The 10.10 Airstrike in Naha

During the October 10th airstrike, we were lodging in Makishi
The city of Naha was all burned down
Usually during airstrikes
They just drop bombs to the enemy base
But this time, the entire city was burned too

War Situations in Aka Island

The U.S. soldiers shot from their warships
When they first landed on Aka Island
Aka Island is said to be the first
They shot from their ships, from the ocean
The launch angle would gradually get higher and higher
Gradually firing at farms
A mine was laid so
It would have been troublesome if there was a mine when the ships land
You could see the shots fired from the warships from above
From where I was
There was one road going up to Takibaru
Made along the ridge line (that’s where I saw it)
On the south side, a machine gun was placed
The U.S. Forces wouldn’t come
If you went up the mountain
This was because the U.S. Forces
Had anti aircraft guns to protect the ships
The bullets wouldn’t reach the main island
There was no need to occupy the island since they had placed the anti aircraft guns
They left after a week or two from their first landing
They didn’t attack the mountains
They probably just left us alone
Because we didn’t have the power to fight back
I think that was a big reason why
We didn’t have to commit suicide

Mission on the Volunteer Squad

I was recruited to a squadron
We climbed up the mountain and were assigned to our squadrons
We put rice balls into a can
We paired up
And in the afternoon, we went to get the rice ball
For the next morning and night
The next morning
We’d go get our food for the night
There was always a soldier with us, so we always moved in 3
Ever since we got into the mountains, that’s all we did
Maybe we were being trained
But I didn’t mind it
There was a lookout post
In a mountain called Takibaru
There’s a deck on a pine tree, they just stand there and keep watch
Below was a shack where the soldiers were
During the cold season in January, February and March
In order to avoid the cold north wind, they face south
Zamami was on the backside
Facing the opposite direction
While I was standing on the top, a soldier from the bottom
Asked if I could see anything because they heard explosive sounds from the headquarters
But I was facing south, because it was cold
I wasn’t looking at the north
So I turned around
Thinking they’d have to shoot the machine guns from this side
Then I saw a B29 fly at low altitude
I told what I saw, but was yelled at to be more attentive

The Existence of the Marure Ship

Of course I knew
I even saw the ship too
The 1st Company
Was deployed in Geruma
There were a few dozen ships that attempted sortie from there
Aka was taken over immediately
The 2nd Company was here
And the 3rd Company was by the bay
By the Captain’s order to sortie
The 1st Company attempted sortie
By the time it was 2nd and 3rd Company’s turn
It was already heavily damaged and made it impossible
The order went down to Second Lieutenant Oshita
16 people went for the attack
There were only about 8 people that got to Naha
But all of them died in Naha
After that, there wasn’t a single person
That passed away in Aka from 2nd or 3rd Company

Treatment of Korean Military Porters in Aka Island

The Korean military porters
Had come to dig trenches
Even when we climbed up the mountain, they dug
And connected through to the headquarters so they could see the south side
They let them do everything
When they were done, they were put it a horizontal trench
The defense squad were standing watch, but there were people
That tried to runaway when they were taken out to use the restroom
The defense squad would get in trouble
If they didn’t catch them
So they’d run in front of residents
And go to the Agu Bay because that was the only way
If they got caught, they were shot and killed
At the Agu Bay
Even now, every year
People come from Korea for memorial service
It makes me want to apologize when I think of it
What the Japanese soldiers did can never be forgiven

Shijiyama (Sugi Mountain), Reunion with Family

When I heard that villagers
Evacuated to Shijiyama the night before
I was really happy
We separated at noon at the Shiku Mountain
The American soldiers didn’t climb up the mountain
So I know they weren’t killed
I was more worried if they had committed suicide
I didn’t care about Volunteer Squadron anymore
I figured each family would gather to commit suicide
They had 1 or 2 hand grenades
There were 3 families, so about 15 or 16 people
If they tried to commit suicide with the hand grenade
One person might die but the rest would just be injured
I got scared
That’s when Captain Suzuki came and said,
“The villagers aren’t dead,
Wars are for soldiers”
I was told not to worry, that the villagers could not die
Because they were going to war and protect them

Sharing War Experiences with Children, Postwar

I can’t share that with them, just not this
That’s the weird thing about people
Even if I can speak about it to others
I just can’t share those stories with my own children
A lot of people might be the same way

A Message to Your Children and Grandchildren’s Generation

The purpose of war is to hurt other humans
It doesn’t treat human life as something sacred
It’s an evil act against humanity
Everyone, regardless of their role, be it superior officers, soldiers, or civilians
They are all victims of war
Only with peace, humans are able to fulfill
A life of happiness
I hope that future generations are willing and able to
Work through the philosophy of peace and respect towards human beings
War is to
Kill people
So respect for human life is important
In order for that to be upheld, there must be peace
It can’t just be said in words
It’s not for any one specific person
I believe it’s important to tell our youth that
In order for the human race to live richly and happily, peace is important