A During his recent visit to Japan, President Obama gave a shout-out to anMarine MV-22B co-pilot who helped fly relief supplies to earthquake victims in Japan is getting a unique honor from a local family she assisted.
Capt. Tessa Snow, with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, helped delivered fly toiletries, water and food, water and toiletries to Japan’s Kumamoto region following two major earthquakes there in April.
One of Japanese families that y who received her help the badly needed supplies was so worried about their house collapsing due to earthquake damage that they slept outside for several nights, President Obama told U.S. and Japanese troops during his May 27 speech at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
"Now this family is expecting a baby — a baby girl — in June," Obama said. "When they heard that Tessa flew the mission that helped save them, they decided to name their baby after Tessa. They want their daughter to grow up with the same qualities that Tessa has: honor and courage and commitment, and a willingness to help others."Aren’t those the core values of the Marine Corps? (Oorah!)"
Snow told Marine Corps Times that she had been told prior to Obama’s speech that he might mention her, but she still came as a surprise and felt surreal to hear him the president talk about her.
"It just makes me really proud and I was happy that was being shared with everyone," Snow said on Wednesday. "I'm glad my squadron was able to help that family and many others in Kumamoto and that everyone else was finding out about the work we had done."
The Japanese family expecting a girl later this month has asked that their names not be publicized, Snow said. While she hasn’t talked to them, she said she has seen pictures of their home, which is getting a new roof, she said.
Before leaving Iwakuni, Obama spoke briefly with Snow and reiterated his praise of her squadron and asking the unit to keep up the good work, Snow said.
"It was a humbling and amazing experience and something I know I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life," she said. "I'm very proud I was able to represent everything that 265 accomplished at Kumamoto."
One of the squadron’s biggest accomplishments was reacting so quickly to the earthquakes so quickly, Snow said. The squadron, which was attached to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, unit was in the Philippines when it was ordered to fly to Iwakuni.
"That day, we planned and were able to leave Manila at 11 a.m. and arrive in Iwakuni seven hours later, ready to help in any we could," Snow said. "I think that speaks a lot to how capable the aircraft is and how capable the MEU is."
All told, Snow's squadron delivered more than 80,000 pounds of supplies to the earthquake-affected region over the course of five days, she said. The Osprey crews flew from an airport to a sports center, which could only accommodate two aircraft at a time.
"I remember the first time we showed up to the sports center, there " Snow recalled. "There were people on the roads surrounding the center and they were watching us," she said. "You could just tell that it was a big deal and they were very happy to be there."
Snow said credit should also go to members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, who inspired their U.S. counterparts with their enthusiasm and dedication to making sure earthquake victims got what they needed.
"That mentality was contagious," she said. "Those 80,000 pounds, they were running that back to a station for loading onto trucks. They didn't miss a beat. They didn't slow down. It was really impressive."
