I believe Okumiya and Horikoshi's work is the inspiration for the preface of The Old Man and the Harley: A Last Ride Through Our Fathers' America, as John J. Newkirk tells of listening to an older Japanese WWII Ace pilot of the Zero.Zero is the firsthand account of two WWII Japanese pilots active in the Pacific Campaign. The telling is unvarnished; equally critical of decisions made by both sides, often *more* critical of the Japanese Air Force and Army than of the Allied Forces.Some parts were emotionally tough for me to get through; scenes graphically described took place in locations in which my Father was an active ParaMarine. See: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/registry/...During Dad's time in the Marines, he did more island hopping than "John Wayne" did in a string of WWII movies. The compassion and respect shown for the "enemy" by Okumiya and Horikoshi mirrors that of my Father. When I was a teen, Dad relayed an incident that happened on Iwo. It was a rareity for him to voice anything about his War Years, especially the retelling of one on one encounters with the Japanese, as he was so poignantly telling me of that day. In my macho teen psyche - trying to impress Dad - I made a derogatory remark about the Japanese. My Father severely chastised me, making a life-long impression on me about the realities of War. I remember his words as if they were spoken yesterday:"Tom, how DARE you! SHAME on you! Those men had wives, children & families at home, just like us. They didn't want to be there any more than we did; none of us wanted to be there, we were all just doing what had to be done. That man and I could have as easily traded places. Please remember that. They deserve as much respect as American Troops." I have remembered that very well, and share it with Folks who care, especially with family and younger Generations.If you get the chance, read/watch the film Letters From Iwo Jima, which inspired Clint Eastwood's Film of the same name.Zero is especially recommended to anyone with an interest in WWII History.
