Helping Japan:Operation Tomodachi

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been leading members of the effort to assist the Japanese people in their recovery from the recent cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami that afflicted them just over a month ago now.As of 1 April,more than 15,000 sailors had participated in the humanitarian relief project known as Operation Tomodachi.Often dressed in their blue camouflage fatigues,the sailors and Marines have been more than willing to lay out their all for the essential task at hand.
At least 22 ships and 132 aircraft have been delivering more than 250 tons of disaster relief supplies in support of the Japanese Self Defense Forces,as their military is known.Initially,search and rescue had been prominent,with helicopters accessing areas cut off from civilization by the cruel events of recent times.Recovery of bodies has become a greater concern as time passes.
Among those involved have been personnel from the destroyers McCampbell(DDG 85)and Curtis Wilbur(DDG 54);amphibious warfare ships Essex(LHD 2)and Germantown(LSD 42)with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditonary Unit;the command ship Blue Ridge(LCC 19);and Naval Air Facility Atsugi.