http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110330...an_nuclear


.... if its twice the level of evacuation, why i everyone still there???

Please read the entire article. It says (in more than one place)

The officials emphasize that the readings, at Iterate village, were sporadic and were registered only at one measuring point.

the village is Northwest of the disaster area. We are south.

i really dont care what direction it is in , or how they were measured, the levels are ovbiously high, and something needs to be done..besides giving them iodine tablets in case. it will take 5 hours to reach yokosuka from the nuclear plant if something does happen..... and seeing as how all of this "voluntary dependant" leaving has gone.....theres NO way they will get everyone out in that amount of time. Peoples lives are being put at risk...when theres alternatives, AND time to get them out safely now. why wait until the last minute, when it might be too late....?

Tabitha, you make a good point that is overlooked among the smug comments of those who remain in Japan... If the bubble goes up & things turn bad in a hurry, it is quite impossible to get the entire population out of harms way fast enough. Then everyone else will ask "Why didn't you leave when you had the chance" just like they say when people stick around for hurricanes or wildfires, then put rescuers at risk to get them out after the fact.

If there were suddenly massive, mandatory evacuations, I can guarantee everyone involved would be grateful to the 7000-9000 family members who left earlier and don't have to be dealt in a crisis situation. For anyone who understands civil defense in the face of natural disasters, starting early is a key point even if, ultimately, those early evacuations prove unnecessary. Of course, you never know which are necessary or not until you have the luxury of hindsight. We're still not out of the woods yet.

Ditto ThaiGuy. Part of the many reasons we left. Unchartered territory here. I understand that there are reasons for leaving and staying. But the 'smugness' as you put it I don't understand. So what, you decided to stay, does that somehow make you superior? Good grief.

Of course I pray that the mandatory evacs. don't happen, but it is actually still a possibility. There are these weather phenomenons called wind and rain that can move the cesium and radiation to a location near you.
(Gene's wife again.)

To the last 3 posters....
Thank You! Couldn't agree more...
I almost completely shut off internet communication because I got tired of all the 'smugness' and 'holier than thou' comments from people who stayed. Those comments were a real downer.
I think it comes down to how people think differently and which perspective they take.

i just look at it as, we have the knowledge that something potentially extremely dangerous could happen, why not get everyone out until the situation gets under control. I mean they have power and stuff back to the plant yet still radiation is leaking in higher amounts each day, from what i've read and heard. I know money is a big thing with the cost of getting everyone out if not necessary, but im pretty sure its cheaper than people suing. Dont we look both ways before crossing a road? i just feel this shouldnt wait until last minute. and for the people who have smug comments, dont bother posting, i would like to see how you guys react when/if the meltdown does occur and you and your family cannot get out in time because theres not enough flights available. didnt your mothers ever teach you "if you dont have anything nice to say dont say it at all??"

I couldnt have said it any better than the last couple posts have worded it. I got into an "argument" of sorts about this very subject on a FB thread last week or so. I REALLY hope it doesnt get to the point of needing to evacuate out of here, but I wasnt going to allow my family to stay here and deal with that, if it got to that point. Especially when my wife would have had to leave with 2 kids under the age of 5 and 2 dogs...

I like how most of the posters have been the ones that have evacuated out of here. Do oyu guys a a guilty conscience since you left or sent your family away. Please Don't get me wrong I am very happy that you left. The base is really nice now without all the HENS around. There are no lines at the commisary or NEX. The Mafia isn't hoarding all the mearchandise.

I am hoping that they dont lift the voluntary evacuation for a long time. Me saying that does not mean that I do not want the situation with Nuke plant to be fixed.

To the people that took the voluntary flight home and did not pay for your flight do you know that if you come back early before the voluntary evacuation is lifted you will loose your SOFA status? (that is a rumor so don't quote me)(I trust the source). So what are your plans if this thing goes on for 6 months? Kids can't be registured in the schools. w/out being SOFA sponsored. You will loose your base housing if you live on base.

