I just want to give kudos to all of us who are choosing to NOT abandon ship & stick it out here until the point that evacuation may become MANDATORY.

All of the ship jumpers are only making the situation worse for the people who choose to not panic, & the active duty people who have no choice but to stay.

With the ship jumpers leaving, base services are closing, making it more difficult for the people left here.

Hopefully, the NEX & commisary management will see the dilemma here & hire more locals from Yokosuka, so that we can get base services up & running again.

If they do that, then we won't have this situation in the future if there is another disaster.

(Gene's wife here)

So we 'ship jumpers' as you label us should be concerned and considerate of you that choose to stay, but you do not need to do the same. Interesting how that works huh?

There are a variety of reasons why some people left and by the way pretty much all of our AD counterparts are still there(in Japan or on ships around Japan). Beyond that some of the AD counterparts are the ones who encouraged us to leave.

While I realize this situation is frustrating for you who are still there, don't assume that you undertand everyone's circumstances. I simply left to get a break and have full intentions of returning very soon. Wonder what category I would fall into then?? The 'panic stricken' or the 'sticking it out gang'?

I also think it would be an interesting poll to find out how many of you who denounce those who have left actually have anyone beyond yourself to be responsible for.

Gene's wife-you would fall under panic stricken.

Funny, I didn't feel panic stricken.

Very sad and extremely exhausted, but all the while know that the Lord will bring us through this.

KUDOS to those who choosed to stay and also to those who choosed to leave. Its takes alot of soul searching for people who decided to opt for temp. evacuation back to the US and to those who choosed to stay esp. with kids.
I am a mother of two kids - age 16 & 3. I'm waiting for our ticket to go back home but now that my son's school will re-open tomorrow, I've decided to stay. The reason I wanted to take the voluntary evac. was due to my son's non schooling here. I did not think it was wise to allow my son to sit around at home, play xbox and have no education.
I don't think people should have any negativity based on people's decision on whether to stay here or go back to the States. JMI

Genes wife - i understand where you are coming from although i do not live in japan yet i was actually on my way over there to visit my husband, literally already on a plane, when the tsunami/earthquake hit and they turned the plane around and landed back in detriot. They rebooked the flight for that night, but i had to think of my daughter before my own feelings and what would happen if i got there and god forbid something bad did happen and it was my fault because i put her in harms way. I wouldnt say it was panic strickin or "sticking it out" .... i think its being safe. I can see both of the sides of the story, because my husband still being there i understand that base services arent operating as normal and its difficult.. but i know my husband wouldnt want me or daughter there in the middle of this. I would have chosen to leave if i was living there, theres obviously a reason as to why they planned and set all of this up, spending all this money and time trying to get people out. and like you said "better safe than sorry".... if something was to happen at the nuclear plant.. it would take only 5 hours.....5 HOURS to reach Yokosuka * where my husband is) .....to me... 5 hours is NOT enough time to get the thousands of people out ...therefore.. they started doing "voluntary" evacuations to help if that situation did come...because i gaurantee, 98 percent of the people that could leave...are leaving.

Tabitha03

I am sorry that you are now still separated from your husband, and didn't get to experience Japan, truly one of my favorite places to live.

Not that my opinion matters, but I agree with what you had to say.

I just pray that some semblance of normalcy can be restored for the Japanese people.

I have a family here & I don't panic. I just tell them to adhere to the recommendations made by the Japanese government & the command.

All I can say is that the situation doesn't warrant abandoning ship. The radiation levels are not at harmful levels (in Yokosuka) & the reactor is slowly being contained.

The State Department offered a voluntary evacuation for embassy workers etc. The embassy is further north & only 150 miles from Fukushima.

We are about 180 miles from Fukushima. The U.S. government suggests Americans stay 50 miles from the affected radius. We are well beyond that.

However, people are panicking & jumping ship. Then they want to come back when all is good & well & claim loyalties? Sorry, but I have issues with that.

I have never been the type to panic in emergency situations. I don't get caught up in the whole doom & gloom thing. Whatever happened to being brave, having courage?

Another reason people have over reacted is the rumor spreaders. In fact, some of the rumor spreaders are active duty members themselves.

Some people are in the loop with privileged information that they cannot release until given permission. Some of these things take time to be released, because they need to be reviewed & approved a very high authority levels.

Regardless of what's happening, it is the duty of people who are privy to that information to with hold it until given authority to release it.

Some people may only hear a portion of the information & fill in the blanks with what they "think" should be filled in, hence, rumors.

Being a prior active duty Sailor, rumors spread throughout a ship like wildfire. Then they tell their spouses & they spread throughout the small-knit communities just as rapidly.

It's difficult to control rumors, but if people had faith in the chain of command & believe what they put out, then the rumors would spread like they do.

I think the only reason that it's being authorized for us is because the rumors & panic are making it difficult for essential personnel to do their jobs.

Also, I don’t think that the people should be allowed to get their on-base jobs back. They have chosen to leave voluntarily. Therefore, their jobs should be filled by people who truly WANT the jobs.

I am so glad that people jumped ship. It makes the base much nicer. I am hoping that everyone stays away and all there jobs are taken away. They have 30 days to get back to work before their jobs have to be posted for vacancy.

I wish the voluntary evac wasn't paid for. The base could use that money for so many other things.

