CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan -- Editors Note: The following is the first in a series of articles highlighting various aspects of the Liberty Campaign Order to help educate our readers about its major elements.

Most Marines and sailors will admit being stationed on Okinawa presents a unique set of circumstances and opportunities not duplicated anywhere else in the world.  One specific aspect of those circumstances is the Liberty Card Program. 

The liberty card is a mandatory piece of gear for all Marines and sailors serving in Japan with III Marine Expeditionary Force or Marine Corps Bases Japan.  The liberty card is as essential to one's wallet when leaving any installation here as a military identification card.

The MCBJ/III MEF Order 1050.7 is the law of the land when it comes to liberty, and states all uniformed personnel will be issued either a red card or a gold card once they have completed the mandatory Newcomer's Orientation Welcome Aboard seminar and Standards of Conduct class.  According to the order, no newcomer will be allowed off-base liberty without their sponsor until these requirements are met.  Following are a few topics key to understanding the order.

Red Cards

May be issued by company commanders and company grade officers designated by battalion or squadron levelcommanders.
All Marine lance corporals and below will have only red cards. Newly-promoted corporals and new arrival corporals and sergeants will undergo a 90-day observation period prior to being issued a gold liberty card.
Red liberty card holders must have a liberty buddy during off-base liberty and must be on to their home camp or in their off-base residence between midnight and 5 a.m. with the following exceptions:
Red card holders on leave or authorized overnight liberty are not required to be on their home camp by midnight, but the order states they must still be in their hotel room or a private residence by that time. 
Red card holders must also maintain their leave papers or special liberty chit in their possession at all times while in a leave or special liberty status. 
Red card holders off base between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. will be considered in compliance only if they are doing so in the performance of their official duties, such as physical training and transiting to and from duty, or participating in Marine Corps Community Services or Morale, Welfare and Recreation tours that include transportation. 
Commanders are now required to implement procedures for issuing and collecting red liberty cards daily and ensuring accountability when daily liberty is secured for red card holders, E5 and below, living in the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters.  No standard procedure for accomplishing this task is mandated by the order, so exact procedures may vary among units.
Once a Marine has turned in his liberty card for the evening, they are allowed to continue liberty aboard their home camp.

Gold Cards

Authority to issue a gold card rests solely with battalion or squadron commanders and above and the issuance of a gold liberty card should be conduct related, not proficiency related.
Gold card holders are authorized overnight liberty and are not required to check in.
Non-commissioned officers, petty officers and above will normally be issued a gold card, provided they have demonstrated the proper maturity, judgment and superior conduct. 
All service members, including Gold Card Holders must be out of off-base bars and night clubs, or any establishment where the primary business is the sale or consumption of alcohol, by midnight. However, the order allows gold card holders to have alcohol as an accompaniment to food service in off-base restaurants between midnight and 2 a.m.
As with red card holders, all aspects of the order remain in effect for gold card holders on leave, special liberty or in a temporary additional duty status while in Japan.

Sergeant Major Daniel J. Fierle, III Marine Expeditionary Force sergeant major, said the recent prohibition of patronizing bars and clubs after midnight does not prevent  gold card holders from frequenting restaurants that serve alcohol between the hours of midnight and 2 a.m., which also serves the needs of Marines and sailors burning the midnight oil.

"The primary reason for the midnight to 2 a.m. period is for the shift worker who may want to get a beer with his dinner," said Fierle.  "It is not to party like pirates until midnight and then move to a restaurant to drink."

One tool Marines or sailors may be able to use to help ensure compliance with the order and their own personal safety is a new case study being conducted by the Green Line bus system.

During the 90-day evaluation period which began June 11, the Green Line will be picking up service members at the Kadena USO just inside Gate 2 each Friday, Saturday, Sunday and U.S. holiday. The determination to continue or discontinue the service will be made at the end of the evaluation period and will be based largely upon participation and demand.

The Liberty Campaign Order specifically addresses the Green Line as a safe haven and states Marines or sailors on board the Green Line during curfew hours will be considered in compliance with the order.  However, said Fierle, commanders retain the right to make their unit's reporting time more stringent. 

"A commander could say he wants his Marines back on base by 2200," said Fierle, emphasizing the need for Marines to be aware of their unit's specific requirements. 

For those commanders who do wish to allow this safe haven, Fierle recommends they research the bus schedule and account for the possibility of Marines actual arrival time to be some time after midnight.

To ensure compliance with the order, personnel departing and entering Marine Corps installations during late hours on weekends and holidays will be required to show their liberty card and military identification at the gates.

"What we're looking for on liberty is the same thing we're looking for on the battlefield," said Fierle.  "Marines who understand the second- and third-order consequences of their actions, and good decision-making ability.  The Marine who can go out and do it right on liberty - that's probably the same guy you want next to you on the battlefield."

The MCBJ/III MEF Order 1050.7 Change 3 Liberty Campaign Order can be accessed on-line at the Camp Butler adjutant SharePoint homepage at the following CAC-protected site: https://wss.mcbbutler.nmci.usmc.mil/G1/Adjutant/default.aspx.  Look under "Announcements" for a link to the Liberty Campaign Order.