In 1981, Lt. Col. Kris E. Roberts, then head of maintenance at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, discovered dozens of barrels of hazardous waste ¡ª some believed to contain Agent Orange ¡ª buried on the installation, a story first reported in 2012 in The Japan Times () In 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs ruled he had been exposed to hazardous chemicals and awarded him compensation () The U.S. government continues to deny Vietnam War-era defoliants were ever stored on Okinawa.
Becoming a U.S. Marine Corps officer is a privilege that very few have the honor of earning. However, with that privilege comes awesome responsibilities.
Being a Marine Corps officer is far more than successfully accomplishing the mission ¡ª even more important is the welfare of the people you are responsible for. They are your family ¡ª and for me, this includes the Okinawan workers with whom I worked at MCAS Futenma more than 35 years ago.
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