Maelstrom -- even with me being thousands of miles away, i know that there has been a TON of conflicting information put out there BY "higher ups".. and my husband chain of command..has no clue what is going on really. they all say " we have to wait and see, and be prepared if needed" rumors do start when there is so much conflicting news, and still so many questions go unanswered. also, to my understanding, the japanese government has been very slow in releasing what is REALLY going on at Fukushima. although you are 180 miles away... that doesnt stop radiation or anything from getting to you. i know alot of people wish to think they are invincible , but this deffinately is not the time. if it was not a concern they would not be putting up the money for the evactuation or having active duty have their NEO done and my husband was told to pack a 72 hour bag. SO, although they are hopefully just being more safe than sorry, i dont think that is a reason to criticize people who dont want to be there when and if something does happen with this situation. im pretty sure if this happened in the united states...no one would be around it. this is not a time to wish that people lose their jobs.. or call them cowards, when people 200 miles north of you are risking their lives to protect yours and your familys and the japanese people have no houses, food, water, ect. For being so brave and having courage , i dont see many of the people on here calling people cowards for leaving ,ect... up north helping the people that really need it. Use your energy else where please.

@Tabitha03: I didn’t not call the people up there cowards. Nice try on twisting the topic back on me though.

Are you sticking around to help? Or, did you leave as well?

Also, technically, commands should be having newly reported service members fill out the NEO forms as part of check in with the command.

Unfortunately, a lot of commands do not do this. Therefore, people who had not filled them out were requested to do so, which only incited more panic & rumor.

Yes, commands tell people to prepare, but that is just precautionary, so that in case something were to happen, people can up-&-leave. It's just like having an emergency fund in the bank. Or, when you live in hurricane, or earthquake prone areas, people suggest having dry & canned food saved in case of disaster.

The problem is, people do not do these things. So, when a command puts it out, people automatically assume the worst.

We are a Navy base with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Do you not think we are monitoring the radiation levels? Regardless of what the Japanese government tells its people, we know what we read when we take levels.

Seriously, when panic gets to the point that it has here in Yokosuka, it's best to get the panic people out of here, so that they don't affect other people by spreading the panic. However, its too late now. Local Japanese are starting to react to the panic spread by people listening to rumors.

Individual ship, or installation, commanders are not always the final authority. If people would just stay calm, & listen to the information coming from C7F, CNFJ, & CFAY everything would be fine.

C7F is the final authority for all sea-going commands, CFAY is the final authority for all of its departments, & CNFJ is the final authority for all of them.

Trust in the commands to do what is best for us. The voluntary departure is not due to radiation danger. It's to alleviate rumor & panic, & to give people peace of mind, period.

hmm, I wonder what category i fall under. I planned on staying and when i mentioned it to other people on base they criticized me about not putting my son first. My husband and my family back home were practically begging me to go home because of my 2year old son. The media in the US isn't helping my family back in the states either. I wouldn't mind staying but i wanted to make sure my son was completely out of harms way, yes i know Japan is safe but after the big earthquake there's been some pretty decent aftershocks and i know they're not going to stop anytime soon. So yes i'm leaving but i plan on returning as soon as my husband feels that its safe for us to return. I love my husband and if he's worried about his wife and child then the best thing i could do as his supportive wife is to give him that peace of mind. So now coming to this site to see how the others bases are doing i see post about people leaving to be considered cowardly,abandoning ship or just taking it as a vacation? i guess i'll get criticized no matter what i do. I love japan, just because i'm leaving doesn't automatically mean i don't care about what happened. I did the best i can (considering i have a child going through the terrible 2's ) by donating clothes, food and money. i'm not going to stop when i'm in the states,i will continue to support the people of Japan. Everybody has different situations and reasons for leaving or staying, but pushing your opinions on them isn't going to help. People can complain all they want about people leaving or staying,but the fact is, people will either leave or stay.

Maelstrom -
"Also, technically, commands should be having newly reported service members fill out the NEO forms as part of check in with the command.

Unfortunately, a lot of commands do not do this. Therefore, people who had not filled them out were requested to do so, which only incited more panic & rumor." (The NEO's are also discussed during AOB/ICR.)

On this point I totally agree with you. I have always made it a point to be completely prepared and have my business in order - much to the chagrin and annoyance of my counterparts on many, many occasions. It makes sense to me, so I do it, I don't have to be told to or have my hand held. Doesn't make me popular.

I have been in commands where the egotistical CO signed off that they were all done when in fact not even his wife had done so, and she asked for my help completing hers and encouraging others to do it. Pretty pathetic, but I have seen this kind of 'leadership' too often. Which is one thing I think adds to the hysteria, too.

BTW, none of my travel was funded, I didn't ask for it to be or expect it to be, it was my choice to go, so I am not asking for free airfare or the like. I do not have my hand out.

I think that a lot of people are forgetting that there are active duty members that are deployed right now in support of Operation Tomadachi as well as other exercises. It is a little distracting to hear how worried everyone is in Yokosuka, and with the over sensationalism of the U.S. Media outlets, it's hard not to expect an Armageddon scenario. Part of the reason that the Voluntary Evacuation is occurring is so that active duty members can effectively focus on their mission and not be distracted by their families situation at home.

I personally asked my wife to stay in Yokosuka with my 5 year old and 4 month old daughter as I personally do not see any immediate threat. However, with the constant after shocks and managing both kids during this situation as well as the majority of the rest of the community jumping on the paranoia band wagon, my wife is psychologically spent and past the point of burn out.

