OSAKA, Japan - What started off as a whirlwind of a mission evolved into a great working and learning experience for the Kentucky National Guard's 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment as they embarked on a mission to Camp Itami located on the outskirts of Osaka, Japan.
Members of the 133rd MPAD provided direct public affairs support to the Yama Sakura 61 exercise at Camp Itami from Jan. 23 to Feb. 3.
The members selected to participate - coined the nickname "the Japan 5" - included Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Oliver, acting first sergeant, broadcast journalists Army Staff Sgt. Rebecca Wood and Army Spc. Josh Bennett, and print journalists Army Staff Sgt. Fredrick Varney and Army Spc. Brandy Mort.
For one member of the Japan 5 team it was a second chance to visit home.
"I was extremely excited to hear about our Japan mission," Oliver said. "It gave me an opportunity to come back to my birthplace."
The Japan 5 began their trip by flying out of Louisville, Kentucky International Airport. An unexpected tornado in Louisville delayed all flight schedules forcing the team to spend the night in Chicago.
After spending the night in "The Windy City," the team finally boarded a plane headed for Tokyo. Fifteen hours later the team reached Camp Itami, Japan.
With droopy eyes and a serious case of jet-lag, team members managed to sit through a briefing conducted by the in-processing staff at Camp Itami.
Army Maj. Randall Baucom, chief of public affairs U.S. Army Japan, introduced himself as the Yama Sakura 61 exercise public affairs officer and gave the team the overall mission objective, guidelines and procedures.
The very next day after the arrival the Japan 5 got the ball rolling with their mission. Their mission was to provide direct public affairs support for the Yama Sakura 61 exercise.
Yama Sakura is a bi-annual, bilateral computer simulated command post exercise designed to strengthen military operations and ties between the U.S. Army and the Japan ground self-defense force.
Since most of the Japan 5 team are traditional Guard members, Yama Sakura gave them an opportunity to work in an active public affairs office.
"This mission has helped me work under pressure and produce products with a quick turn-around," Bennett said. "That's something I wasn't used to before coming to Japan."
During their mission the Japan 5 produced 19 news stories. This includes nine news articles and 10 video productions.
"MPADs, I have found, come in all shapes and sizes," Baucom said, "The 133rd is one of the top two National Guard MPADs I have worked with in the nine years as a public affairs officer."
The overall mission proved to be a success for the Japan 5 team.
"I'm very proud of the job accomplished by the 133rd MPAD during Yama Sakura 61," Varney said. "We have represented the unit, the state, and the Kentucky National Guard well."