Ritsumeikan University students have lunch with CLR 37 Commanding Officer

CAMP KINSER, Okinawa, Japan — U.S. Marine Corps Col. Robert Gerbracht, commanding officer of Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, hosted approximately 20 students from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, for lunch at the Mess Hall on Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 15, 2026.

The visit allowed students to experience life aboard a military installation, have a better understanding of the purpose and mission of the U.S. military in Japan, and be able to interact with Marines. The visit was personally significant to Gerbracht, who attended Ritsumeikan University from 2009 to 2011.

“It was great to see them, not only as student from the same university but as people”, said Gerbracht. “We’re able to interact with a whole new generation of students that are there and get to share an experience with them.”

Gerbracht and his wife were both selected for the Olmstead Scholar Program, a military education program that awards scholarships to highly qualified, active-duty junior officers in the United States military in order to pursue language studies and overseas graduate-level education. The scholar program provides one year of foreign language training followed by two years of study at a foreign graduate school.

“My wife and I both applied in 2008”, said Gerbracht. “We actually ended up being the first married couple to be selected for the Olmsted program.”

Students with Ritsumeikan University traveled from mainland Japan to Okinawa as part of a university culture trip to the island, and it is frequent that this trip includes a visit to Camp Kinser. The students got to sit down with Marines while aboard the base, allowing them to learn more about each other's ways of life.

“I spoke with some of the students about the differences between Japanese culture and American culture.” said Gerbracht. “But there's also a lot of similarities between what we value as Marines and what a lot of Japanese people value.”

During his time at Ritsumeikan University Gerbracht earned his master's degree in international relations. Learning the language and experiencing the culture has helped Gerbracht in his current position as commanding officer a forward-deployed logistics regiment as well as base commander of the Urasoe-based Camp Kinser, in addition to paying dividends at his other duty stations as well.

“The way you lead better is by having a broad base of knowledge.” said Gerbracht, “It’s like having 1,000 keys to locks you haven’t seen yet.”

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.