Sending them to the states was a tough decision, but I think in the long run, the overall environmental stability coupled with my family back in the states will allow my wife to heal from the constant emotional stress of frequent aftershocks.

I don't think it is right to judge people in this particular situation, as everyone has different ways of coping with mental and emotional stress. Had I been on shore, I imagine that my wife wouldn't even have considered evacuating, as I would have easily been able to give her the emotional support that she needs during this country-wide crisis.

JB is supposed to be a place for answers and mutual support, not a place to do meaningless cyber-bullying. I say BZ to those who are staying, but at the same time, don't talk down on those who need a break from the paranoia and uncertainty. Just my 2 Yen.

I don't think this post could be construed as "cyber-bullying." It's a statement of opinions, which is what the "rant" forum is all about.

Posted By Maelstrom on 03-21-2011 4:11 PM
I don't think this post could be construed as "cyber-bullying." It's a statement of opinions, which is what the "rant" forum is all about.

I am all for freedom of speech and ranting for the sake of ranting.  But it just seems as if in this particular scenario people's "rants" and opinions are turning into judgmental and condescending connotations.  You will notice that a great deal of people between here and FB are getting defensive because people's opinions (while perfectly valid) are turning into anonymous internet attacks. 

It is true that a lot of people are using this government funded evac as a free vacation to the states, but knowing how hard it is to travel alone with children on a trans-continental flight, I can only empathize with the spouses who are making the trip alone with their children.

And if you also notice, by no means did I ask for anyone here to stop ranting or stating their opinion, freedom of speech is everyone's right.  Just stating that I can empathize with both sides on this matter.  Again, I would prefer my family to stay put especially in the off chance that my ship is able to return home.  I've already missed 2 months of my baby girls life, and want every minute I can have with the 7th Fleet Optempo.

I'm not accusing people of using it as a free vacation. I never once said that. I'm just frustrated with hearing all of the panic-ridden complaints & questions, & people bailing out.

If people are so afraid of being here in Japan, then maybe they should just stay in the United States, or wherever else they are originally from, because, point blank, Japan is an earthquake-prone, tsunami-prone country. Danger is always around the corner here.

Do people realize how many tsunamis have hit Japan, or how many earthquakes the country has suffered?

There have been a total of 21 tsunami (including the latest one) that have hit this country since its recorded history! Earthquakes are probably harder to estimate, because there are small quakes all the time.

If people cannot deal with natural disasters, then they should not be here, because they will happen again. It's inevitable.

I don't blame people for leaving. I was 4 years old when Chernobyl happend we were far to the south, but back then nobody knew what happend. We did have people coming in and checking our yard with Geiger counters, and then my parents were told that radiation levels were normal. So i can imagine it was pretty horrifying.

Your right, there have been many tsunamis and earthquakes in japan. Do you think the people of Japan who live in the damaged area wants to hear that? a lot of them are devastated because they didn't know something this big was going to happen. They're originally from Japan, i'm pretty sure they felt all the little earthquakes, you want to be the one to tell them "point blank, Japan is an earthquake-prone, tsunami-prone country. Danger is always around the corner here." It's just not Japan, earthquakes and natural disasters are everywhere. Getting 5.0+ aftershocks after a big earthquake is bound to and has happen, some people are scared and some children are scared. like i said before everyone has their reasons for leaving or staying, why judge? people have family and want to protect them, people lost family and probably don't want to be around the area as a reminder of what they lost. Disasters happen everywhere and for the time being Japan is a hotspot or has a triple whammy as our president said. The shock from the quake, then the tsunami hit and now the plant. even though it's said to be contained, people will still be worried, it could be because of their children, it can also be because of their family back in the states, or it could just be that right now their state of mind won't allow them to do everyday routines. For whatever reasons everyone has their own. We may not agree, but saying they're running away or that they're abandoning ship is kind of bullying,well IMO anyways.

OK, for those of you who like to use the latest buzz word "cyber-bullying," here are the definitions of bully:

• strong-arm: be bossy towards; e.g. "Her big brother always bullied her when she was young"
• a cruel and brutal fellow
• browbeat: discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate

In this topic, I have not been bossy. I have not been brutal, or cruel. I have not frightened, or intimidated anyone. I have simply expressed my opinion & some facts (that can be verified through basic research).

Expressing my opinion that people are abandoning ship is not bullying, nor does anything I have said in this topic fits the definition. People like to use buzz-words that they hear. Cyber-bullying is a popular buzz-word that people often misuse. People like to label anything & everything that differs from their opinion & label it cyber-bullying.

My suggestion is learn the definition of words & phrases before trying to use them. Otherwise, you use them out of context.

Anyhow, my comment was not toward Japanese. They know that their country is earthquake & tsunami prone. I'm speaking about the foreigners who panic, spread rumors, & flee.

The Japanese know how to deal with these disasters. They have been doing it ever since there has been civilization on these islands.

The foreigners don't know how to deal with it & panic. The thing is, they panic, and then they start accusing the chain of command about not caring for their best interest. They get angry & start demanding things, then a lot of them bailout.

Whatever happened to staying calm in the face of adversity?

All people get scared. It’s natural. But, having courage means facing your fear & dealing with it, not running from it.

I was biting my tongue and didn't want to reply to this, but I am interpreting the comment as if you are implying that I am not educated and am simply pulling a random "buzz word" out of the air because it sounds good.

