Served in Japan? Submit your photos for Sept. 4 event honoring U.S. military

Press Release: Have you or your family been stationed in Japan? If so, there’s an event for you next Friday.

The Japan-U.S. Military Program (JUMP) Pensacola Event will take place at the National Naval Aviation Museum on Friday, Sept. 4 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. And if you have photos from your time in Japan, the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida would like to include them in a slideshow.

JUMP connects past and present service members, families and government civilians who have served in Japan. Sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, it is a collaborative effort with the Embassy of Japan in the United States and the National Association of Japan-America Societies.

The Pensacola Event is being organized by the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, and local sponsors include the Pensacola Council Navy League and the Cpl. J.R. Spears Det. Marine Corps League.

“We are so fortunate to have a strong military presence along the Gulf Coast, including many who have served in the United States Forces Japan,” said Joe Vinson, president of the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida.

“The JUMP Pensacola Event is a way to honor those men and women who have helped strengthen the friendship between the U.S. and Japan for the last seven decades.”

Featured speakers at the JUMP Pensacola Event will include Lt. Gen. Duane Thiessen, past commander of the United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific and current president and CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, and the honorable Shinji Nagashima, Consul General of the Consulate-General of Japan in Miami.

Following the program, which will take place in the museum’s Blue Angels atrium, a reception will be held on the USS Cabot flight deck inside the museum.

The JUMP Pensacola Event is free and open to the public, but advance reservations are required. If you would like to attend, RSVP by emailing info@jasnwfl.org or calling (850) 361-8750.

If you have photos you’d like to include in the slideshow, please email them to info@jasnwfl.org with details about where they were taken. If you need help scanning older photos, someone can assist you.

For more information, visit jasnwfl.org or facebook.com/jasnwfl.