sweeping outside of her home the morning of the accident. Shortly
after going inside, she heard the helicopter and a loud thud.
When she went back outside, she discovered the bags in the area she was just cleaning.
She said she’s heard the military repeat the phrase, "never again," when
referring to accidents. But, she said, "preventing accidents is more important than
apologizing afterward."
Col. Thomas L. Conant, commanding officer of Marine Air Group-36, visited Ginowan City
Mayor Higa and residents in the area where the bags landed to offer his regrets, Gilmore
said.
The Ginowan City Council’s Special Committee on U.S. Military Affairs was
preparing a protest resolution concerning the incident Thursday. Seiichi Oyakawa, a
spokesman for Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine, filed a complaint with Marine officials late
Wednesday.
"It is extremely regrettable that this event (occurred), adding to the misgivings
of the people of Okinawa," he said.
Because the air station is in the middle of a densely developed urban area, the United
States and Japan agreed in 1996 to close the base and relocate Marine air units to a more
remote site.
In 1999, Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine approved the selection of a site for a new air
station in the Henoko District of Nago, in northeast Okinawa, but the plans have been
hampered by disputes over the construction method and Okinawa’s demand the
military’s use of the airport be limited to 15 years.
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