"Cyber-bullying has been defined as "when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person",^[2]. Other researchers use similar language to describe the phenomenon.^[3][4]

Cyber-bullying can be as simple as continuing to send e-mail to someone who has said they want no further contact with the sender, but it may also include threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels (i.e., hate speech), ganging up on victims by making them the subject of ridicule in forums, and posting false statements as fact aimed at humiliation." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-bullying

By the definition above, labeling the people who chose to leave as "abandoning ship" kind of falls under the cyber bully definition.  There seems to be a mob mentality on both ends of the spectrum IRT this situation. 

While I agree with you comments, perception is 9/10 of the law in the military, and while perception is relatively subjective, my own personal perception is that there is an air of hubris in your tone.

And again, I wasn't necessarily pointing a finger and accusing any one in particular of being a cyber bully, just making the observation that there seems to be a great deal of it going around in connection with this whole Voluntary Evacuation thing.

Well said, Pinoy! You put it much more rationally and calmly than I would have, although I've been mulling it over for days. Please see my recent comment here: http://www.japanbases.com/forums/aft/5875.aspx (re: The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street).

No one is demonized for going or for staying; each of us struggles through life doing the best we can for those we love as we see it. If we label as "cowards" those who chose to leave, then what do we say about our suddenly-absent ships, aircraft and command staffs who have dispersed far and wide from anywhere to Hawaii, San Diego, Sasebo and Iwakuni. Cowards all of them? I think not; they are exercising simple prudence.

If it is wise to protect our national warfighting capability keeping an eye on what might happen in the worst case, then why cannot the same logic apply to protect our own families as we see fit? I've done so and I apologize to no one; I'm in Thailand now & I'll stay until I decide the "all clear" has sounded. And fwiw, I paid out of my own pocket to bring my family here at very inflated prices.

Personally, I think those that left and pulled money out of their own pocket to move their family...is fine. However, I think the Gov threw money at this quickly and I think it upset some people who remained. Now it becomes funded travel from here to the Safe Haven, so it becomes much like a PCS. I also think a lot of us were wrapped around the axel about the "voluntary" word...if its "voluntary", then why should anyone be paid for it. Mandatory move...ok, I get the entire per diem and the different entitlements rule...but, if you want to leave...we will pay you? If so, make it mandatory.

I have a wife here and a daughter in the states who I wish was here. My wife won't leave I have asked out of respect, but she says that she would rather be with me than without me in the states and plus taking a 12 hour flight back and forth isn't fun. We got here 7 days before this event happened but never once did either one of us think we shouldn't stay. I don't call u a ship jumper cause you didn't sign up for the military but I don't agree with everyone leaving either. I perosnally think it is a waste of money the goverment doesn't have, my AD pay can't even get a 3.4% raise. I am not saying you, but some people are leaving cause of panic and some are leaving cause of the unknown, but then there are some that are using this as a free vacation and free money (Per Diem, Seperation Pay, and the $25 transportation fee a day). Believe me I had to look into it and I would have made an xtra $2000.00 by having her go spend a month back in San Diego or in LA with her family.

I don't blame people for leaving. I am on the fence on having my family go right now (wife and a 2yr old). The base is currently on category 2 of the voluntary evac. It's quite obvious why they won't make it mandatory. Does the US really want to loose their bases in Japan? lol You're going to have to pry the key off of our cold hands, lol (j/k) But in all seriousness it is good so many people left. I still don't think it's possible to evac the remainding us citizens before the possible belched radiation cloud out of the Fukushima plants reaches us in Yokosuka. On the other hand, the current levels of radiation are of no concern to me; so if things continue showing signs of improvement at the plant, I may not fly my fam out. Ugghhh the HEADACHE!!! lol

ThaiGuy,
    You should be able to get that money back if you/ your sponsor have all your paperwork in order (reimbursed)

It's unfortunate that some people can place judgement on others that choose to stay or go. It is also unfortunate that this God loving country of America is full of bitter hurtful judgemental people. Do you see the Japanese people acting this way? Really? I think not. No looting, no fighting, no pushing and shoving, no panicking. If this disaster happened in the good old USA, it would be like another Katrina in New Orleans! Rediculous!
I really do not believe that the people who voluntarily left are panicking, I believe they weighed the risks and decided that leaving was the most responsible thing to do for their family as a parent. After giving birth it is a mother's instinct to protect her children no matter the cost and if there is even a remote chance of a nuclear catastrophe in the area you can bet your ass that I'd be on the first plane out of there with my children!
IF the reactor does have an issue and creates nuclear fallout, will you be able to get out in time? Two, five or even ten years from now your child may develop some type of cancer or other disease and you will always question yourself and blame yourself for not protecting your children and doing everything you could do to keep them as safe as possible.

@thaiguy. Do you not live in Iwakuni? Why did you leave? I pray that they do not reimburse you for your ticket.

@thaiguy. Do you not live in Iwakuni? Why did you leave? I pray that they do not reimburse you for your ticket.

Posted By Jonatan on 03-22-2011 10:49 PM
ThaiGuy,
    You should be able to get that money back if you/ your sponsor have all your paperwork in order (reimbursed)

I have no sponsor. I'm a retiree and contractor, my wife is non-US citizen. We have no kids. We would have been dead last in that stampede for the door if things had gone south (literally & figuratively).  At the time I decided to leave, I genuinely believed the nuclear situation was hanging in the balance, far more precarious than publicly admitted by US or Japanese authorities with southerly winds predicted. This was based on consultation with govt & civilian nuke experts who have not been quoted in the press all of whom urged me to leave. I decided why take a chance and I beat feet. I don't regret it, even if the trip proves to be unnecessary. 

