Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team

Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 6, 2012

On Saturday, Navy sailors and an airman from Naval Air Facility Misawa displayed their finished contribution to the 63rd Annual Sapporo Snow Festival, ''The Lone Sailor'' snow sculpture.
DANIEL SANFORD/COURTESY OF THE U.S. NAVY

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Last week, sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa made the daylong journey to Sapporo, Japan to play in the snow. However, it was by no means a vacation.

For the past 28 years, sailors from Misawa have traveled to the Sapporo Snow Festival, located on the northern island of Hokkaido, and participated in their snow sculpture showcase, which draws world-class snow sculptors and tourists from around the world.

This year was different, however, as some of the sailors involved carried with them the emotions and fellowship of having participated in relief operations after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan.

As the six-sailor delegation finished their bust reprisal of the Navy’s iconic “Lone Sailor” statue, which is located at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Christopher “Billy” Knox said they decided to make a last-minute addition to the meticulously planned work of art.

They added “Tomodachi,” the name of the relief operation, in Japanese script under the sailor’s chin.
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