Marines, Okinawans support aging local sugarcane farmers

Kaori Tanahara

During their tour of duty on Okinawa, Marines often seek unique opportunities that they can only experience here. While helping the local community, Marines from Camp Hansen recently participated in such an experience.

On a cold and rainy March morning, seven Marines from Camp Hansen Camp Services and more than 20 Okinawan residents and staff from Reimeinosato, a home for the mentally-disabled in
Uruma City, worked together in two sugarcane fields belonging to elderly farmers who are no longer capable of doing the work themselves. The team gathered and placed bundles of approximately four-foot long sugarcane stalks into small piles, preparing them for collection and processing by a nearby sugar refinery.

For more than 15 years, Marine volunteers from Camp Hansen and Reimeinosato residents and staff have been assisting aging Okinawan farmers by providing a much-needed supplemental workforce to help sustain Okinawa’s staple crop, according to Yasuko Yonashiro, a Reimeinosato staff member.

“Each year during the harvesting season from January to March, we help with the last and probably the physically hardest work of harvesting sugarcane,” said Yonashiro. “Marines from Camp Hansen have been part of our effort for many years, and we always appreciate their help.”

“It was a great chance to get out and experience the life of Okinawa,” said Lance Cpl. Devlin Murray. “We learned about the historical role of sugarcane in Okinawa’s economy, and we got to know more about the people from the home. They are hard workers and great motivators.”

After finishing their work, Marines and the residents took a break together at a nearby park, where the home’s staff provided sugarcane and brown sugar candies for the Marines to taste.

“I never knew you could actually cut it up and eat it this way. It’s very sweet and tasty,” said Lance Cpl. John Graczkowski, who recently arrived in Okinawa. “It was actually my first time off base seeing Okinawa. I’m glad to do something to help out the people here and experience something new. I’ll always remember this whenever I see a sugarcane field.”

“Despite the rain and hard labor, the work was more enjoyable for us with the Marines joining us,” said Yasuhiko Yoza, a Reimeino Sato resident. “It was a job well done.”