Just as the USofA protected its valuable assets by removing them from any threat of contamination, I did exactly the same by getting my wife out of country. She would not have left without me.

At USNPINOY: Actually, I wasn't referring to you so much as the other person. You said it once & dropped it. However, another person kept using it.

Another thing, just because I call someone a ship jumper, doesn't constitute bullying. Seriously people, grow some thick skin.

I didn't curse at anyone. You are in the Navy, just as I used to be. You are supposed to watch after your shipmates & pull your own weight, right?

Well, in my opinion, a lot of the people leaving are simply pulling chocks & taking off. It's as simple as that. Just because I express my opinion, that gives people the right to throw cyber-bully out there? Please, that is ridiculous!

You want to know where my frustrations come from?

At this moment, I have been at work for more than 24 hours now! Last week, I went 27 hours straight, plus 14 hours on Saturday, & Monday.

And it doesn't end there. These long days have no end in sight, for the time being.

They aren't paying us overtime for this & all of what I (and others) do is to help these people. So, I am MORE than doing my part in all of this.

However, I & the others who are working around the clock cannot even get reliable service on base, because everyone is bailing out & services are closed. We are doing our jobs, but other people are bailing out of theirs, which makes life even more difficult for us who are trying to help the people who are bailing.

And what do I get for my troubles? I get to hear people incessantly complain, about "What have you done for me?" (Not me specifically, but the command, of which I work for)

So, that's where my real anger comes from, because a lot of these people don't appreciate all the stuff a lot of us are going through so they can get out of the country for what ever reason they choose.

Hi all,

I have read both sides of this discussion and see the value in each. I, personally, an AD geographically single parent, took leave for a month on my own dime. Now that I'm preparing to come back in less than two weeks, WITH my child (and sadly, still without my civilian husband) , I'd like to know in advance what services are still open on base and if the Main CDC is still keeping normal hours/ operations. Depending on what resources are available to care for my son with, I may be forced to consider leaving him in the states. Thank you in advance.

Posted By marcia on 03-23-2011 9:53 AM
Hi all,

I have read both sides of this discussion and see the value in each. I, personally, an AD geographically single parent, took leave for a month on my own dime. Now that I'm preparing to come back in less than two weeks, WITH my child (and sadly, still without my civilian husband) , I'd like to know in advance what services are still open on base and if the Main CDC is still keeping normal hours/ operations. Depending on what resources are available to care for my son with, I may be forced to consider leaving him in the states. Thank you in advance.

CDC is keeping regular hours.
As far as other base services here is the upcoming schedule that we have at the moment (subject to change). This should give you idea of what to expect when you arrive:

Thursday March 24 and Friday March 25

Yokosuka Main Store 0900 - 1800
AutoPort Mini Mart 0600 - 2100
Home Accents 0900 - 1800
Depot 0900 - 1700
Omise 0900 - 1700
Kids NEX Door 1000 - 1800
Fleet 0900 - 1900
Ikego 1000 - 1800
Home Gallery - closed
New Sanno Hotel 1000 - 1800
Negishi Main Store 1000 - 1800
Negishi Auto Port 1100 - 1800
Negishi Food Court 1100 - 1800
Hardy Barracks Friday 25 1000 - 1800 (Closed weekly on Thursday)

Saturday March 26

Main Store 0900 - 1800
AutoPort Mini Mart 0600 - 2100
Home Accents 0900 - 1800
Ikego 1000 - 1800
Kids NEX Door 1000 - 1800
Fleet Store 0900 - 1900
Depot - closed
Omise - closed
Home Gallery - closed
Negishi Main 1000 - 1800
Negishi AutoPort 1100 - 1800
Negishi Food Court 1100 - 1800
New Sanno Hotel 1000 - 1800
Hardy Barracks 1000 - 1800

Maelstrom, Thank you so much! It looks like it's a go to bring my son back home. He'll be very happy!

Here is proof of what I am talking about & why I am frustrated with the people leaving. (Taken from the CFAY Facebook page):

Michel Schadt I just listened to this UPDATE. I have a few problems with it:

1)    Last week people with pets were turned away from departing because they had soft carriers. They rushed to find/buy hard cases. NOW, if they fly on the military chartered flight, they need a soft case because the hold is full. DO you care about all the stress people are feeling? And now,it just showed up that, there is no room for pets. Wth!

Really?! Seriously?! That is on the airlines, not CFAY. Also, regarding MAC flights, do you not think that the military doesn’t have other MISSION ESSENTIAL items they need to ship via airfreight? Oh, I guess the military should just drop everything to help you, right?

Also, you are the one who is choosing to leave. You can stay if you want. So, you need to deal with the consequences of your choice. Also, take some initiative, call ahead to the carriers & ask. Or, if you ask the command, they will tell you what you need.

DoYOU care about the stress that the people, who are working extreme hours to get information for you & arrange things so that you can temporarily leave, feel?

By the way, you ARE getting a FREE flight

2)  You can’t even maintain a flight schedule. Why are people departing required to JUMP at the last minute. because there are fewer people, the plane has to leave earlier?! Yeah, that makes no sense. Schedule the plane and keep that schedule!

