"Memorial Day to Mark the End of World War 2 in Japan"
August the 15th is recognized as the memorial day to mark the end of World War 2 in Japan. In 1945, on August the 15th, Japan officially announced via the emperor that the war was over and Japan surrendered and had lost. It was 77 years ago. I think 77 years could be "already" or "still" or more bodily sensations for people...
My grandparents experienced and survived World War 2. I am the third generation from it. I never experienced the war through my body but I can't forget what I heard, what I learned, and what I still recognize about many facts. Also, strangely, I feel fear when I see airplanes above me. I always imagine how scary it was or how people ran away when the airplanes were attacking them. I will never forget August the 6th, 9th, and 15th as memorial days because these are very sad and sensational days in Japan. If you want to know details about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, please read here or here written by @dbooster in English with photography.
Every time I learn the facts about the war's history, my heart pounds and becomes very painful. It is very shocking and shouldn't have happened. There are many different types of victims. All countries have many sad stories and victims and are still trying to heal. When I was young, I learned about World War 2 and self-studied because I wanted to know why the war started. Today, I will write about some war survivors' stories who are and were near me.
My grandfather was a very talkative person usually but was very quiet when he watched or heard about wars on TV, so I felt that maybe I shouldn't ask him about the war. One day, I asked him some questions once because I knew that he had to join mandatory military service. He told me a little bit of his story but not much. He looked sad. I stopped asking more questions. My mother told me that he was supposed to fly on that day to attack a different country but he had severe sickness in the morning. Then, he stayed at the hospital on that day. His crew went on their schedule and they never came back... All gone. That's why my grandfather didn't want to talk about that much. I was lost for words even though I was young at the time. My aunt told me that he cried when he told that story to her a couple years before.
My grandmother was a few years younger than my grandfather. She was working for the military headquarters. I was also in shock when she told me that story. She was very young at that time but she had to work for the country like that... It must have been very hard work and a painful job. They were supposed to be playful and study many happy things around that generation. It is so sad that uncountable people have huge trauma from war all over the world including young children.
One of my husband's old students in Japan was a trustworthy doctor in my hometown coincidentally. He told us that he survived the Hiroshima atomic bomb day near Hiroshima. He was sick on August 6th, 1945. His mother was working in a factory in downtown Hiroshima but she had to stay and take care of him on that day instead. Then, at 8:15 am, they heard a huge sound. When they looked out their window, they saw the huge mushroom cloud above the city... His mother survived and he went on to become a brain surgeon, saving many lives- he even went on to help my grandfather! This story was also very shocking.
People have many types of war stories, and we want to keep hearing their truths. However, 77 years have passed. Survivors are getting older and older. I never wrote about my grandparent's story but I think I have to write it. I don't want to pass this war habit to younger generations. Unfortunately, war is still happing around the world. I am hoping every day that wars will stop as soon as possible. I am sharing a sunflower photography art as a prayer for all people who were damaged by war.
