ClickOkinawa editor's note: It wasn't until 2006 that the U.S. Navy finally decommissioned the "elephant cage." At the time that Art wrote this piece for National Geographic it was indeed thought to be closing by 2001. Like so many anticipated changes, they either haven't yet happened or were finally executed years after the initial plans. Look at how long the wrangling over the Marine Corps air facility in Ginowan has been going on. The facility, MCAS Futenma, occupies one quarter of Ginowan's land!