US navy in Okinawa imposes alcohol ban after drink-drive arrest

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian and agencies

US navy in Okinawa imposes alcohol ban after drink-drive arrest

Navy bans all 18,600 sailors stationed in Japan from drinking
alcohol and restricts their off-base activities

Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies
Monday 6 June 2016 09.34 BST

The US navy has imposed a drinking ban on thousands of sailors in Japan, after an officer’s arrest in Okinawa for drink-driving risked fuelling resentment towards the large US military presence on the southern Japanese island.

Aimee Mejia, a petty officer second class, was arrested after allegedly crossing into the opposite lane and colliding head-on with two cars while driving under the influence late on Saturday night, reports said.

Mejia, 21, was unhurt but two other people – a 35-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man – were injured.

“For decades we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan. It is imperative that each sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship and the US-Japan alliance as a whole,” Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, the commander of US naval forces in Japan, said in a press release on Monday.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/06/us-navy-okinawa-alcohol-ban-drink-drive-arrest

[MADem]

1. That's unbelievably stupid on the part of the flag officer.

There are Army, USMC and USAF assets on Okinawa who are not similarly burdened.

This is using a machine gun to solve a problem better addressed by a flyswatter.

[DrDan]

3. this was a petty officer - not a flag officer

a flag officer is a general or admiral - a petty officer is a non-commissioned navy rank

[MADem]

5. I'm talking about the moron who gave the NO BOOZE order, not the idiot driving the car.

I actually do have an understanding of the chain of command, having served for decades in that outfit...LOL!

That E-5 will never make E-6; so much for the overseas screening process.

COMNAVFORJAPAN essentially issued an unenforceable order. Anyone with friends on base can send them for beer, and anyone can buy overpriced booze out in town. Who can tell USN from USAF or USA? About the only ones that stick out are USMC.

[JayhawkSD]

2. “For decades we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan."

Actually, for decades when these sorts of things have happened, including rapes of young girls by groups of Marines, we have managed to transfer the offenders back to the continental US before the Japanese authorities could get their hands on them and then tell the Japanese,
"Who us? We don't know who you might be talking about."

We are no longer that efficient, so the Japanese got their hands on some of the offenders and the military leadership doesn't know whether to shit or go blind.

[MADem]

6. No longer--I sat on a courts martial of an offender in Okinawa, and he got the BOOK thrown at

him. The only reason the Japanese didn't get first crack at him is because the victim was Filipina. I suspect he's still in Leavenworth.

I've seen service members transferred to Japanese jails for crimes of this nature and tried in Japanese courts. It's not an unusual occurrence at all any more. Since 1995, when Bill Clinton was POTUS, we've been giving Japan the first refusal option:

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/26/world/us-to-turn-over-troops-accused-of-murder-or-rape-to-japan.html

Are there service members who do not behave properly while living/serving abroad? Yes. Are they a tiny minority of the people who are serving? Also yes.

I think anything we can do to reduce misbehavior (better overseas screening, more training/education and understanding of consequences) is a good thing. We are moving in the right direction in this regard. That said, I do think COMNAVFORJAPAN's "edict" about booze is just stupid. He doesn't speak for Air Force or Army personnel, or their dependents, who can go buy booze at the Class 6 store without batting an eye. I also doubt the civilian clerks are going to tell USN personnel they can't buy pr even care, it's not their job to enforce CNFJ regs--and the rule is that they can't "consume." And who's going to know?

The worst orders are the ones that have no real teeth or rationale. This was one of them. If he really wants to make people miserable, make them come in on the weekend for alcohol awareness and sexual harassment training. That will be some agony-inducing "mass punishment" for the lousy behavior of a single individual!

[Nitram]

4. It's about time the U.S. military seriously cracked down. They got everybody's attention this time.

The Japanese need to see that we take crimes like rape, murder and drunken driving seriously. Otherwise servicemen think they can get away with anything and the brass will look the other way. This is the only way to get American service personnel to start monitoring each other.