The greatest naval armada the world had ever seen assembled on April 1, 1945, before the Ryukyu island chain. Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa by Allied forces, was about to begin. The fleet assembled for the task consisted of more than 40 aircraft carriers, 18 battleships, 200 destroyers and hundreds of assorted support ships. Over 180,000 troops made the assault on Easter Sunday.
Fifty-five years later, the Americans are still in Okinawa, part of Japan's southernmost island chain. "Pulling the lanyard off is a lot of fun," says Lance Cpl. Joshua Clark of the U.S. Marine Corps after firing 155 mm artillery rounds downrange in the maneuver area, reports the local U.S. Army paper.
The long-term Japanese residents of Okinawa, as well as those in the Yausubetsu area in northern Japan, are less amused. "Go home Americans!" is a slogan that is often heard today in Japan, and not only from Japanese Communists. The security and alliance policy is now a major issue for all politicians in Japan.