Frank Andrews

Frank Andrews is a reporter at Camp Foster, Okinawa. He’s an alumnus of the Defense Information School and University of Maryland University College. His previous Navy assignments have taken him to Iraq, Bahrain, Diego Garcia, Japan, South Korea and Naval Special Warfare Command in California.

@FrankAndrrws

andrews.lynn@stripes.com

Lifeguards keep an eye on people visiting Araha Beach in Chatan, Okinawa, Thursday, May 19, 2022.

Marines aim to stem tide of drowning deaths with ocean-safety expos in Okinawa, Hawaii

Drowning claims more U.S. service members’ lives on Okinawa than any other cause of accidental death, and the Marine Corps aims to beat it.

A Marine was pronounced dead at 6:14 a.m. Saturday at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa on Camp Foster, according to Okinawa City Police Station interpreter Takaho Kinjo.

Marine dies after apparent single-vehicle crash outside Camp Foster, Okinawa

Fence damage from a fatal weekend collision is seen outside Camp Foster, Okinawa, Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

Police question Okinawa-based Marine about crash that killed Japanese pedestrian

Wreckage waits to be cleared in a tsunami-ravaged area of Sendai, Japan, in March 2011.

US Marines observe drill to prep for earthquake and tsunami evacuations in Japan

The summit of Mount Katsuu offers a superb 360-degree view of Okinawa’s emerald-blue sea and lush, green hills.

Okinawa’s Mount Katsuu could be the most challenging climb on the island

The path is a rugged, sometimes hand-over-hand uphill trek through an enchanting and encapsulating forest.

Cars park illegally beside closed meters in Okinawa City, Okinawa, Tuesday, April 26, 2022.

Police study curbs parking meters and spaces on Okinawa for one year

Parking meters are disappearing on Okinawa, at least temporarily, along with the parking spaces associated with them, according to the prefectural police.

Petty Officer 1st Class Erin Stroup, a master-at-arms assigned to White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa who volunteers for the USO at Camp Foster, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, March 31, 2022.

Career sailor on Okinawa gets presidential award for hundreds of USO volunteer hours

Petty Officer 1st Class Erin Stroup, 40, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for volunteering 170 hours at the Camp Foster USO in the previous year; she earned the same award last year for volunteering 120 hours.

The Mexican restaurant at Pipeline Coffee in Okinawa, Japan, combines Mexican food with a trace of Japanese cuisine.

Pipeline Coffee: A Mexican restaurant with a Japanese twist on Okinawa

Pipeline Coffee is a curious name for a restaurant that has an unusual take on Mexican cuisine.

Debbie Mills cheers on the Kubasaki High School football team at Camp Foster, Okinawa, in the early 1980s.

Long-lost cheerleading megaphone from DOD school reconnects woman with her Okinawa past

A Kubasaki cheerleader’s megaphone took a long and winding path back to its original owner.

Vodka for sale at an Army and Air Force Exchange Service shoppette on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Thursday, March 3, 2022.

US military retailers say nyet to Russian vodka in wake of Ukraine invasion

The Defense Department’s largest retailers have removed Russian vodka from their shelves due to the backlash associated with Moscow’s bloody campaign against neighboring Ukraine.

An unidentified man, barefoot and muddy in a black and white track suit, attempted to climb a steel fence within the grounds of Camp Foster, Okinawa, Wednesday, March 2, 2022.

Police arrest barefoot man caught scaling fence inside Marine Corps base on Okinawa

A man was arrested on suspicion of trespassing onto a Marine Corps base on Okinawa.

Army veterinarians care for military pets and working dogs, but they are also food safety experts capable of extending the life of food products on commissary shelves. A veterinary food inspector at Camp Foster, Okinawa, recently extended the shelf life of yogurt by one week.

That’s good yogurt: Army veterinarians can inspect and keep expired food on commissary shelves

Enlisted personnel are generally split between animal care and food safety, but officers in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps are trained and licensed to do both and often take on supervisory roles at their installations.

William C. Bechtel Elementary School on Okinawa is in store for a nearly $95 million makeover, according to Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific.

Bechtel Elementary on Okinawa next up for multimillion dollar ‘21st Century’ makeover

A major makeover for William C. Bechtel Elementary School on Okinawa will bring it into the 21st century, according to the Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Garrett Bodie poses in Yomitan village, Okinawa, Feb. 11, 2022. Bodie helped a Japanese farmer escape a burning vehicle late last month.

Okinawa-based airman helps Japanese vegetable farmer escape burning truck

Staff Sgt. Garrett Bodie, 32, and Ashley Bodie were walking to a neighborhood store in Yomitan village at about 11:30 a.m. Jan. 22 when a Japanese mini-truck drove past trailing smoke and flames.

A policeman watches over Chatan High School in Chatan town, Okinawa, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Schools and city offices were closed for the day because of a bomb threat.

Bomb threat shutters Okinawa schools and city offices near US Marine bases

Chatan, which includes parts of Camps Foster and Lester, temporarily shuttered city offices and local schools.

As of Jan. 12, 2022, nearly 8,200 sailors remained unvaccinated, according to the most recent update to the Navy’s COVID-19 online tracker.

Navy accelerates the discharge process for sailors who refuse a coronavirus vaccine

Sailors eligible to exit active duty by June 1 and who refuse the vaccine will be discharged honorably under an expedited process, barring special circumstances.

Children return an empty shopping cart outside the commissary at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022.

Global supply chain slowdown means empty shelves at US military commissaries

Air Force spouse Valerie Jackson shopped the commissary on Wednesday at this Marine Corps installation because the shelves are much emptier at nearby Kadena Air Base.

Taco Maria near Camp Foster, Okinawa, offers more than 20 entrees ranging from street tacos, quesadillas, Mexican rice bowls, nachos and desserts.

Small taco stand brings big authentic SoCal flavors to Okinawa

With SoCal a distant 6,439 miles away, Taco Maria cuts travel time to just a four-minute drive from Camp Foster’s Gate 5.

A basic military training graduation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, July 15, 2021.

Labor, material shortages trim delivery of uniform apparel to newest Air Force members

Shortages of fabric and labor mean the newest members of the Air Force and Space Force will leave boot camp next year with fewer uniform items.

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Frank Andrews

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