On the last day in Okinawa, I visited the former site of the command center of the Imperial Navy. People in Okinawa resisted the U.S. until the last minute in 1945. The top officials of the Navy turned their guns on themselves or had their hand-grenades on their arms in this command center to take responsibility for the defeat. Some following pictures show the inside of the commander's room. You can see the bullet-pocked or damaged walls by the broken pieces of their grenades. There were brief descriptions in every room and they were enough to know the cruelty of the war. Who and for what started the last war? The answer is now being brought to light bit by bit. I'm going to write my opinion in this blog.
This center was constructed in the underground of a hill near Naha airport. When you stand there, you can get the whole view in all directions. It's maybe why this hill was chosen as the fort. A monument stood on top of the hill in memory of people who had departed around here. My wife and I commemorated them by a moment of silence. What were they thinking about in their fading consciousness. No one would want to die. I decided to write about the last war from the eye of a Japanese.
(Vocabulary)
bullet hole/mark 弾痕
a body full of bullet holes 弾痕だらけの死体
bullet-pocked 弾痕の残る
commemorate someone by a moment of silence 黙とうで（人）を追悼する
Whatever the reasons for war it is not justified.
Posted by: Peter | Jan 15, 2013 at 01:22 PM