I Left a Piece of My Heart in Japan

I have written this blog many times in my head but I have not had the resolve to put it in writing until just recently. On 11 March 2011, Japan experienced their most catastrophic earthquake measuring 9.3 magnitude and experienced a resulting tsunami, which affected many parts of northeastern Japan. Left in the tsunami’s wake was a devastated landscape of splintered homes, decomposing bodies, twisted vehicles and a damaged nuclear power plant. Immediately following the large quake were several strong aftershocks. Everywhere buildings shook violently and everyone was on edge throughout the night and for many weeks to come.

For me, that day started out like any other ordinary Friday at work, but it quickly metamorphosed into an unforgettable day of tragedy and horror. The quake struck at approximately 2:45 pm at Camp Zama. Many of us were in our offices conducting business as usual when the walls started to shake. The walls were vibrating, the building was making sounds, and some of the employees were running out of the building screaming. Needless to say, I followed. I had never been through an earthquake so I really did not know what was happening at first but if the locals were concerned, I was going to do whatever they did. The earth kept moving for at least 3-5 minutes and we kept getting aftershocks in the 6-7 magnitude throughout the evening.

In the ensuing hours, many of you watched in horror the devastation as the story unfolded on all the news channels. To be honest, Camp Zama was insulated from any real damage but the reverberations of the aftermath caused many issues to arise. Immediately our management team and staff kicked into emergency mode to ensure 100% employee and family accountability across the country of Japan. This was initially difficult because all communication lines were down except for an occasional cell phone in which people communicated via Facebook or Twitter. I immediately called my husband to let him know I was well and that the images he was watching on TV were not what I was experiencing on Camp Zama.

The days that followed seemed to bleed into another and it all seemed like a bad dream as reports of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant began to unfold. The dream seemed never ending because we were experiencing aftershocks daily and I even had to take Dramamine because I was experiencing motion sickness. I never turned the TV off and packed my suitcases in case I was required to evacuate at a moments notice. There was a growing concern from some that the Japanese government was not telling the truth about just how bad the damage was. To further complicate matters, the US government began “voluntary departure” orders for specialized groups of people and it caused some panic and hysteria for those that did not immediately qualify under those orders. Many things quickly ramped up that were “Neo” like and some US citizens were evacuated off the island. The rest of us left behind continued to focus on our mission and tried to conduct business as usual but this again was further complicated by conflicting reports of radiation contamination in the air, food, and water supply. My personal lowest point was on a morning that I learned the base well water supply had detected contamination and we were advised to only drink bottled water…I had just brushed my teeth! That same week all US citizens were issued potassium iodide (KI) pills. KI pills were intended to be a “just in case” measure and were issued to prevent the thyroid from absorbing radiation in the event our radiation exposure levels spiked. I had to report to the gym on base, hear a safety briefing from the medical command, sign for the 7-day supply and return to work. Thank goodness, we actually never had to ingest the KI pills but having them in my possession caused some distress if I thought about it too much. I personally performed better when I kept my mind and thoughts focused on the mission rather than the possible catastrophic events that could occur. Everyone reacts to situations differently and I discovered that I was a stronger person than I thought I was and I found that I could keep my cool in an emergency.

Here we are almost a year later and I still think about the unbelievable amount of concern, love and support shown from a network of friends, co-workers and family that kept in touch with me daily bolstering my morale during my stay in Japan. I bonded with many of my immediate co-workers on a level that I feel I will never experience again. My supervisory chain showed incredible leadership and calm during the crisis and their concern for our employees impressed me. Although news of Japan's tsunami and earthquake has faded on the news channels, my heart and fondness for the Japanese people is forever etched in my memory…it is a memory filled with love and compassion not just devastation.