AmericaFest 2011

Attack helicopter

Fighter Jet

by Pa Rock

A couple of young pilots at the controls of a C-130
Cargo Plane

Cultural Explorer


Kadena Air Base on Okinawa is the largest American air base in the Pacific.  While many local nationals work on the base, the vast majority of Okinawans have little or no access to this massive piece of their island.   One of their few opportunities to get on the base and look around comes over the Fourth of July weekend each year when Kadena holds it's annual AmericaFest celebration and allows all of the local nationals onto the base for the festivities.

My friends Nefredia, Valerie, and Daniel at
AmericaFest 2011

This year AmericaFest was held on July 1st and 2nd - Friday and Saturday.  I went with friends on Friday afternoon to look at and climb through many of the various aircraft which were on display, and then a friend and I went back on Saturday night to hear country music singer Jessie James and watch the fireworks display that closed out the event.

The mighty AWACS

Most of the units had tents set up where they sold unit tee-shirts and insignia, soft drinks and food, and sponsored games for the children..One of the more interesting games that I observed was where little kids fired pop guns at a table covered with plastic dinosaurs of various sizes.  If they knocked a dinosaur over, they won it.  I'm not sure what type of message that was supposed to give out!  (Maybe Sarah Palin is right and dinosaurs did walk the earth with our ancestors - and those good ole boys and girls killed them off for sport!)

C-130 with a snub nose

How well done would you like that burger?

AmericaFest 2011 was a big success and a lot of fun!  I will definitely go back again next year!