Don't believe everything you hear.

usmcoefvet, you have posted intelligent stuff in the past but this last one is beneath you. No one is losing SOFA status for coming back early; what they may lose is paid entitlement for a return flight once PCS time rolls around. There is a message posted somewhere in another discussion to that effect. That's a small price to pay for peace of mind.

The reason so many evacuees are posting here is in response to other discussions with hateful, small-minded comments like your own. Trust me, no one who left has a guilty conscience. What is there to be guilty for when you take the actions you feel are necessary to protect your family? It's nice that you find the base so pleasant with many people gone, but your observations are in direct contradiction to other haters who blame the evacuees for loss of services on base, long lines, etc. If you're gonna blame those who left, you all at least need to get your stories straight.

@dana. I said it was a rumor

@taiguy. When did you hear the lines were long, right after the earthquake? Of course they were long all the people were freaking out. I havent seen long lines in about a week and a half. I still find it hilarious that you evacuated when you live in Iwakuni. Did you get all your inforation from the same people who were buying up iodine pills in california about how bad it qas going to be. I beleive you took this oportunity as a vacation to thailand. You can say all you want about how your sources told you it was going to be worse than what the higher ups were telling us but you know that there was no threat to Iwakuni during the earthquake after the earthquake, or in the future. Please tell me you dont have marines or sailors in Iwakuni that depend on your contract work to do their job. If so you should be ashamed.

ok, first of all, im the one who started this post, and i didnt evacuate from japan... i dont even LIVE in japan, yet. So if anyone wants this to be all fine and dandy it is ME so my family can be with my husband for the first time in MONTHS. i was on my WAY there when this happened....took a 14 hour plane ride to end up back in the states. SO... on that note, dont go there with the "all of you evacuated" and even if i was there, i dont know if i would have left..i wasnt in that position and it is not MY job to tell people they did leave that they are bad people and make the "smug" comments to them. since WHEN is it your job mr. all high and mighty to tell people what they should do to protect their family, or responsible decisions for their family. not once have i seen anything in these threads about the family they had back in the STATES that were freaking out and wanted their family members to come home. There are how many thousands of people dead and MISSING, do you not think that other family members want them to be safe IF something did happen? This talk of " free vacation" is getting really ridiculous.... not everyone is taking a free vacation... just because they go out and do things with their children when they are staying in a hotel or on a family members couch .. doesnt mean they are vacationing, have you ever tried keeping your children in the house....you would go crazy.

And for you to say that "your glad all of the dependants left" .... im pretty sure they will be glad when/if you guys get nuked then . You people that are mad that people did evacuate sure cant seem to make up your mind, either your mad because base activities ,ect are closed, or your happy that they are gone...even though they WILL return.

What kind of parent are you if you can bash people on this site for them making decisions for their children....you wouldnt tell your child to go play in a parking lot with cars all around (or i hope not).. so the fact that you people keep going ON AND ON AND ON about them leaving...ask your self what kind of parent are you for keeping your children there in the middle of a risk that could potentially get worse...to me that would be the only guilty conscience. knowing i put my child in harms way. My husband is over there, and i know hes perfectly fine right now...BUT ... i want him home because if something DOES happen.. i dont want him to be exposed to anything....especially since we know it might happen and we've had plenty of chances to get them out of there,
idione tablets arent going to be enough to help .

i think this is where you can really see the difference between americans and the japanese. please think about what you say before you speak. im pretty sure if i was over there and evacuated i wouldnt want to hear what you say about me leaving. you do realize that these people up and left their spouses, houses, have no car, living out of a suitcase until further notice,on top of trying to keep their children occupied ...correct?

Bravo, Tabitha... well said. Since you haven't even made it to Japan yet, I'm sorry you had to be exposed to the worst of the community before even arriving here. Anyway, it sounds like you're able to stand up for yourself and keep in mind... there really are kind & caring people people on the bases here.

