Please see these words from Lt. Gen. Sam Angelella commemorating the fourth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
(英文の後に日本語参考訳があります。正文は英文です.）
“When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, the world witnessed the strong, resilient and unbending will of the Jieitai, and ordinary citizens as they worked to overcome one of the greatest disasters in Japan’s history.
As the commander of United States Forces in Japan, it is inevitable that my memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the subsequent tsunami, and nuclear disaster are anchored by the unprecedented collaboration between the Jietai and USFJ. When these tragic events unfolded, it was clear to me that our two nations were working together as seamless partners, facing one of the greatest challenges of the post-war era.
It is my honor to continue the strong partnership that was exemplified during the earthquake response. Today, the spirit that animated our bilateral relief efforts lives on in every act of partnership between our people, whether as large as our renewed strategic agreements or as small as an American servicemember greeting his Japanese neighbors on the street. This is the same spirit that has propelled us forward for 70 years, through times of peace and strife, and it will last for as long as our nations cherish peace, stability and prosperity.
This is a time of remembrance for the earthquake and tsunami victims, their friends and families, and the nation as whole. As Japan and its people are our steadfast allies and friends, we share this solemn obligation, and will keep them in our thoughts today."
在日米軍司令官として、この東日本大震災において、わたしの記憶の中で決して忘れることができないことは立て続けに発生した津波と原発災害に対し自衛隊と在日米軍との先例に無いほどの協力でしっかりと対応が成されたことです。これらの悲劇が起きた時、大戦後最大の問題の一つに立ち向かいながら、わたくしとして明確になったことはこの２カ国は共に途切れること無くパートナーで在り続け協力してきたのだということです。
この震災への対応の中で示された強いパートナーシップを継続することは私の誇りです。昨今、私達の相互援助の努力を活発にさせたこの精神は、それが我々の新たな戦略的合意と同じ規模であれ、または米軍隊員と日本の隣人の皆さんが道で出会って挨拶を交わすようなほんの小さなことであれ、我々と皆様との全ての触れ合いの中に息づいています。この精神は平和または困難な時代においても７０年もの間、私達を突き動かしてきた精神と全く同じものであり、私達が平和、安定、そして繁栄を大切に想う限り長く続いていくものです。
