Buildup/Breakdown #9: Okinawa
![Image](http://web.archive.org./web/20220810053057im_/https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MA6TSuti-Y8/S2Ta9cBN2uI/AAAAAAAADrI/WRqz9T4D6oI/s400/oct2295protest.jpg)
Amidst all the discussion of US - Japanese relations and the feelings of Guam being excluded from this process, or being yet again an object of US militarization, its easy to forget about the place where the Marines are coming from to Guam. Namely Okinawa. Early on in the buildup process, people on Guam didn't know much about Okinawa, and despite years of this "transfer" looming over our heads, we still don't know very much. Those who have served there have some recollections of life there, but for the most part our imagining of Okinawa is defined solely by the premise that the people there, don't want the Marines there anymore and are thus sending them here. Some high-profile rapes by US Marines of Okinawan women and young girls have helped to cement this impression in people's minds. In a way, this lack of information has been helpful in pushing people to be distrusting of the buildup and those who are planning it. The lack of a strong connection with Okina