Ok so let me get this straight.. You have never been to japan? You post a couple paragraph article from yahoo news that says twice the level for evac. Do you know how far we are away from the nuke plant and were they took those readings from and the distance it is from the bases that evacuated people. You stated before that you don't care were were it is or how the levels were taken, why don't you care? Why don't you use google and educate yourself on the whole situation before coming on here and posting a link and asking why we are still here. Then when people tell you it is not in danger to us you freak out and question why we are here and that we are putting are lives at risk.

Are you a meteorologist? Were did you get the info that it will take 5 hours for it reach us. Please stop stating facts if you do not have a clue.

Your whining about them leaving there spouse, not having a car, living out of a suit case needs to stop. That is a choice. They are not living in a gym/shelter some were. they are getting enough money to live in a hotel. They get there lodging and food paid for there. Don't give me this hard ship BS. It wasn't a mandatory evacuation. They chose to leave. Nobody put them on a flight to some city a made them fend for themselves.

Do you want all Americans evacuated from japan including military on the hunch that something might happen? I'm just asking because that is what I'm getting from reading your last sentence in the third paragraph. If so do us all a favor and stop posting on here. Do you know what the consequences would be if all military just got up and left. Who would be flying supplies to the Japanese whos life got destroyed by the earthquake. Were would the Japanese get the tons of fresh water that is being sent to the reactors. How would the Japanese protect themselves from attack from china or North Korea. You told me that I need to think before I speak, I think you need to do some research before you post or comment about what is going on over here.

By the way I don't have kids they are a choice and I choose to not have them so I do not take pitty on people that do have kids and have to deal with them as I said they are a choice. And I would tell a kid to go play in a parking lot I wouldn't tell him to go play on a freeway.

Multiple post

Multiple post

Multiple post

Multiple post

you must be extremely ignorant to the fact that just because i am not over there does not mean that i dont know what is going on. Let me REITERATE for you my husband is active duty over there. i do watch the news, i do talk to him every day... dont act like i dont know what the hell im talking about. sorry for not being more specific about ---->> MY OPINION <<---- about the military not NEEDING to be over there. I believe that if they arent apart of the help that we are assisting japan in, they should be able to leave sooner so when/if something does happen, the only people needing to get out would those being in assistance. And the fact that you are taking what i say and COMPLETELY changing the meaning to it is ridiculous. Its not that "i dont care" about where the reading was taking or how far away from bases it is.... my point was that it will eventually get to the bases.

And about me "whining" about people leaving their family and house ect.... it WAS a choice...a choice they made to protect their family from harms way. POINT EXACTLY ...but you clearly wouldnt understand that because you dont have the joy of having a child and understanding sacrifice for your children.

Im done responding to idiotic remarks. so how about YOU stop posting on here. Its none of ANYBODYS business whether someone CHOSE to leave or not, im pretty sure as an american citizen we all have the right to CHOOSE to do what we think is best.

Families Frustrated by Lack of Answers From Yokosuka Hospital

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific...l-1.139699

OK, read the article. I wonder why people would leave if they have small children? We just do not know long term effects, but beyond that I know for some, this was scary and I don't think it is appropriate or fair to be so hateful and judgemental. Sure some will always be taking advantage of a situation, but to assume so much is really ignorant. When we left, on our onw dime, we had no idea about entitlements, and even if we did it would not have made a difference. Whatever, you can't reason with hate.

usmcoefvet - Really? Why are you so angry and hateful? I just don't get it? Did someone take your milk money? Why do you cast such hateful comments to people you do not even know?

What has happened to people? My goodness.

This site is supposed to be a supportive website, but I just see so much negativity, and from usual posters. I realize there is the rant function, but truly if this keeps up, I have to wonder if the site can survive. I am close to wanting to stop coming and advise others of the same.

Please don't forget that this has been a historically tragic event and everyone will handle it differently. I know many rational, sane, well adjusted individuals stateside that were also very, very upset by what has happened to Japan. And everyone I knew wanted us out of there for a variety of reasons.

