Greetings to Forum Members,
I am new here and glad I found this site. My interests in Japan began in 7th or 8th grade when I began reading about World War II (the Great Pacific War). This was current history and was much more interesting to me than ancient history. Some of my family's neighbors had served in the war, too.
As time went on, my intersted shifted to the Pacific Theater, and all my extracurricular reading leaned toward that arena. I've attempted learning Japanese language, have taken courses in Oriental art, Judo, Oriental cooking, and even wrote a paper on the ancient art of swordmaking.
My interest in Pacific battles of WWII led me to write a book on the assault of Tarawa, which was an intense and extremely difficult struggle. The book's website is www.tarawatheaftermath.com if you would like to see more. Now I am considering writing a second book, this time about Guadalcanal. I'm scheduled to visit the island with a group from Valor Tours this August.
Guadalcanal was the first land defeat of the Japanese Army during the war, and a turning point in the conflict. A key battle during the Guadalcanal campaign was the battle for Edson's Ridge (also known as Bloody Ridge). Throughout the battles for Guadalcanal, over 20,000 Japanese soldiers perished on the island, most from starvation and not fighting. It was horrible.
I plan to spend one entire night from sundown to sunup on Edson's Ridge by myself to get a feeling for this battle site. If there are ghosts, I hope to encounter them. Currently I am interviewing American veterans of Guadalcanal and am learning what life was like on the island then. And so, my quest.
This story would only be half told if I were to just hear from the American side. I would truly, sincerely, desire to interview one or more Japanese veterans of Guadalcanal to hear what their lives were like on the island. We could communicate via e-mail, regular mail, or I could possibly have a friend of mine in Japan interview the veteran(s). Whatever would be most convenient.
How can I locate a Japanese veteran of Guadalcanal? Are there veterans' organizations in Japan that could help me? Is there a Japanese website that would have WWII veterans' interviews or stories? Any help from Forum readers would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Don
I am new here and glad I found this site. My interests in Japan began in 7th or 8th grade when I began reading about World War II (the Great Pacific War). This was current history and was much more interesting to me than ancient history. Some of my family's neighbors had served in the war, too.
As time went on, my intersted shifted to the Pacific Theater, and all my extracurricular reading leaned toward that arena. I've attempted learning Japanese language, have taken courses in Oriental art, Judo, Oriental cooking, and even wrote a paper on the ancient art of swordmaking.
My interest in Pacific battles of WWII led me to write a book on the assault of Tarawa, which was an intense and extremely difficult struggle. The book's website is www.tarawatheaftermath.com if you would like to see more. Now I am considering writing a second book, this time about Guadalcanal. I'm scheduled to visit the island with a group from Valor Tours this August.
Guadalcanal was the first land defeat of the Japanese Army during the war, and a turning point in the conflict. A key battle during the Guadalcanal campaign was the battle for Edson's Ridge (also known as Bloody Ridge). Throughout the battles for Guadalcanal, over 20,000 Japanese soldiers perished on the island, most from starvation and not fighting. It was horrible.
I plan to spend one entire night from sundown to sunup on Edson's Ridge by myself to get a feeling for this battle site. If there are ghosts, I hope to encounter them. Currently I am interviewing American veterans of Guadalcanal and am learning what life was like on the island then. And so, my quest.
This story would only be half told if I were to just hear from the American side. I would truly, sincerely, desire to interview one or more Japanese veterans of Guadalcanal to hear what their lives were like on the island. We could communicate via e-mail, regular mail, or I could possibly have a friend of mine in Japan interview the veteran(s). Whatever would be most convenient.
How can I locate a Japanese veteran of Guadalcanal? Are there veterans' organizations in Japan that could help me? Is there a Japanese website that would have WWII veterans' interviews or stories? Any help from Forum readers would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Don
