Edgren alumni return to Misawa

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Samuel Morse
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  As the "Month of the Military Child" kicked off, a group of Edgren High School alumni visited the base they used to call home. The group of eight toured not only the base, but many other parts of Japan as well. Part of the trip was a special office call with 35th Fighter Wing vice commander, Col. Joel Malone.

The alumni were treated to a current mission briefing. The briefing covered various aspects of the current mission and activities of Misawa Air Base and the 35th Fighter Wing, to include building developments on and off base, the Single Airman Extreme program, and statistics on the base's contribution to the Global War on Terror.

Afterwards, Colonel Malone further discussed how the base has changed since the alumni attended school, which in some cases was as far back as 42 years ago. Among the topics of discussion were old plane crashes, relocation of housing, disappearance of the "trailer park" which was a section of purchasable, pre-fabricated housing units, and even the revitalization of downtown Misawa. All of the alumni said they were shocked to see how much had changed.

Their meeting ended with a visit to the "Heritage Room," a small museum showcasing the history of Misawa Air Base and the 35th Fighter Wing. There were many gasps of recognition and photos taken as the small group gazed through the room.

"We'll come back as long as there are enough people to make the trip," said Sharon Laubenstein from Texas.