Items

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  2020-07-20

  Camp Hansen COVID-19 Restrictions

  This screenshot provides a more specific look into what facilities and services were closed or modified as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak at Camp Hansen, Okinawa. Note to the right where one comment from a member of the 12th Marines tells his fellow "devil dogs" not to worry about the barbershop closures, since his CO shaved his head without any need of such a service.
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  2020-07-11

  HPCON C Guidance at Camp Hansen, Okinawa

  These orders, captured in this screenshot from Marine Corps Base Camp Hansen's Facebook page, stipulate what personnel can and cannot do as the III Marine Expeditionary Force battled a COVID-19 outbreak on this and other bases on Okinawa in early July 2020. A testament to COVID's sneaky transmission, not even secure military facilities could seal themselves off from the virus, prompting them to close down even tighter as their European counterparts did in the early months of the pandemic. Note: "HP Con C" stands for "Health Protection Condition Charlie," which means that there is substantial community transmission of a pathogen in the area.
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  2020-07-15

  Camp Hansen COVID Update From the Camp Commander

  This screenshot of a letter distributed to all Marine Corps and Navy personnel and their families aboard Camp Hansen in Okinawa details the service's priorities in the weeks ahead, as Marine Corps bases across the island do battle against a potentially deadly pathogen. Those priorities include preserving the Force, protecting the Marine Corps-Okinawa relationship, and "generate combat power" to deal with the COVID threat that struck Camp Hansen in July of 2020.
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  2020-07-15

  Limited Reopenings on Okinawa

  Following an outbreak on US Marine Corps facilities on Okinawa, the branch closed down most on-base community services in order to slow the virus's spread. On July 15, some installations cautiously re-opened a select few, although not all bases restored services immediately. Some services resumed with minimal staffing in place, while others only applied to unit training, while others offered a virtual alternative. However, this partial restoration was short-lived, when MCCS shut down the fitness centers the following day.
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  2020-07-21

  Outbreak on Okinawa

  In July 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak struck the US Marine Corps bases at Camp Hansen and MCAS Futenma on the island of Okinawa. This screenshot shows one of the countermeasures the Marine Corps Community Services took to halt the spread, which not only applied to Hansen and Futenma, but all USMC facilities on Okinawa. Due to the ease of transmission in crowded gyms, all fitness centers and gyms shut down, thus depriving the fitness-minded Marines of a key component to maintaining their physical readiness.
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  2020-06-08

  Training New Marines in a New Reality

  This screenshot from the United States Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot Parris Island Facebook offers a look into some of the adjustments the military has made in order to stem the spread of COVID-19 within its ranks. In a telling sign of the pandemic-era, these new recruits all wear protective masks in order to prevent possibly-infected water droplets from escaping into the air and triggering an outbreak within the barracks, an omnipresent threat, especially in boot camp.