My goodness, the nuclear situation aside, there is such an incredible amount of suffering. Whay can't we focus our efforts on doing something positive instead of bickering like little children and being self-focused!

Gene's wife putting her 2 cents.

Posted By usmcoefvet on 04-02-2011 12:47 AM
Ok so let me get this straight.. You have never been to japan?.......Do you know how far we are away from the nuke plant and where they took those readings from and the distance it is from the bases that evacuated people?........You stated before that you don't care were were it is or how the levels were taken, why don't you care?.......Are you a meteorologist? Were did you get the info that it will take 5 hours for it reach us.

Your whining about them leaving there spouse, not having a car, living out of a suit case needs to stop....they are getting enough money to live in a hotel. They get there lodging and food paid for there.

Do you want all Americans evacuated from japan including military on the hunch that something might happen?.......Do you know what the consequences would be if all military just got up and left. Who would be flying supplies to the Japanese who's life got destroyed by the earthquake?

You pretty much nailed it with this post. Clueless sensationalism driven by US media and boat rumors (yes, most "facts" that come off a ship are about useless). Combine that with the idea that US military should be kept out of harms way at any cost and you have panicked insanity with pointless suggestions.

I don't feel there is any major risk. If people want to leave and celebrate how smart and wonderful their idea is, then those people shouldn't be surprised with the people that chose to stay laugh at you. There seems to be some smugness on both sides, but the ones running away seem to flaunt the "I'm smarter because I planned better" attitude more. I could wear a helmet all the time and be better prepared as well, but is it necessary? Not at all.

Hopefully those dependents that split are enjoying their all expense paid vacation. Talk about a massive cash crop. Any whining from those people needs to be met with a swift punch in the face.

How about everyone that sits here, wants to bash people for every little thing they post and try and make fun of them for wanting to be safe, why dont you use your energy in a more efficient way and go help the people of japan that need it. you guys are ridiculous. this is not high school anymore, get over yourselves. Everyone is different, you are not better than the people that left. Good lord.

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific...l-1.139699

For Mr. Know it all with no children ^^

Oops, sorry Gene's wife - didnt see you posted that same article.!

Posted By Gene on 04-02-2011 3:16 AM
Families Frustrated by Lack of Answers From Yokosuka Hospital

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific...l-1.139699

OK, read the article. I wonder why people would leave if they have small children? We just do not know long term effects,

Just a word of advice....

When you read an article and there is not one official statement in it, you should use that paper for lining a birdcage, as it's already full of crap.

That was an article, completely based of rumors. Not a single person could say "LCDR XXX of Yokosuka hospital told use we should take our kids out of country".

Why is it that there are no official statements? Just rumors from the same circle of gossipers?

BTW, long term effects of exposure to ionizing radiation is highly documented. YOU may not know long term effects, but a lot of people do.

I think his angry post was due to the general ignorant fear mongering posts. It could also be due to the lack of critical thinking the fear mongerers are using (this article say RUN! RUN! RUN!... it was based off dependent rumors).

America detonated nukes on US soil. We dumped radioactive waste into the ground in Tennessee, Washington, Idaho and many other states. Using this same fear mongering those states should all be avoided at any cost, as there's a slightly higher chance of being exposed to radioactive isotopes. But, when you come back to reality and realize that the chance is insignificant you'll realize why nobody cares.

If you're sleeping better not being in Japan right now, good for you. But there's no reason to return to a forum and try fear mongering to get people to run to your side.

So.... you point is, the Naval Hospital DIDN'T call families advising them to leave? Do you doubt the essence of the story?

Posted By ThaiGuy on 04-02-2011 7:28 AM
So.... you point is, the Naval Hospital DIDN'T call families advising them to leave? Do you doubt the essence of the story?

There may have been some rogue idiot corpsman that said something to a woman at a hospital, and from there the rumor mill exploded.

The following statements lead me to think the whole article is sensationalist garbage.