"終戦記念日"
８月１５日は日本の終戦記念日です。１９４５年８月１５日に昭和天皇による玉音放送で、日本が無条件降伏をし戦争に負け終戦したことを正式に告げられました。７７年前のことです。７７年前というと、「もう」と感じる人もいれば、「まだ」などと色んな風に感じる人がいると思います…。
わたしの祖父母は第二次世界大戦を生き残ってきました。わたしは戦後の第三世代になります。自分自身が戦争経験者ではないのにも関わらず、自分が聞いたこと、学んだこと、それに未だに学び続けている戦争のことは忘れることはできません。不思議なことに、頭上を飛行機が飛ぶと恐怖を感じます。当時の人たちはどれだけ怖かったのだろうとか、飛行機が攻撃してきたらどうやって逃げたのだろうなどとよく考えます。さらに、８月６日、９日、１５日という悲しい日付も忘れることができません。広島と長崎についての詳細は コチラ またはコチラ をお読みください。@dbooster. さんが詳しく写真付きで書いた英語の記事があります。
戦争の歴史の事実を学べば学ぶほど、心が痛くなります。とてもショックなことであり、起きてはいけないことです。世界にはさまざまな犠牲者がいます。世界中の犠牲者がそれぞれの悲しい話を持ち、未だにその痛みから癒されようと努力して生きています。小学生の頃、第二次世界大戦が起こった経緯について初めて学び、自分なりに色々調べました。今回はわたしの身近で戦争で生き残った方たちの話を書いておこうと思います。
祖父は普段とてもおしゃべりな人でしたが、戦争の話がテレビで流れるととても静かになりましたので、子供ながらに聞いてはいけない話なのかなと思っていました。祖父にも徴収令状がきて兵隊に参加していたことは知っていたので、ある日質問をしてみました。祖父は少しだけ話してくれた後、すごく寂しそうな顔をしていました。わたしはそんな祖父の顔を見てそれ以上質問するのをやめました。母が後から詳しく教えてくれたのですが、攻撃の日の朝、祖父はひどい病気にかかってしまい、その日は病院で手当を受けていたので仲間と一緒に行くことができませんでした。祖父の仲間は予定通り戦地に向かい、全員帰還することはなかったそうです。ですから祖父はこの話をしたくなかったのでしょう。まだ若かったわたしも言葉を失いました。叔母が祖父がこの話をした時に涙を流していたということを数年前に教えてくれました。
祖母は祖父よりも数歳若いです。祖母は同じ頃、軍事司令部で働いていたと教えてくれました。この話を聞いた時はもショックでした。まだ若い子供の頃の祖母が国のために戦争の道具となって働いていた…。そんな仕事はとても辛く痛ましいことです。その年代の子供たちは遊び心満載でたくさん楽しいことを勉強する年代なはず。世界中で子供たちも含む数えきれない人たちが戦争の大きなトラウマを抱えていることがものすごく悲しいことです。
わたしの主人の昔の英語の生徒さんであり、偶然にもわたしの地元の素晴らしいお医者さんである方が広島の原爆体験者であることを教えてくれました。１９４５年の８月６日、子供の頃の先生はその日は病気で寝込んでいました。先生のお母様は普段広島市内の工場で働いていたのですが、その日は仕事の休みをとって息子の看病することにしたそうです。そして８時１５分、２人は大きな音を聞きました。窓の外から見えた広島の町の上には大きなきのこ雲が立ち昇っていたそうです。先生のお母様はそうして生き残り、のちにその息子さんは脳外科医となりました。祖父の手術もこの先生にお世話になりました！この話もショックでした。
たくさんの人たちがそれぞれの戦争の話を持っていて、わたしたちは真実の話を聞き続けたいと思います。でも、７７年が過ぎ戦争で生き残った人たちもどんどん歳をとってきました。祖父母の話をこうやって何かに書いたことは今まで一度もありませんが、書き残しておくことが大切かなと思いました。戦争を若い世代の人たちに引き継ぎたくはありません。大変残念なことに未だに戦争は起こっています。一刻も早く戦争が終わることを祈っています。ひまわりの写真アートを戦争で被害にあった全ての方たちへ捧げます。
My grandfather was a medic in the war. He went to Europe. He was on the beaches in Normandy. I can't imagine the horrors he saw on that beach.
Like most people from that generation, he never talked about the war. He hated fireworks. Many vets hate fireworks because they are reminded of the sounds of war, so I guess that's not very surprising. He would bribe his kids on the 4th of July and say no fireworks but you can eat all the ice cream you want today.
My other grandfather was in the Italian air force. I don't know much about what he did. I know he didn't want to be in the war and he didn't like Mussolini but that's all I know.
Anyway, it's good to write these things down. With history, usually the 4th generation from an event is when things start to be forgotten and history starts to repeat. We need to try to share all our stories to keep these memories alive and do our best to prevent it from happening again.
Anyway, thank you for sharing your grandfather's story.
I feel sorry to hear about your two grandfathers who also experienced scary wars. Your grandfather witnessed horrible things as the medical person for sure. Yes, I also heard that many people don't want to hear fireworks, jets, or bang bang sounds at all. It’s good to share this kinds of stories even though it’s not always happy stories. We can keep on telling and sharing our ancestor's stories like this!