WIX Archives
Re: Mike Kawato
Posted by Dan K on Thu Feb 21, 2002 02:05:53 PM
In reply top Re: Mike Kawato posted by Tony on Thu Feb 21, 2002 06:17:05 AM
: Well he may (allegedly) have lied, but personal feelings a
: side, he was a fighter pilot,and a Zero one at that. Isn't
: it time someone tried to track down their association, so
: we can find out more about these people before they are a
: ll no longer here?
:
: Rest in peace Mike
:
: Tony
: :
Tony and all,
A most excellent point, and one that I can respond to positively. I don't believe that Kawato-san was ostracized by the Japanese Navy veterans for some exaggerations, but more due to his attempts at drawing some attention to his personal efforts--something very much frowned upon amongst virtually all Japanese vets. There are many JNAF pilot vets who still hold ill will against Saburo Sakai for having taken basically the same approach (I'm not intimating that Sakai-san exaggerated his war record; rather the aspect of drawing attention to his wartime efforts). The end result of this attitude held by the remaining vets is that the personal exploits of many Japanese veterans are not getting recorded for posterity (as per Tony's frustration).
I'm happy to report that the trend seems to be changing. As we contemplate the sad reality that many WWII veterans are "going west" on a daily basis, the Zero Pilots' Association is encouraging their veterans to "go public." A personal friend of mine (name withheld at his request) has moved to Japan and has been conducting interviews with many JNAF veterans; many whose personal combat exploits have not yet been recorded or published before. If names like Fujita-san, Yoshino-san, Tanimizu-san, and Abe-san ring a familiar bell then you will have some idea of the effort taking place. The planned end result is at least one book (and quite possibly a series of books) revealing personal combat histories of JNAF personnel not seen previously in the west.
The work continues...wait patiently...your patience will be rewarded!
Best wishes everyone,
Dan