U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka is calling parents of children age 5 and under and recommending that they send their children out of the country, several parents told Stars and Stripes.

Yawn, people spurring on rumors to feel special. They can never point to a name of who is telling them these things.

The hospital has not publicly announced any such recommendation

This gives the impression that the hospital isn't officially putting out this info.

Hospital officials have declined comment since Wednesday, and on Friday referred all questions to Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii.

Yep, again it appears that no such blanket policy or idea was ever put out.


When I see a story lacking all sources and where questioned officials say it isn't true- I get the impression it's just the standard gossip rumor-mill.

I believe that if they aren't apart of the help that we are assisting japan in, they should be able to leave sooner so when/if something does happen, the only people needing to get out would those being in assistance.

Tabitha03, if you pull all of the people out of here that aren't providing relief, then there is NO SUPPORT for the folks who are actually "boots on the ground."

I don't know that the Navy has done studies on this because they are not usually so close to what is going on, and so maybe they don't think about all that much. The Army on the other hand has researched this on numerous occasions, and it more or less comes down to for every troop in "combat" (or in this case providing relief) there are approximately 7 personnel in support potions.

Just a FYI, something they (They being the US Navy Nuclear Program) taught us in school, that 70,000 offspring of nuclear bomb survivors showed no significant increase in genetic defects. You'll note that it doesn't say that there were 'none' found. Due to such a large cross section of course you'll find some. Even without the extra dose their parents picked up.

Also, there are other things to take into account, radionuclides, half lives of said nuclides, distance from them and any shielding. Heck, one year I was in the Reactor Compartment of some trident submarine down in Georgia. I was writting down the numbers as my coworker was taking the readings. That's when I decided it was time to go on a diet. He said I knocked down the radiation level by a 10th! Very insulting if you ask me.

In the meantime, I hope all of you that either stayed, left or somewhere in between are well, taken care of and know that your loved ones feel better for the decision that you made. And that the powers that be will remove the blasted stop movement order soon so I can get over there.

Ciao

The Hospital never called officially telling parents to take their small children and leave. It was someone or people that work there that did it --and probably because of personal feelings. People went right away to CFAY and "higher ups" to ask if it was true and should they be leaving. As you can see the base (or any of the bases!) have not come out to say small children should be gone, and even the hospital said itself "has not publicly announced any such recommendation."

It's just like my friend who got a call for her ombudsman at 10 PM one night telling her they were urging people to take the Voluntary Evacuation. It's people taking things into their own hands, and while they think they may be doing right, they're only causing much more unneeded stress and confusion.

And the radiation is around background noise --in Yokoto they compare it to a certain States radiation levels everyday (Boise, Idaho anyone?). There will be no long term effects of radiation down the road as we're not being exposed to troubling amounts. It's only if something drastically horrible happens (and that's why we have the Voluntary Departures because it's an uncertainty) with those plants and I'm sure we'll all be on a plane within a week if that happens. Probably shipped off to Korea or Guam at first, but we'll get there.

And Tabitha --"why dont you use your energy in a more efficient way and go help the people of japan that need it." I know you're upset and there has been a lot of rude comments, but what do you think most of the people in Japan, 'specially active duty, are doing here??? Sorry, that really rubbed me the wrong way.

Hello,

I can tell that the radiation crisis has all of us stressed-myself included. We deal with it in our own way, sometimes in a positive fashion, sometimes not so positive, again, myself included.

I'm not here to get in an arguement or take sides, just to give information.

Last week around 5 pm, I got a call from someone identifying himself as a spokesman for the Yokosuka hospital. He knew my youngest son's name. He said he had a statement to read and then he would answer questions afterwards. He used the same “abundance of caution” phrase noted in the Stripes article and said that the hosptial was recommending that young children voluntarily evacuate the area. When I asked him if the situation had become more critical recently, he replied no and used the same “abundance of caution” phrase.

I admit becoming more frightened after the call and my fatherly instincts kicked in, temporarily dislodging my logical side. There's so much information out there now, it's tough to know what or who to believe.