This is not a routine situation. Now, you know how your active duty counter part feels when they are told to, "stand by to stand by." Also, with this not being a routine situation, schedules are subject to change.

Oh, yes, again, you are getting a FREE flight!

3)    Commercial carrier is charging $800 for two cats?! Why don’t you ask ADM Willard to get on the
horn, call the White House and ask them to call the CEO of that airline. It is an American carrier, isn’t it?! That kind of trash can be stopped.

Oh, I nearly forgot, you must be the goddess of complaintdom. Please allow me the honor of kneeling & kissing your royal feet!

Seriously, are you that self important? I don’t even know where to begin with this one. You are ridiculous!

Adm. Willard said that pets are not allowed, but he signed a waiver to allow them.

However, now, pets are not allowed, because the people leaving are putting a strain on the airlines (military & commercial). Do you not care about the strain you are putting on the people & organizations around you who are giving you your FREE flight?!

 

4)    You are having a trivia quiz on THE site that is supposed to provide information?! I realize this may be good for morale, but NOT if I am looking for important news.

Oh, sorry for being lighthearted & trying to relieve some of the stress in the face of adversity. By the way, it is the CFAY Facebook, & he is the commanding officer, so it is basically the CO’s page, so if he chooses to crack a few jokes, or ask some trivia to try & alleviate stress, more power to him.

Also, if would you read the description on the info tab you would read:
“ This page is sponsored by the CFAY Public Affairs Office and intended to provide updated information and discussion on the Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.”

Doesn’t trivia fall under Information & “discussion?”

To all, do you realize that there are people who left that are already demanding CFAY give an all clear so they can come back? Are you serious? Most just left on funded flights & put people through hell so they could get those FREE flights! Now, they are demanding to come back!

Really, if you cannot see why I am frustrated with the people who left, or are leaving, then I don’t know what to tell you. We see way more complaints than people understanding & not bashing us. Therefore, it portrays that the majority of people are negative & demanding.

@ Maelstorm, Thank you!

Everyone has different ways of looking how this is being handle, but I really do think the base is trying to do there best. We aren't going to get first class service with this, but they are still working on getting people out of here who want to leave. To me, I wouldn't leave now, I see no real danger right now and I don't see it anytime soon either. But some people feel different about it and left/or trying to leave. All we can do now is just support our men and women who are helping with this, respect our Japanese friends, and just stay calm and stop bitching! I am so ready to start in with people bitching all the time about how every little thing the base has done with this. Some things are really out of our control, same with CFAY. We all need to look at the bigger picture and just look at the brighter side of things right now.

For those with small children, I don't blame you for leaving.

For those of you who are spouses, not employed with the base, I don't blame you for leaving.

But for those of you who work (or worked) here, keep this in mind.

This base, with all its tennant commands, have missions and responsibilities to meet. When you work for the DOD, you have made a commitment to your job and serving your country as a civilian employee. Your leaving may impact our ability complete certain missions. For example, dealing with aggressive govenments such as N. Korea and China, or responding to terrorism in SE Asia, or providing humanitarian assistance.

I just think that there is "currently" no threat, and the base's leadership will ensure none of us are unnecessarily exposed to harmful radiation.

wow. this is so disturbing. Who gave anybody the right to judge anyone? We are supposed to be a community of strong individuals...not catty little girls. Grow up. Live your own lives without worrying what anyone has to say about it. And don't create a post just to belittle people and toot your own horn about how courageous you are for staying...it only makes you look ignorant and immature. Being in the military or being a dependant should give you some pride. Use it. Everyone has their own reasons for what they do/did. Never judge people...especially if you don't know them personally. And as far as running or 'abandoning ship'...grow up. We dependants are NOT enlisted. We are DEPENDANTS. We are there to support our AD spouses, and that is the only reason. Regardless of what some might think, it IS possible to leave calmly knowing that the professionals (our men and women in uniform) are fully capable of handling the situation.

Wow! Glad I've been too busy to go on JapanBases for the past 2 weeks! As an ombudsman I've seen it all! Can't judge people, just have to help them. Happy that it has calmed down and I can get into a "new normal" routine here in Japan. Good luck to everyone!

Maelstrom, after reading this I hope you got some rest. I am sorry, I missed the part if you are active duty or not, but I think most everyone who is working on base, on a ship, whatever is pretty stressed and exhausted at this point.

I have four kiddos, homeschool my kids (which that right there I am used to the comments) and am basically useless when it comes to doing anything productive on base. My husband wanted us to fly back to the states, and we did. I can handle the anger and annoyance directed towards me from those who stayed behind because for my situation, we did the right thing for our family. It doesn't bother me if people think I got a free vacation, although I would like to say flying with four kids, one being an infant, and living in a hotel without a car is not my idea of a vacation, I still feel we did the right thing and I feel lucky we were able to come here for a while. My kids sleep better at night, still scared of our power going out and earthquakes, but I can see how it has helped them mentally and physically.
For those who stayed back, great, for those who left, great, I think this all comes down to the fact that this situation is so enormous for all of us to grasp that we are all making up how we deal with it as we go.
I do hope the base will use this tragedy as a way to learn to better handle future disasters, should they happen. For example, had this been a mandatory evac, how would the whole pets scenario have worked? I do not personally own any pets, but maybe the limit should be less than two per household since there has been such an issue with people leaving voluntarily with pets. Yes, even maybe limiting the amount kids, and this from someone who has four, just throwing options to be examined out there.
We love Japan, this is our second tour here we are currently on and I hope this country recovers quickly and stronger from this.
Just my two cents! : )

@Julie: Thanks. Things have slowed down a bit. However, speaking for where I work, we are still putting in some 24-hour shifts & working weekends.

