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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – “Out of all the
different paths I could have taken this is the best one. At the end
of the day it's not where you ended, but how you got there,” said
Cpl. Abigail V. Reynolds.
Reynolds, a landing support
specialist with Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics
Group, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., has proven to be a
valuable asset to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit as an
interpreter between U.S. Marines and soldiers with the Japan Ground
Self-Defense Force during Exercise Iron Fist 2014.
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U.S. Marine Cpl. Abigail V. Reynolds, right, an interpreter
assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, greets a Japanese
interpreter with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, at helocast
training during Exercise Iron Fist 2014 aboard Naval Amphibious Base
Coronado, Calif., Jan. 27, 2014. Reynolds is a landing support
specialist with Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics
Group, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. (U.S. Marine
Corps photo by Cpl. Emmanuel Ramos)
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Iron Fist is an amphibious exercise that brings together
Marines and sailors from the 15th MEU, other I Marine
Expeditionary Force units, and soldiers from the JGSDF, to
promote military interoperability and hone individual and
small-unit skills through challenging, complex and realistic
training.
“She's been great throughout this entire
exercise,” said Gunnery Sgt. Rob Turek, platoon sergeant, 2nd Platoon, Bravo
Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. “Usually there is
some confusion, but not this year.”
Reynolds wasn't
always able to speak Japanese with such ease, but she has
been fascinated with the culture for most of her life.
What started as a passion for doodling Japanese cartoons,
flourished into a rewarding life filled with adventure and
service to country and Corps for Reynolds.
“I used to
wake up when I was four years-old and sit on my dad's lap
and start watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and X-Men,”
said Reynolds as she laughed. “As I grew older, we kept
finding new cartoons to watch and eventually led into Dragon
Ball Z and other cartoons that originated from Japan, and I
fell in love with the culture.”
At age 10, she
demonstrated a passion for drawing characters from the
cartoons she had grown to love. At 16, she decided to give
into her passion and travel to Japan with the goal of being
a cartoonist.
“I'm a very spiritual person and I
prayed about [my decision to move to Japan],” said Reynolds,
a 25 year-old from Apex, N.C. “There was an urge and signs
that all pointed me in that direction. I just felt like this
is what I needed to do.”
After speaking with a
pastor, who had recently returned from missionary work in
Japan, Reynolds saw this as an opportunity to make a
difference while getting an education.
“The plan was
to go there to learn the language with the hopes of
continuing my education there at a four-year university to
study art,” Reynolds said.
In 2007, with the full
support of her family and parish, she began raising funds to
attend the Shinjuku Gyoen Gakuin Academy to learn the
Japanese language and culture.
“I was just
amazed at how many people wanted to help make my dream a
reality,” Reynolds said. “People did whatever they could.”
After a year of hard work and fundraising, Reynolds eagerly
landed in Japan.
“I was 19 and it was the first time
living away from my parents, so I was honestly really naive
at the time,” Reynolds said as she recalled her first
experience in Japan. “But I was just really happy to be
there.”
For the first six months, Reynolds struggled
to communicate with the people of Tokyo, but managed to turn
those hardships into fond memories.
“I remember my
first time going to buy laundry soap with a friend, but I
didn't know the word for laundry soap,” Reynolds said. “So I
went to the front counter and tried to ask a lady at the
counter. I knew the word for soap, but not laundry soap. So
I'm there saying soap and then making swishing noises and
turning my body like a washing machine. Eventually we
figured it out, but that's how it was and they're great
memories now.”
Unfortunately, in 2008, Reynolds
received heartbreaking news that impacted her future in
Japan. As a result of the recession, her father was laid off
by his employer.
“It was hard news to take in,”
Reynolds said. “Any support I got monthly from my family
just went out the window.”
Reynolds had managed to
earn some extra income by working as an English tutor, but
not nearly enough to cover rent and food. Despite not fully
knowing the language, she was able to find work in a few
locations.
“It wasn't easy. Their economy was also
struggling, and work was not easy to come by,” Reynolds
said.
The hardest reality for Reynolds was that she
would no longer be able to attend a four-year university
after her language school.
“I had fallen in love with
the culture and the country,” Reynolds said. “It was hard to
keep my motivation going knowing that I wouldn't be able to
finish my education as planned.”
Reynolds made the
most of the rest of her time in Japan though, and after two
years she returned home with a heavy heart and a wealth of
knowledge.
“I grew up while I was out there,”
Reynolds said. “I learned that if I'm going to chase after
my dreams and be independent, I can't rely on anyone to make
it happen. I also reaffirmed my spiritual beliefs and
learned how Christ works in other cultures.”
After
returning home, Reynolds worked at a few jobs, but never
lost her drive to return to Japan. If she was going to
return, she would need to mature.
“I knew the Marine
Corps was the best place for me to do it, so I swore in and
in October 2011 I shipped off to boot camp,” Reynolds said.
While in boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris
Island, S.C., Reynolds took advantage of her second language
and passed the Defense Language Proficiency Test. As an
incentive for her knowledge of a second language, the Corps
pays her an additional $200 a month.
“The money is
nice, but the most rewarding aspect has been what I've been
able to do with it,” Reynolds said. “Knowledge is power,
having the knowledge of the Japanese language and culture
has enabled me to have a really unique experience in the
Marine Corps. It gives me opportunities that I wouldn't have
gotten anywhere else.”
This is Reynolds' third
exercise working as an interpreter between U.S. Marines and
the JGSDF. She was first tasked to be an interpreter in 2013
for Exercise Iron Fist. Her superiors were impressed with
her skills and she was brought out again for Exercise Dawn
Blitz 2013.
“I'm very fortunate to have the
opportunity to be out here,” Reynolds said. “I hope they
keep bringing me out.”
Although Reynolds has enjoyed
the experience and time in the Corps, she is still set on
returning to Japan and finishing her bachelor's degree in
illustration.
“Thanks to the Marine Corps I'm closer
to achieving my dream,” Reynolds said. “I have my [associate
of arts degree] and I'm one year away from my bachelor's,
but my goal is still to go back and finish what I started.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Emmanuel Ramos
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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