I did read an article that seems to make sense. Here it is:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...risis.html

I intend to post it in its own topic to reach more folks.

I read an article from the English version of the Daily Yomiuri that literally brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that no matter how stressed, confused, depressed or angry I may feel, I am indeed, a lucky man.

Warning: This may cause you, also, to break out in tears.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/nationa...005873.htm

I think what so many are having a hard time understanding is why so many people felt they were in such immediate danger. Although we all felt the first, big earthquake, we were relatively spared from the worst here in Yokosuka (and on other bases). We never got a huge tsunami, nor suffered massive destruction from the quake itself. The Japanese govt only evacuated people 20 km from the nuclear reactors. There has been no talk about evacuating people in Tokyo or Yokohama. They still are contemplating the 20 - 30 km zone outside the plant. My thinking is, if there was a real threat of things getting much, MUCH worse, then the evacuation zone would have been expanded by now. When they start evacuating people out of Tokyo, then I'll start to worry. I'm not sure where people are getting their information that the worst is going to happen or likely to happen. I'm not trying to downplay the situation. I do think there is a serious problem going on right now w/ these reactors, but I'm just not understanding why so many people so far from Fukushima feared the worst. I trust that if things were as bad as it seems to so many out there, our government would be encouraging all of us to leave now rather than take the "wait and see" approach. But, they felt we were never in any real danger, so they never took that approach.

I asked my Japanese students the other day how they would feel if they were w/in the 20 - 30 km zone. They said they would leave the area. I asked them what they would do if they lived 50 km from the reactors. They said they would "of course" stay until the government told them that it was no longer safe. We are so much further and yet people on our base feel more threatened by what's going on than the people so much closer to the plant. That puzzles me. I don't know if it's because the Japanese are getting different information about what's going on than the Americans, or if it's s/thing else. It just strikes me as odd that we had more panic and chaos on our base when they decided to get people out of here than they did up north where the worst tragedy happened. The people up north remained so calm and pulled together through the worst of times, yet people on base flipped out when they were in far better shape.

I'm not judging people for leaving. I still feel that if you felt uncomfortable on foreign soil and needed to get away from the stress of e/thing, then it probably was a good idea to leave. I know that experiencing an earthquake like the one we had is terrifying to some that have never experienced one before. What I don't agree w/ is how people panicked and spread paranoia throughout the base when we were never in any immediate danger. A massive tidal wave never struck Yokosuka. The nuke plant wasn't right outside our main gate, and although we felt aftershocks, they were relatively small in comparison to what the rest of northern Japan was feeling. Yet, I saw people kicking and screaming to get out of here like that was going on right at our front door. Why? Was it really necessary to react that way? Did it help to get e/one out of here faster or did it just spread more panic to people that were otherwise willing to stick it out until our govt said we all needed to leave?

I think the base commanders made some mistakes along the way. I'm sure in hindsight, they see that now. There was a lot of misinformation that went out that fueled the panic (from both sides). But, I think their were people pressuring them to put word out before they were ready to. I don't think we would have had as many problems as we did if people would have just remained calm and waited patiently for the correct information to come out. There's enough blame to go around for everyone. I just wish that we could have taken the same approach that the Japanese did by remaining calm and supporting each other no matter how stressful the situation became. We could learn a lot from our Japanese friends......through their courage, sensitivity, and ability to remain calm no matter what happens.

Posted By toraenglish on 04-02-2011 5:51 PM
Last week around 5 pm, I got a call from someone identifying himself as a spokesman for the Yokosuka hosptial. He knew my youngest son's name. He said he had a statement to read and then he would answer questions afterwards. He used the same “abundance of caution” phrase noted in the Stripes article and said that the hosptial was recommending that young children voluntarily evacuate the area. When I asked him if the situation had become more critical recently, he replied no and used the same “abundance of caution” phrase.

