Dear President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Secretary of State John Kerry and Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin,
We write as veterans of the U.S. Army's 137th Ordnance Company in Henoko, Okinawa, which became the Marines' Camp Henoko after Okinawa's reversion to Japan in 1972. We all have vivid memories of a lush subtropical environment with serene beaches where we swam, snorkeled and fished. Many of us formed friendships with Henoko residents, some of which continue to this day, and two men in our unit married women there, returning with them to settle in the United States after their army tours ended.
Local residents oppose moving the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station to Henoko because of the profound impact this would have on their safety, their quality of life and the environment. Numerous crashes recently of U.S. military aircraft in Okinawa and elsewhere attest to the risks of personal injuries and property damage. The greatly increased noise, especially from helicopters, would disturb the villagers. Fuel and smoke pollution would contaminate the air and water, fouling the bay where we swam and driving away fish and other animal life, including the dugong, an internationally protected species.