Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Wright (Jennifer H. Svan / Stars and Stripes)
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — On his first official visit to this northern Japan base since assuming command of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force in February, Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Wright said he’ll continue to focus on his top three priorities: caring for military members and their families, improving joint and bilateral combat readiness and enhancing local relations.
Those will be the focus of the first installation commander’s conference under Wright, set for June 1 at Yokota Air Base. It’s to include participation from Air Force, Navy, Marine and Army base commanders and their senior enlisted leaders.
On Wednesday at Misawa, Wright said an issue he expects to hear discussed is standardizing the civilian dress code, which on U.S. military bases in Japan varies by command or installation.
“That’s an issue more and more people in the U.S. Forces Japan community are talking about,” he said. At the conference, Wright said, leaders will review “all the inputs from our chain of command and we’ll address then … the standardization where it makes sense. It’s premature to predict what the answers will be … but I guarantee it will be addressed.
“ … It’s very, very important that every … military member here in Japan and family member recognizes and understands how important their standards of conduct, including their standards of dress, are to the United States of America and the U.S.-Japan relationship.”
Wright also urged airmen to be thrifty as the military tightens its belt to pay for the ongoing war on terrorism.
“If each of our members is just committed to saving a few dollars, that can add a significant savings without having adverse impact on our military readiness,” he said. “At the same time, we’ll have less travel, for example.”
Wright praised Misawa Air Base, where he commanded the 35th Fighter Wing in the late 1990s, for setting the standard as it forged strong ties with the Misawa community.
His wife, Kerri, who joined Wright during his Misawa official visit, said she was amazed by the brand new Misawa International Center, which opened in 2004 in the city.
“I don’t think you’ll ever see a mayor … who treats the military so special,” she said of longtime Misawa City Mayor Shigeyoshi Suzuki. On base, Kerri Wright said she was particularly impressed with the CrossPoint youth chapel program.
Wright, meanwhile, called Grissom Dining Facility the best of its kind in the military and said the Weasel’s Den and Outdoor Recreation offered numerous opportunities for young military members interested in adventure sports and nontraditional activities, such as climbing, kayaking and snowshoeing.
“This is an assignment to really enjoy the outdoors,” he said.
Wright also made a point to visit with airmen in the “back shops” — those that “don’t often get a lot of visibility” — such as fabrication, paint and fuels maintenance.
“We can’t fly airplanes without those shops,” he said. “Of the airmen he met, he said, “Their dedication was inspiring.”
“The thrust for me is to understand the challenges of the mission of the 35th Fighter Wing, as well as the associate units, so I’m a … better advocate for effective accomplishment of the mission,” he said.