I've been looking around for a little bit after I posted and I see that these calls seem to be coming from the Pediatric department but the rest of the Hospital doesn't seem to be on board... or isn't the "ones" spreading the information.

It's pretty troubling. The stress resulting from these phone calls is really problematic since the base or anyone else isn't endorsing/agreeing with the "memo" they're reading from.

I know after these phones calls started it was the deciding factor for a few to take the voluntary departure because they didn't feel their children were safe anymore.

(And thanks Tora, I'm going to give the articles a read)

Something that everyone who did not leave needs to understand is that some of us who did leave did not leave because of the threat from the nuclear plant. Honestly, that was the last thing on my mind when I chose to leave. I have three children, ages 10, 7 and 3. I left for them, yes, but not because of radiation fears. My children were very scared by the first earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks. They were having trouble sleeping at night and cried and wanted to leave the apartment every time there was the smallest aftershock. These are children that, prior to March 11's earthquake, thought that the earthquakes we got in Yokosuka were fun. They would stand there and laugh through them before. Now, even the smallest aftershock sent them into panic. Even that, though, wasn't enough to sway me completely. I made my decision when I got an email from my 1st graders teacher on the 17th saying that there would be no school the next day and schools would be closed until further notice. That same evening, there was a post on FB from CFAY saying that MWR facilities including the movie theater and bowling alley would be closing. Now, apparently, that was wrong or whatever because that obviously did not happen, but I made my decision based on the fact that my children could not go to school and there would be no activities on base to keep them busy. At that point, I figured there was no point in staying especially since it was affecting my kids' mental well being so much. My children were nervous wrecks, jumping at every strange sound and any loud noise when we first arrived in the States. They still don't like to see or hear things rattle, but they are enrolled in school and activities and are returning to a much calmer state. I know that I made the right decision for them, even though it was a very hard decision for me. Some consideration needs to be given to the fact that not all of us who left are fear mongers or gossip listeners. Some of us have very good, LOGICAL reasons for leaving. And I can tell you that I for one, really wish I had not had to do it. We are scheduled to PCS in June so most likely will not be returning to Japan. This is not how I expected or wanted my time in Japan to end. I wish I could have stayed with my friends who are still there on base and the many Japanese friends I made, but I had to put my kids' emotional and mental well-being first. I'm not sure why there are so many hateful, judgmental words flying on both sides. Everyone made the best decision for them, at the time, with the information at hand - both those who stayed and those who left. No one should be judged for the decision they made as everyone had different reasons and different factors influencing their decision. I hope to be able to come back to properly say goodbye to Japan and to all of my wonderful friends there.

Posted By ErinBeth on 04-03-2011 12:55 AM
.......I chose to leave.........my children were very scared by the first earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks.

So where did you go to?
Will you move every time an earthquake happens? If your husband gets stationed in Cali will you leave him for those years to stay in an earthquake free area?

Hopefully you took your kids far inland, so they won't have to fear tsunamis either.

The hospital (navy) is just covering itself for the future. After the call was made that "strongly suggested" I evacuate my children, it was made clear that my decision to stay and not follow the hospitals suggestion to leave would be annotated in their medical record.

Posted By Drudwn on 04-03-2011 9:16 AM
The hospital (navy) is just covering itself for the future. After the call was made that "strongly suggested" I evacuate my children, it was made clear that my decision to stay and not follow the hospitals suggestion to leave would be annotated in their medical record.

$100 says there is no such thing documented anywhere, as the hospital has come out and said they were not putting out that info. Go visit the hospital, and look at the record and photo copy the entry so we can all find out who this nameless mystery caller is. Although if you do this, you will likely not be special anymore- because you'll find the entry missing.


It would be that same as an idiot on a ship saying "we sunk 18 Chinese subs" and then a bunch of dependents running around saying the Navy has put out that they have been sinking Chinese subs. Please, find a clue and hold onto it.

A rogue idiot is nowhere near official business. Let alone a rogue nameless idiot. It fascinates me that anyone puts faith in rumors from an "unknown" individual. Let alone an entire article based off rumors.

