Marines expand Okinawa patrols

[unhappycamper]

Marines expand Okinawa patrols
By Cindy Fisher, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, April 6, 2008

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Marine Corps resumed courtesy patrols and expanded its patrol areas Friday, the same night curfew hours were eased a bit for servicemembers on Okinawa.

Marine Corps Bases Japan and III Marine Expeditionary Force will conduct the patrols in the popular night-life districts near military installations on Okinawa, said Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Judd Wilson in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

Patrol areas include Henoko, near Camp Schwab; Kin, outside Camp Hansen’s gates; Kadena Gate 2 Street, outside Kadena Air Base; American Village, near camps Foster and Lester; Kitamae, adjacent to Camp Foster; and Futenma, outside Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

The American Village and Futenma patrols are an expansion of the areas supervised before the “period of reflection” that restricted all SOFA-status personnel to base or off-base residences and the current curfew which was relaxed Friday. It now begins at midnight instead of 10 p.m.

The curfew and a ban on off-base alcohol consumption were enacted following two alleged rapes and other alleged misconduct in February. Though the curfew was eased Friday, the alcohol ban for all servicemembers remains in full effect.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=53858



uhc comment: These guys slay me with the language they use: "surge", "pause", "period of reflection". Why not call it what it is?