Today was the 80th anniversary of a memorable, unique, solemn event that took place in the Pacific ocean, during the waning months of World War 2.
A kamikaze pilot attacked an American warship, the USS Missouri, during the Battle of Okinawa. The attack was ultimately not successful: the damage caused was negligible, with only minor injuries among the crew. The kamikaze pilot died.
However, the pilot’s remains were recovered. And the next day, on the captain’s orders, the pilot — believed to be a young Japanese man, Setsuo Ishino, a petty officer 2nd class in a flight training program — was buried at sea with full military honors, which even included a makeshift Japanese flag.
(U.S. National Archives photo no. 80-G-315823 via AP)
This ceremony took place despite the fact that many of the Missouri’s crew had good reasons to despise the Japanese. The captain himself lost a close relative in battle earlier in the war.
Yet… they chose to do this anyway. Why? Simple, really: because they knew it was the right thing to do. And it was this attitude by the United States of America that made the subsequent 80 years, this unprecedented (granted, imperfect, but still unprecedented) period of peace and prosperity in which we live, which is sometimes rightfully called Pax Americana, possible.
Can we have this America back, please? An America that is generous, brave, courageous, fundamentally decent? As opposed to an America that is governed by grievance, petty resentments, nativism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, outright bigotry?
And no, I do not have any illusions about 1940s America. It was a society that, in absolute terms, was far more racist, far more bigoted than the America of today. But it was heading in the right direction, and led the way for the whole world to follow towards that famed “shining city on the hill.” A city that, it seems, is rapidly becoming a ghost town nowadays.
Absolutely – it’s the aspiration I grew up under. But it seems to be fading in later generations (as seen, very roughly, by asking ChatGPT4o to summarise decadence by generations in the US).
Thanks for the story, it is quite touching. I’m quite fond of America as it was – “conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”. A country less or more cleverly founded to be example for the others for perhaps 200 years or more. I’m fond of reading old books, stories and diaries – from the early settler’s journal and Franklin’s autobiography to “Little House” novels and collection of MLK speeches.
The last paragraph of your post couldn’t be expressed better. There was “right direction” and even more – there was ambition, aspiration to move in that direction.
What ambition is now there? Hard to tell. When things deviated from the said direction? And why? It seemingly was so gradual that it is hard to tell. If this just about “wrong politicians” coming to power – this perhaps could be amended. But if it is about losing morale and faith (as victims to consumerism) – how could this be amended? I guess this happens with many countries. And happened to some which do not exist anymore.