Childhood in Aka Island and Migration to the South Seas

I lived in Aka Island with my family until the 6th grade
We were very poor at the time
So my father went to the South Seas to earn money
There were four of us siblings and my mother
We would fetch water, cut grass and pick up firewood
To help out the family
When I was 13,
I went with my uncle’s family to the South Seas

Running into Machine-gun Fires on the Way to the South Seas

I wasn’t a passenger ship, but a food carrier ship
The destroyer was the head of fleet
And two wooden boats were on each side of our ship
To protect us from either sides
When the ship behind us got hit,
It sank with black smoke coming out while the ship horn whistled

The Soldiers’ Clinic

The soldiers’ clinic was thatched and
The floors were made of weaved bamboo
Sick soldiers were housed there

Korean Comfort Women

The Korean comfort women were only in Aka Island for about 3 months
After cooking rice, they went with soldiers to Naha
I don’t know what happened after that
I don’t think they knew that they would be taken either
Perhaps they had lived in Japan
There were 7 of them and they all spoke Japanese well

Hardship of Finding Food

After the airstrike, we were in the mountains for about 3 months
We went to get the sweet potatoes we grew at night
It would be taken by soldiers if we got caught
A soldier we knew
Told us which roads to take
To avoid the guards
When we were going to get food
We even went down to the village to get food to survive

State Before Surrender

We decided to be captured because we would have died in those conditions
“The people in Yakabi said that”
“American soldiers don’t kill civilians”
“That is the reason why they are still alive”
That is what they said
We ran away to Geruma with them
When those people were taking their family

Demobilization of My Younger Brother After Captivity

My younger brother became a captive and was taken to Hawaii
Because he was in the Self Defense Force
He came back afterwards fine
But he passed away before me due to an illness

A Message to Your Children and Grandchildren’s Generation

It’s better for my grandchildren and children to live peacefully
To live in a world where there is no war
I try not to overthink