Photo By Master Sgt. Dengrier Baez | An underground passage used in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 to house the Japanese...... read more read more
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OKINAWA, Japan - Kakazu Ridge in Takadai Park, Ginowan, Okinawa, is the site of some of the bloodiest fighting during the Battle of Okinawa.
Service members and their families got to relive the battle first-hand through a battle sites tour of Okinawa, hosted by Marine Corps Community Services, Aug. 9.
During the tour, Chris Majewski, a lead tour guide with MCCS, explained strategies used by American and Japanese soldiers to bring the battles to life.
"If you don't know your history, you are bound to repeat it," Majewski said. "Anybody can sit in a library and learn history, but living it is another experience."
Majewski described the intensity that the two sides fought for control of Okinawa.
"Imagine yourself at the point where it's either you or the other guy," Majewski said. "It was more than just a war. As a Japanese soldier, if you got caught, your family would be denied rations and starve to death."
It took forces from several Marine divisions, plus the Army's 27th Division, three weeks to take control of Kakazu Ridge.
By April 20, 1945, American soldiers could crawl no more than 450 meters at a time due to the many defensive advantages the Japanese soldiers had, according to Majewski.
The Japanese utilized look-outs, underground bunkers, strategically placed mines, machine guns, mortar barrages and reverse-slope defenses to slow down the invaders.
Allied forces finally overcame the Japanese using artillery fire, flame throwers and raiding each of the many man-made caves one-by-one.
Now, a war memorial erected in a single remaining bunker atop Kakazu Ridge immortalizes the memory of the lives lost during the battle.
Two other major stops along the tour were the former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters in Naha and Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni Hill, Itoman.
In Naha, the group explored another world beneath the streets in the elaborate passages of the former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters.
"The conditions here were extremely rough," Majewski said. "Imagine thousands of men, wounded, hungry and tired from battle, all in this space."
The Japanese Navy faced many problems when they returned to the headquarters. Many of the men didn't have rifles, so they had to share the rifle-bayonet combinations.
While facing the 6th Marine Division, some men were armed with little more than bayonets tied to sticks, making rudimentary spears, while others had rifles or shore guns and aircraft cannons adapted for ground fighting.
The highlight of the tour was the last stop at Peace Memorial Park located on Mabuni Hill, where the 40-foot tall Prayer for Peace Statue is displayed inside the Okinawa Peace Hall.
Mabuni Hill, standing at 292 feet high, was also called Hill 89 during the war. There are several Ryukyuan limestone caves still located under the hill.
On June 23, 1945, the Japanese commander, Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima, and the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Isamu Cho, committed ritual suicide, seppuku, in the headquarters located in one of these caves.
The Battle of Okinawa ended on the hill.
"Being stationed here and now knowing all that went on in Okinawa, it's really amazing," said Petty Officer 3rd Class, Laurie Alcaraz, a pharmacy technician with U.S. Naval Hospital, Camp Lester. "Chris is very passionate about Okinawan history."
Majewski reminded everyone this was a rare opportunity, and it's not everyday someone gets the chance to explore these sites firsthand.
"The more time you waste, the chances are greater the opportunity to learn of events like these will slip away," Majewski said.
For more information on this or any other upcoming tours, contact Marine Corps Community Services Tours at Camp Foster 645-3502 or visit the Web site www.mccsokinawa.com.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2009 01:57 |
| Story ID: | 37959 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 314 |
| Downloads: | 145 |
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