U.S. soldiers work together to clean up Nobiru Beach in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 13. (U.S. Army)
U.S. and Japanese soldiers joined local volunteers on Wednesday to tidy up a beach in northeastern Japan, the first joint cleanup effort there since the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.
About 40 soldiers — 20 from each country — met at Nobiru Beach in Miyagi prefecture, where they toured Higashi-Matsushima city’s 3.11 Disaster Recovery Memorial Museum before heading to the beach to pick up litter and debris.
The beach is about 18 miles northeast of Sendai city, which was hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The event was part of Yama Sakura, an annual 10-day command post exercise. This year, U.S., Japanese and, for the first time, Australian troops worked together to repel a theoretical invading enemy force through virtual and tabletop drills.
The experience of working alongside Self-Defense Force soldiers to comb the beach for objects such as driftwood, shells and trash was a “humbling” and rewarding experience, Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Waeltz told Stars and Stripes.
“It was an incredible feeling to give back to the community who welcomed us with gratitude,” Waeltz, an intelligence analyst for the 7th Infantry Division, said by email Wednesday. “It was evident that the local community appreciated our efforts.”
A U.S. soldier takes part in an effort to clean up Nobiru Beach in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 13. (U.S. Army)
The interaction between U.S. and Japanese troops echoed a similar effort after the Great East Japan Earthquake and its subsequent tsunami devastated the region a decade ago.
In the quake’s aftermath, the U.S. Army conducted the 10-day Operation Soul Train, during which American troops helped clear debris and clean up the nearby Nobiru Station to revive the JR Senseki train line, U.S. Army Japan spokesman Maj. Devon Thomas said by email Thursday.
The remains of the original Nobiru Station, which was rebuilt nearby, now houses the disaster memorial museum.
Soul Train was part of the larger Operation Tomodachi, in which about 24,000 U.S. service members helped with recovery and relief efforts after the disaster.
The significance of Wednesday’s cleanup wasn’t lost on Sgt. Erik Bay, the noncommissioned officer in charge of protocol for 7th ID.
“It was very moving to be in the exact location where Operation Tomodachi took place following the tsunami in 2011,” he said by email Wednesday. “The cleanup effort is still ongoing, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this event which highlights the continued bond between the United States and Japan.”
Bay said he was amazed by the amount of trash they removed from the beach, including a large piece of debris that he picked up with a local volunteer. Clearly, he said, the post-earthquake cleanup is still underway.
For Waeltz, who has participated in four iterations of Yama Sakura, the cleanup is something she won’t soon forget.
“It is definitely a memory that I will hold onto for the rest of my career and my life,” she said.
Japanese soldiers show pictures of recovery efforts for the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to U.S. soldiers visiting Nobiru Beach in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 13. (U.S. Army)
