Not all Okinawans are opposed to the US military presence on their island. Many actually embrace and welcome US soldiers with open arms as many soldiers over the decades have become family. I know from many friends and family that are or were currently living there, that the Chinese (Remember Okinawa and the Ryukyu islands were disputed in a battle between China and Japan) and hardcore anti-US Okinawans were the ones actually protesting our presence. This is the part of the story that I have found is often times skipped over.