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By all accounts, Seifuku Kina embodies the spirit of the USO.

USO Okinawa’s jack-of-all-trades is marking his 40th anniversary with the organization this month. The celebrations started with an award presentation by USO President Sloan Gibson last week at USO Futenma and will culminate the last full week of July, when he’ll travel to each of Okinawa’s five centers for small celebrations in his honor.

Kina – who lost four uncles in World War II’s Battle of Okinawa – went to work for the U.S. Army as a contractor after the war ended to help support his parents and six younger siblings. He learned his technical skills through a combination of books, observation and trial and error. While working for the Army, Kina started helping out at the USO in his off hours, and was hired July 20, 1973 as a part-time employee. His electrical skills proved valuable, and his overall repertoire was of such high quality that the USO hired him as a full time technician in 1976.

Longevity and family are two significant themes in Kina’s life. He’s been married for 45 years and has four children and 10 grandchildren. Kina’s family also extends to the USO. He says he’s had other offers throughout the years, but felt his job with the organization always gave him a sense of both purpose and appreciation, which in turn made all of his hard work more enjoyable.

You can learn more about Kina in this December 2010 Your USO at Work profile.

–Story by USO Story Development