Japanese man's promise kept after 70 years

On April 16, 1945 Mitsuake Omata and his father were hiding in a bomb shelter outside of Tokyo at their farm. A B-29 shot down by antiaircraft fire crashed into their field, killing all 11 on board, who were listed as Missing In Action. After the fire was put out, Omata and his father gathered the remains of the crew members, and buried them in their ancestral cemetery. After the war the remains were moved to a US military cemetery in Yokohama.

Omata's father wanted to do more however, and asked his son to find the family members of the crew, and let them know where they were buried. Seventy years later, Bill and Brenda Pitts are the last family to visit the cemeter and Omata family shrine, and see the name of Wallace Pitts inscribed on it.

These words were inscribed on the monument built by Omata's father:

"To pray for the peace of human beings and the world and console the spirits of the courageous eleven U.S. crew members of the bomber B-29 which crashed on this spot during the last World War, I have erected this monument to wish that these eleven brave men should sleep here peacefully forever".

edition.cnn.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Despite difference of politics, race and culture, in the end we are all human.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Very nice words indeed Mr Omata. In those terrible times of war, it is great to hear of what the Omata family did. Maybe there IS hope for the human race after all

a reply to: Zaphod58

I wonder how he would have felt if it were 4 Months later and his Countrymen were incinerated by the same people.

I'm guessing he would have felt a little different towards these "Heroes"

Jude

a reply to: jude11

I doubt it, considering the shrine was built after the war ended.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: jude11

I doubt it, considering the shrine was built after the war ended.

So no chance of a few dates being skewed here?

Yeah, I'd be ok with it all. You know, wiping 10's of 1,000's of my Countrymen off the map. I'd erect a shrine to that Country.

Right.

Jude

a reply to: jude11

The Japanese look at things differently than other cultures do. Yes, there was anger, but many saw it as the American soldiers doing their duty, and they understand duty better than most people do.

This man worked for 70 years, even after the bombs were dropped, and spent a lot of money and put a lot of effort into this, just so that the families could have peace about what happened.

a reply to: jude11

Go right ahead and call BS.

Some people, however, may be a bit more forgiving than the standard model human who carries grudges and can't let go of the past...to our continued cost.

originally posted by: jude11
a reply to: Zaphod58

I wonder how he would have felt if it were 4 Months later and his Countrymen were incinerated by the same people.

I'm guessing he would have felt a little different towards these "Heroes"

Jude

Since his ideals still live, I think it is safe to accept that the spirit of the dedication was genuine, and I will go further and suggest that like many Germans, that Japanese man felt that they more or less gained the wrath they received. War is Hell for winner and loser and everybody inbetween. Only those that know it not can make rash judgments.

originally posted by: jude11

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: jude11

I doubt it, considering the shrine was built after the war ended.

So no chance of a few dates being skewed here?

Yeah, I'd be ok with it all. You know, wiping 10's of 1,000's of my Countrymen off the map. I'd erect a shrine to that Country.

Right.

Jude

Sometimes even the troops themselves know they're fighting for their countries cause, but still hold a deep understanding and acceptance of humanity.

Does this ring a bell?

German and British front-line soldiers sang carols, exchanged gifts, and played soccer during a World War I Christmas truce.

Source

Even though the actual game of soccer is debated among historians, the rest is very well documented.

If an enemy plane crashed in my backyard, you wouldn't see me planting the blade of a bayonet in the face of a fallen enemy no matter what they've done. War is sad and humiliating. Think about it... We don't agree with our government most of the time and I'm sure every people from every country can agree. If your child goes to war, you may support the act because of whatever principle your country stands for, and yes there are sick people out there, but you can't tell me that your child will not have trauma from blowing the heads off of the enemy unless he/she is a little sick in the head their selves.

a reply to: jude11
The shrine wasn't built for the country it was built for the men. Geez the inscription alone should have made that obvious.
Here it is again in case it escaped your notice.

"To pray for the peace of human beings and the world and console the spirits of the courageous eleven U.S. crew members of the bomber B-29 which crashed on this spot during the last World War, I have erected this monument to wish that these eleven brave men should sleep here peacefully forever".

a reply to: jude11
If you think this is a falsified story, then please, take the time to do the research yourself, and prove to us your theory is sound and correct. Anything less on your part is simply being bitter and hateful.

We have enough of that type of attitude without adding more. Perhaps you are ignorant of the truth that war used to be a "gentleman's" game". There used to be rules and honor that permeated the battlefields. Our own General Washington's life was saved by an instance of that sense of honor. When, he entered the sights of a British rifleman, the soldier did not fire since it was an officer, and at that time, you did not kill officers like that.

Different times different cultures, accept it...move on.

Perhaps this simple man feared the malicious spirits of these Gaijin barbarians. So he tried to put them to rest.

a reply to: Nickn3

Yeah, that's it, plainly obvious from the inscription.

What a waste, war. Stupid.

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: jude11

Go right ahead and call BS.

Some people, however, may be a bit more forgiving than the standard model human who carries grudges and can't let go of the past...to our continued cost.

Carry a grudge?

Easy to claim if not on the receiving end.

Where would we be right now if NY and LA were the recipient of those bombs?

Forgiveness? Really?

Jude

originally posted by: Krakatoa
a reply to: jude11
If you think this is a falsified story, then please, take the time to do the research yourself, and prove to us your theory is sound and correct. Anything less on your part is simply being bitter and hateful.

We have enough of that type of attitude without adding more. Perhaps you are ignorant of the truth that war used to be a "gentleman's" game". There used to be rules and honor that permeated the battlefields. Our own General Washington's life was saved by an instance of that sense of honor. When, he entered the sights of a British rifleman, the soldier did not fire since it was an officer, and at that time, you did not kill officers like that.

Different times different cultures, accept it...move on.

Bring it from another perspective instead of the winner. Or actually, did the US really win?

I can't believe some still adhere to the winner's version of history.

Jude

a reply to: jude11

And where would the Chinese people be today if we didn't and allowed the Japanese to continue their mass genocide of them? See, it goes both ways. War is war....period. The sooner it is over, the better. Looking back will not change history, but we can learn from that history (all side of that history) to not repeat it.

Unfortunately, many hold too tightly to one aspect of the past and fail to look forward...

a reply to: jude11

Forgiveness? Really?

Yes, really.

Forgiveness is being an adult. ...and it's not easy being an adult sometimes. That's what that memorial is, Jude. It's an adult moving past the war, however painful that war may have been, and looking forward.

If you have a problem with that, there's really nothing I can do about that.

As for Los Angeles, or New York being bombed? The war would have ended the exact same way. A scrape of a pen across the documents of surrender in Tokyo Bay.

Millions would still have died. the Atomic age would still have begun under the shade cast by a couple of mushroom clouds.

a reply to: jude11

Not anti American enough and doesn't fit your agenda and world view so can't be real. Got it.

Thankfully this man, and others like him, do not share your views. He is every bit as much a hero as the soldiers he commemorated.