Some people who left are already inquiring about, or demanding & all clear be issued.

I guess in my initial post I could have not used the term ship jumpers, but being prior military, I expect people to have thick skin, & failed to realize that the world today is full overly-sensitive people who cannot deal with people speaking to them, or about them in a harsh, straight-forward manner.

Hell, we live in a world where we cannot even discipline our kids. Even the most rowdy, disrespectful kid (or adult for that manner) is expected to be spoken to treated with care & respect, regardless of how they treat others.

 

As I said in later responses, a lot of my frustration comes from dealing with ungrateful, demanding adults who act like spoiled brats.

 

Some of that wrongfully spilled over to people who have been calm & understanding about the situation.

 

Look, I am a father, so I understand that some people were worried about the health of their children. However, speaking for myself, I chose to remain calm & listen to the people I work for & trust that they had myself & family in their best interest.

 

Then again, that might be because I work in a position where I am "in the loop" with the TRUE information. So, when I see all of the rumors & the reactions to them, it upsets me, because myself & the people I work for know the truth that some others don’t.

@katesteinbeck: For one, I'm not a dependant, nor am I still active duty. I'm just putting things in perspective!

I'm talking about ALL OF US who are staying & putting in massive hours at work sacrificing time with our families for those people, but the fact that those people left puts an even bigger strain on us, because base services are limited.

Factor in that a lot of them seem ungrateful & demanding & complain incessantly, then yes, it's going to annoy some of us that are staying.

Another thing, I've heard some dependants state that on base jobs should be for dependants. Well, I disagree, because look at the current situation, a lot of dependants have left in a panic, which has forced a lot of base facilities to limit services due to lack of manning.

I think that the majority of on base jobs should go to the locals, that way, in times like these, the base can maintain normalcy, with adequate manning levels.

So, I’m not tooting MY horn, I’m tooting the horn for all the people who choose not to panic & put in massive hours to help (some) people who act ungrateful, demanding & seem to never be satisfied.

Also, after Adm. Willard came & spoke, I’ve seen a lot of people realize that the situation here (in Yokosuka) isn’t that bad, & change their minds about leaving, & deciding to stay.

One thing of the things I hate about us humans is the knee-jerk-reactions & follow-the heard-mentality. All it takes is for a small group of people to over-react & panic & the fear spreads like wildfire.

If the people would have just stayed calm & listened to the voices of reason, then we wouldn’t have this situation. That includes some of the active duty members who heard bits & pieces of information & filled in the blanks with what they THOUGHT it meant &, in turn, took that misinformation & spread it to their dependants. That REALLY hurt the situation.

If left, you left. I just don’t think the people should have left in a panic. Also, they could have been a little nicer, less demanding & more understanding.

Also, to the people back in the states who are demanding that CFAY give an "all clear," so they can come back… DEAL WITH IT! You VOLUNTARILY left in haste. The military, which is already finacially strained, spent a lot of money for the flights. So, be grateful that you got what you wanted, deal with the consequences of your choice & stick it out where ever you are until the command gives you the OK to return.

Posted By Maelstrom on 03-30-2011 9:16 AM

All it takes is for a small group of people to over-react & panic & the fear spreads like wildfire.

If the people would have just stayed calm & listened to the voices of reason, then we wouldn’t have this situation. That includes some of the active duty members who heard bits & pieces of information & filled in the blanks with what they THOUGHT it meant &, in turn, took that misinformation & spread it to their dependants. That REALLY hurt the situation.

I have to agree wholeheartedly w/ this statement.  It seems like the panic spread even more so on Yokosuka than any other base.  I was just up on Yokota Air Base last week.  E/one there seemed to be carrying on as normal.  Yokosuka is a ghost town in comparison to Yokota (and, usually it's the opposite w/ the sheer number of people here in Yokosuka).  I heard that roughly 900 out 12,000 people left Yokota.  I would have thought more people would have left that base because it's so much easier for them to leave w/ the terminal right there on the base.  If I can remember correctly, I think I also read that the first flight left w/ empty seats.  It just seems that people there decided that there wasn't as big of a threat as here in Yokosuka. 

I think part of it may be that so many dependents here on Yokosuka are left alone while their husbands (or wives) are sent out to sea s/where.  That can be a little scary in a situation w/ kids.  I think when your husband is out to sea, and you're here alone with all your friends and neighbors that are panicking and leaving the country, people here feel they need to leave too out of fear of being left alone in a potentially dangerous situation. 

I don't hold it against a/one for leaving the country.  I just think that some people added fuel to the fire and created more widespread panic than there needed to be.  And, the whole pet situation really got under my skin because some people really seemed ungrateful even though they could bring their pets in a "voluntary" evacuation (oops, I mean "departure" - The word "evacuation" should NEVER have been used).  I'm by no means saying e/one was ungrateful, just a few from the comments I've read from various places.  The country just went through their worst natural disaster in history, and people were complaining about their pets.  To me, that just seemed a little insensitive to the people that were really suffering up north when we're down here living in our comfy homes.  Those people lost so much, and yet people were complaining about how they weren't being better accommodated for getting their pets out during a voluntary departure.  No one said they had to leave, just that they could if they so chose to.  You have to weigh the risks to the benefits.  To me, it just seemed like way too much stress on both me and my pets to leave under the current conditions.

