Today is Veterans Day and ironically one of the greatest tributes paid to American veterans was made by a former deadly foe. A PBS documentary, Iwo Jima: From Combat to Comrades, broadcast yesterday and available online, featured the 70th reunion on Iwo Jima of veterans of that bloody battle. Among the veterans was Tsuruji Akikusa, a former radioman in the Imperial Japanese Navy who was badly wounded. As one of the very few Japanese survivors of Iwo Jima and one of the last who is still alive, he is quite a rarity. However, what makes him really special is the incredible tribute to American veterans that he made starting at the 25:30 mark of the video.
I was rescued by an American who showed no animosity towards me. I was his enemy but he saved me. I wonder if a Japanese soldier would have done the same for a wounded American. I don't think so. I think if the situation were reversed, a Japanese soldier would have left his enemy to die. The American fighting man was unique. There is something about their national character that makes them merciful. It is to an American that I owe my life and I wish to thank them in person.
Here is a bit more about Mr. Akikusa from PBS.Org:
During WWII, it was both illegal and shameful for a Japanese serviceman to surrender or allow himself to be captured alive. Japanese defenders on Iwo Jima were ordered to kill at least ten Americans before killing themselves. So Tsuruji Akikusa’s incredible tale of survival is both astonishing and rare. American forces captured fewer than a thousand POWs. Mr. Akikusa is one of a handful of Japanese survivors still alive to share his story. At the Reunion of Honor, his generous nature won over a number of American veterans, who never thought they would shake the hand of their former enemy.
Perhaps Tsuruji Akikusa was saved for a reason. To pay tribute to the "national character" of American veterans. A tribute that is especially meaningful on this Veterans Day.
