WASHINGTON, D.C. - While trinkets, snacks and myriad freebies draw crowds to many of the displays at the Association of the U.S. Army Meeting and Exposition, a full schedule of floor shows attracted curious revelers at the U.S. Army Pacific booth.
USARPACAca,!a,,cs area of responsibility includes points wide-ranging as Hawaii, Alaska and Japan. A full schedule of cultural events and demonstrations at the commandAca,!a,,cs booth illustrated that diversity for AUSA attendees.
Hula dancers and musicians evoked HawaiiAca,!a,,cs blend of native, European and Asian cultures.
Spc. David Smart, representing U.S. Army Alaska, told of his life in Hooper Bay, a remote village on the Bering Sea, prompting many questions from the audience on the subsistence lifestyle he leads and Alaska Native culture in general.
The U.S. Army Japan contingent brought one of its own local civilian employees, Mitsuo Onozaki, who has studied Japanese martial arts since the age of 6. Now 61, he wowed crowds with his deft sword technique and the ability to break a baseball bat with his bare feet.
Onozaki comes by his skills honestly, having descended from a long line of Samurai warriors. His family established the Musojikiden-Mitsuhiroryu martial arts school about 1,000 years ago and it continues to this day.
The cultural events will run every day at the AUSA gathering until its close on Oct. 27.
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