And as far as taking it the next step and saying "the Navy is covering itself for the future". Your story is getting even more exciting and  ignorant. Covering themselves? From what? If they tell you you're fat and you need to lose weight, but you don't- guess what? You still get care for your fat related problems. If you think they fear lawsuits, I hate to break it to you but they don't.

Keep pushing the rumor mill. Some people love the ignorant gossip. I'm doubtful you ever got a call.

I did in fact receive a call from the hospital advising that I take advantage of the authorized departure because I had a child under 5 and this was being advised as an abundance of caution.  This was a dr. from pediatrics from the hospital.  They knew my child's name and had my work phone number and my name.  Who else would do this and how are they getting my personal information? I asked what had changed since the information being passed is that the risk and levels are low and not signifcant to cause any health concerns. He reiterated this was just cautionary because children under five are more suseptible. (sp)  The first thing I thought was this was going to really set people off once again because its conflicting information. How can you say there's no risk but strongly encourage children under 5 to depart.  My child already departed, with the medical record, so I doubt it was being noted by hand. I believe since the record is gone someone is using the eletronic info to cull through and make calls.  Either way, I don't mind the advice, I do mind the fact that I'm not sure if it is legit or not.  Until I saw the article and the dialogue on this db, I thought it was legit but now i'm concerned with bad info, stirring up panic once again and who's accessing my personal info.  A one liner from the hospital would clear it up.

The concern should be that some ignorant corpsman is making rogue phone calls. If that is the case the person should be sent to NJP and possibly booted from the Navy.

These are two quotes from the article:
"The hospital has not publicly announced any such recommendation"
"Hospital officials have declined comment since Wednesday, and on Friday referred all questions to Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii."

I would be severely pissed about a call if I got one and raised hell to find out what ignorant person has access to records that clearly lacks the intelligence or maturity to handle them.

Yes, agree. This individual, a male, identified himself as a Dr. stated his name and I'm kicking myself for not writing it down, I was just so caught off guard with the message. But I'm pretty sure there is an audit trail of who accessed our electronic medical record/info..and I would like to know the last person who was in there. I don't know how to go about requesting this since I'm not sure who you can trust at this point. I'd suggest anyone else who received a call as well to see if they can find out who the last one in your record was. I'm hoping they have this capability.

Why would I lie about receiving a call. I have nothing to gain. I did not leave nor plan to.

My caller was a female LT. Nurse

So it appears that there are at least two people claiming to be the hospital making the calls. I received one and I believe everyone else that states they've received them. I have no doubt. But now I find it more interesting there's clearly more than one individual that was calling parents.

Maybe someone should post on the hospital's facebook page or the hospitals ombudsman's page who have gotten phone calls. It's widely viewed, especially now, and it's run by people connected to the hospital. I would love to see what they post in response particularly about the note in your records.

I received 3 phone calls in the last 3 days! All were LT.'s The first time I answered. They told me that they are recomending everyone who has kids under the age of 5 to take their kids out of the country. They mentioned my daughters name. The second time they called they spoke to my husband with the same spill. The third call we got I asked why they kept calling me and they said "Sorry, we will cross your name off the list so you won't receive another phone call"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Naval...9210691839

Here you go. I'd love to see a post on there asking for the names of individuals that have been calling people encouraging them to leave.

Or ask who at the hospital directed those calls to be made.

Randy, "IGNORANT corpsman" REALLY?? Did you REALLY say that? This is calling is widespread and clearly from the top. To INSULT corpsman who take ground with troops in battle and put their lives on the line is over the top.
This is not some corpsman just wanting to make more work for himself.
Look to command for an answer.

Randy, "IGNORANT corpsman" REALLY?? Did you REALLY say that? This is calling is widespread and clearly from the top. To INSULT corpsman who take ground with troops in battle and put their lives on the line is over the top.
This is not some corpsman just wanting to make more work for himself.
Look to command for an answer.