OUR HEROES
Stationed in occupied Japan
After the war ended in 1945, the Allies began a military occupation of Japan, which lasted until 1952. I was part of the forces stationed there, serving in the U.S. Army in Kobe. I worked at a medical supply warehouse that employed several Japanese workers.
One of our tasks was flying medical supplies to areas that had been devastated by the war, such as Iwo Jima, Guam, Okinawa, Korea and the Philippines. Brig. Gen. Robert W. Crichlow, who was in charge of Kobe Base, ordered me to personally deliver supplies to Seoul, Korea, on a fighter plane. I still have the original orders issued by General Crichlow for the assignment.
While in Japan, I saw Mount Fuji and also took a day trip to Nagasaki, the site of the second atomic bomb strike. From the train, I could see that the rice fields were full of downed Japanese fighter planes, called Zeros. As for the bomb site, there really wasn’t much to see: Within a mile of ground zero, everything was annihilated.
During my time in Kobe, I experienced a major earthquake. On Dec. 20, 1946, I was asleep in my quarters on the fifth floor of an old building. I was awakened by shaking, and I looked outside to see the buildings opposite me swaying. People in various degrees of dress were running through the streets, and everyone in my building began to run down the stairs to get outside. No one dared use the elevator. The earthquake was a magnitude 8.1, and 1,362 people died.
Despite all the tragedy that I saw around me, I have warm memories of the wonderful Japanese people I met during my service. They were all very friendly and sincere, and showed no animosity toward us. They were ordinary people, just like us.
We were not allowed to fraternize with the Japanese employees at the medical depot, nor were we allowed to visit Japanese businesses or residences. However, we were allowed to visit a dance hall.
One of the men who worked in the office invited me to his home. Permissible or not, I went. He introduced me to his wife and we sat on the floor. Now, I think back often to the life-changing experience of my time in Japan.
The rice fields were full of downed Japanese fighter planes, called Zeros.