Eventually, everyone, including the pets got to leave.  It was a big undertaking, but it was done, and those that wanted to leave, were able to.  The people that made it happen deserve a great, big thank you for giving those people that left the peace of mind they needed to get out of the country.  I know they lost many nights of sleep trying to get the job done. 

@Yoko-girl: I completely agree with every word you said. I guess I should have wrote my post a little more like yours. Maybe I wouldn't have caught as much flack. (^_^)

Posted By Maelstrom on 03-30-2011 10:38 AM
@Yoko-girl: I completely agree with every word you said. I guess I should have wrote my post a little more like yours. Maybe I wouldn't have caught as much flack. (^_^)

I know I would have gotten myself in trouble on a number of occasions if I didn't tap that backspace button on my laptop!     If I said everything that went through my mind, I probably would get myself in a lot more trouble!  Although, s/times I slip and say s/thing I probably shouldn't have.  We're all human, right? 

There's the problem right there. In the first 48-72 hours CFAY didn't put out anything besides tsunami warnings or whatever really. And for a whole 24 hrs there was nothing. Panic spread like wildfire! And once you've got them scared it's hard to change their minds. CFAY is doing a wonderful job now (great updates by the Captain everyday), but it's a little too late for the dependents, active duty, whoever that fed into the drama.

I was posting the news so I looked at every other base's sites everyday and they were doing a great job keeping their people informed --even Misawa who had no power for most of the base! And the Air Force seemed to jump right away to let their people know the radiation levels were fine.

There was a lot of people truly, truly scared and a lot still are. I'm glad those people left. I've seen first hand that their facebook posts have turned from panic to feeling much better --pretty much overnight. And if I was pregnant or had a baby, I probably would have left before the Voluntary Departure even started. Some taking a "free vacation" or not, there really are some people who will benefit emotionally from the voluntary departure --and in turn making the base a lot calmer for the rest of us who stayed behind. And GREAT shopping! Ha ha.

Maelstrom, I agree with alot of the things you are saying. I just don't agree with judging peoples decisions. That is all. I never said that YOU were a dependant, I was just trying to help you see it through OUR eyes. You are fortunate. You were receiving accurate information when the Sh*t hit the fan...we weren't. We were relying on word of mouth, our hubby's two scents, and Channel 115..LOL and for what its worth, I agree with you in regards to jobs going to locals. It makes sense. I think it should be a case of whoever is more qualified for the position. anyway, my point is that personally I was not receiving accurate, trustworthy information so that made it difficult to make an educated decision. I'm guessing that is why everyone bailed. There were too many questions and not enough answers. it sucks...but hopefully we can learn from this catastrophe and use our knowledge for future occurances.

Maelstrom, I can see where it would be frustrating. As far as the locals having more access to jobs on base, I couldn't agree more. I am now officially opening myself up to being flamed here, but I get better customer service a majority of the time from locals rather than dependents.

Like I said, comments really don't bother me and really shouldn't anyone else, but I do think there are a good amount of people who left for the reasons the gov't authorized the departure which was not for a free vacation.

Also, yes the panic spreading went fast, at one point I turned off my facebook page to about three people only because I could not read the constant "Did you hear..." anymore.

Well, the clog in the information pipeline wasn't necessarily CFAY's fault. One of the releases we put out had to be approved by the president. Most of our information had to be approved at a higher level. That's one of the reasons why there was such a delay.

Trust me, it's frustrating to have info, & have people demanding the info, but not being able to give it out until you are given the order.

I mean, I love my wife, but I don't even tell her the information that I know, because it's my job to help guard & control the dissemination of information & I cannot give it out until given the OK.

Some of the active duty personnel were giving misinformation to there spouses, girlfriends/boyfriend's etc, & using their active duty position as verification of the information.

For example, my wife's friend' boyfriend told her his command was mandatorily evacuating to Hawaii the next day, which freaked his girlfriend out & my wife. My wife asked me about it. I just reassured her without revealing information.

It got back to the dude, & he told his girlfriend that I didn't know anything, because I'm civilian & he works at such & such command.

I asked my wife to ask him if he knew of the emergency center that I work with. He responded that he didn't know about it. I laughed, because if he didn't know about it, he didn't know ANY true information.

I didn't argue about it. However, the next evening when I came home, I asked my wife, "So, what happened with him?" She just kind of smiled. I said, "He is still here, isn't he? See, I told you."

Anyhow, that just goes to show my point that some people spread misinformation under an authoritative guise & it flares up.

I believe I know exactly which command your talking about that said they are going to evacuate their personal to Hawaii. It's funny because that command even had a day picked out when they were going evacuate all their personnel and close their building. FYI they did send people to Hawaii but only a select few of people. Truth be told, that command was giving out bad info to family members. 

@Malestrom, been listening to your 'rants' and have agreed and disagreed with you. Yet, reading your last post made me remember a great performance by Robin Williams. I can understand and relate to your position sir. Also, isn't it funny how us Civillians don't know a thing? Though that rumour of ships going to Pearl and even Sandawg made it all the way to the East Coast. It just makes me shake my head and wonder.