The 2013 Tomodachi San Diego Thank You Ceremony at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on March 26th was an emotional and very special meeting between tsunami survivors and their American helpers. Seven high school students and one elementary school student and his mother met members of the task force of U.S. Marines and Navy that participated in Operation Tomodachi. This rapid and massive relief effort provided aid to Japanese coastal towns in the days after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011.
Deputy Consul General Masahiro Suga expressed his deep appreciation to the US military for its immense and generous help, and to the people of San Diego for all their support. He explained that while the recovery is still far from complete, all of the help provided a jumpstart to both the recovery work and the spirits of the Japanese people.
At the ceremony, an emotion-filled exchange of gifts and gratitude included a thank-you in English by Japanese students. The group also toured the Command Museum and sat down for a joint lunch where students, marines and sailors could share stories. The US service members said they were moved by the expressions of gratitude from the students, just as they had been amazed by the expressions of appreciation from the residents they helped two years earlier.
Mayor Bob Filner represented the city of San Diego, and Honorary Consul General of Japan in San Diego Kate Leonard, the Consulate General’s representative in the region, was on hand at this event hosted by the Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana. Tomodachi San Diego is a part of the Tomodachi Initiative, a public-private Japan-US partnership to increase exchange and understanding of the recovery. Its name was inspired by Operation Tomodachi, the recovery effort by the US Marines and Navy immediately following the earthquake and tsunami. |
- 
