The days of brotherly body odor and tossing and turning to the sound of a bunkmate’s late-night calls with his “one and only,” may soon be over for junior enlisted service members stationed at Camp Hansen, Japan, as the installation prepares to move service members into new barracks with individual bedrooms.
Last week, U.S. Marine Corps and local leaders attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the three new six-story barracks buildings designed to house over 1,000 Marines and sailors near the shores of Kin Bay, according to a spokesperson from the service.
In July, the first new residents will begin moving in. Each service member will have an individual room connected to a shared bathroom, kitchenette and in-unit washer and dryer.
The buildings also have amenities, including a dedicated parking garage, bike racks, common areas and a 50-yard turf field outside. They also have a dedicated space for washing and drying military gear.
“This state-of-the-art facility will be replacing six other facilities on Camp Hansen,” said Maj. Gen. Brian N. Wolford, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, adding that the effort “is the first domino that is starting the rest of the construction on Camp Hansen.”
The Camp Hansen project’s ribbon-cutting comes as the Defense Department is seeking billions of dollars for new barracks construction and renovation across the services, with the Pentagon arguing that years of deferred maintenance have left many service members living in aging facilities.
According to photos released by the Marine Corps, the individual rooms include a raised bed with storage underneath, basic furniture and large, light-filled windows. In the shared kitchenette, at an angle, the stacked washer and dryer face a white refrigerator and chrome countertop set against a tiled, white backsplash.
The new construction, which began in 2022, is part of Camp Hansen’s consolidation plan and broader Okinawa base realignment efforts, replacing older facilities with new housing and infrastructure to improve service members’ quality of life.
“This gives Marines a place to come back to and be present, a place of their own,” said Joseph Scala, Camp Hansen’s director. “We are building what we need to have for the future.”
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.