Kaneohe Marines safe
from new policyAssignment changes will double
the tours of unaccompanied
personnel in Okinawa
Marines assigned to Kaneohe Bay should not be affected by a recent assignment policy lengthening the tours for Marines going to 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa or Japan without their families. The new policy doubles the tours to 24 months.
The new policy also lengthens the overseas assignments to 36 months for Marines who wish to take their families to Okinawa when they are assigned to the 3rd MEF.
The nearly 8,000 Marines assigned to Kaneohe Bay belong to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment -- an element of the 3rd MEF.
Maj. Chris Hughes, a Marine spokesman, said all Kaneohe Marines already pull a 36-month tour when they are assigned to Hawaii.
Hughes said that the Marine Corps does not consider Hawaii as an "overseas assignment, so it's possible that a Marine could get back-to-back long assignments to Hawaii and Okinawa."
Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, said in a written statement last week: "This issue was carefully considered by the Corps' senior leadership ... This decision is based on several key factors. First, the quality of life on Okinawa for Marines and their families has dramatically improved over the last 16 years. The overall quality of life is now relatively comparable to stateside assignments. Second, the reduced turnover will enhance our operational readiness and 3rd MEF's war-fighting capability."
Hughes said he agrees and would gladly take his family with him to Okinawa. "Crime rate is down, the schools are great and you get an increased cost-of-living allowance."
The Marine Corps said the change will occur over several years and won't be fully implemented until 2008.
The change was sought to reduce the turnover, which was considerable on Okinawa, since a majority of the Marines there are serving only 12-month tours.
The 3rd MEF has 17,000 officers and soldiers stationed overseas and accounts for 60 percent of the servicemen stationed in Okinawa.
