The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles will present “Operation Tomodachi and Afterwards: A U.S. Marine Corps Perspective” on Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, Los Angeles.
The lecture will be given by Dr. Robert D. Eldridge, deputy assistant chief of staff for G-7, political affairs and public diplomacy officer, Marine Corps Installations Pacific (Okinawa).
Eldridge was a tenured associate professor at the School of International Public Policy, Osaka University (OSIPP) and director, U.S.-Japan Alliance Affairs Division, Center for International Security Studies and Policy in Japan. His area of research is in Japanese political and diplomatic history, Japanese security policy and disaster preparedness.
He will speak about the actions taken by Americans immediately following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. American military forces in Japan began sending supplies, equipment, and personnel to the devastated areas to assist in relief efforts known as Operation Tomodachi. The operation took place from March 12 to May 4, 2011, involving 24,000 U.S. service members, 189 aircrafts, and 24 naval ships.
As deputy assistant chief of staff of the Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Japan, he was one of the first responders to northeastern Japan after the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the region. In his lecture, Eldridge will talk about his experiences and thought process during and after Operation Tomodachi and what we could learn from the disaster.
This event is co-presented by the Japan America Society of Southern California.
Admission is free, but RSVP is required. Click here to RSVP. For parking information, click here.