Price for Peace Page #7

to commit suicide.

I must resist this urge

and continue to live.

I must continue

to fight for my cause,

which is to abolish nuclear weapons.

This gives me reason to live.

Some of these hills haven't changed,

have they?

The hills didn't change, but there

was no property, nothing left.

The importance of going back

to Okinawa with my family

was to show them

where their uncle was killed,

and to show them where I fought.

Kunishi Ridge is to the right.

There's a road

that goes across the valley there.

You can drive up

on the edge of the ridge.

Can you make it?

My brother was fighting

on Kunishi Ridge.

He was only 200 yards from me

where he was killed.

Standing at Kunishi Ridge,

I can envision the battles

'cause I saw the newsreels.

I can see my husband,

a young man fighting through the war,

and knowing that any moment

he could've been killed.

What courageous young men we had,

to fight and risk their own life.

We went to the memorial gardens

where the granite stones

have everyone's name

that died on Okinawa or off Okinawa.

And my children took a rubbing on

the stones of the name of my brother.

To have my children there,

and to experience that as a family

was the most rewarding part

of the whole trip to Okinawa.

A dead soldier is a basic hero, I think.

A man that died for his country,

he's the one who's the real hero.

It's a great sacrifice

to personally give his life.

And for those young men and women

who had so much to look forward to,

and now are gone,

I just hope people never forget

what they did for freedom.

That's the part that really hurts, the

guys who never had a chance at life.

In olden days,

there were no surprise attacks.

You woke up the enemy before duelling.

That was the way

of the samurai warrior.

Japan's sneak attack against the US

was not a fair fight.

If war had been declared,

I wouldn't mind

having risked my life in battle.

But since it was a sneak attack,

I feel guilty about what I did.

I've carried this guilt for 50 years.

On December 7th 1991,

a group of the Japanese pilots

from various different ships,

I think there was about 24 of them came,

and I met Mr Abe.

And we were drawn to one another

for some unknown reason.

Mr Fiske was a good man.

He was a signal man and a bugler.

He was a bomber pilot

from the aircraft carrier the Akagi.

He bombed our ship.

We were saying our last goodbyes

at the hotel

and he says, "Richard-san,

do me this special favour.

"Please buy two roses,

one for me, one for you.

"Would you please go out to the Arizona

and play taps for me?"

I've been doing that every month

since 1991,

and he keeps replenishing me

with money.

It is my way of expressing

my apologies to the people

who lost their lives

as a result of our sneak attack.

That is why I bow my head and pray,

and dedicate a rose.

What you'll find

if you talk to older veterans,

they don't talk about their

war experiences to their families.

When these fellas get together

on reunions of this kind,

they exchange war stories,

confident that both parties understand

what they're talking about.

Oh, my goodness!

I finally kissed a nurse.

I kissed a nurse first time!

I go to the marine conventions every few

years to stay in touch with old friends.

We like to keep those friendships going

because we did have three years, at

least, together under dire circumstances.

The ones who return to Iwo Jima will

experience a great emotional period

when they get down to an area

that they recognise on the island.

It's an emotional experience to stand

and think about what you did there.

It immediately brings on thoughts

about your friends that you lost.

So it's a matter of revisiting

a difficult period in life

and expressing appreciation of the fact

they're here to do it again.

That's the way you do it!

I'm a walking advertisement

for the corps.

You are the marine corps poster.

I've wanted to go back to Iwo Jima

for a long time.

I decided I had to go now,

if I was ever going.

I'm looking forward to it

like going to the dentist.

I know it's something I must do, but I'm

not that eager to have that tooth pulled.

I know it'll be painful.

Ready? One, two, three...

Forty years from now, you'll be proud

that you were a marine,

if you're not already.

One thing I want to see is the top of

Suribachi where the flag was raised.

Down there's

where I spent most of my first day,

within 20-30 yards of the beach,

of the water's edge.

I want to see the beach.

I understand the beaches

haven't changed.

For over 50 years, I've had nightmares

that I just can't describe.

And I'm hoping to put

these ghosts to rest.

They're ready to go.

One thing I'm going back to Iwo Jima

for is to take my wife back there

to let her see where I fought

for the freedom of this country.

Let's get a picture of this over here.

I want to have my picture taken with you.

You all look gung-ho

and ready to go to war.

You going up?

Now I think...

...maybe I'll be able to spend

a year or two of all-night sleep

without these nightmares.

Before I die. I can die a rested old man.

I kiss you on the beach

where I landed 56 years ago.

Well, isn't that so sweet?

I met a retired US veteran

and he told me he was sorry.

It brought tears to my eyes.

I told him it wasn't his fault or mine.

We were enemies at wartime,

but friends now.

- 17, Iwo Jima.

- 17.

I was 17 too. Yeah.

I was 17.

When I'm asked about the war...

...it's so intolerable

to think about it even now.

The loss that comes

through those things

changes your attitude

about things forever.

Those of us lucky enough

to be here today

know we're the luckiest

of the lucky.

Those of us who stood

on this island in 1945

find it almost unbelievable

that we stand here together once again

to honour our fallen comrades.

We continue to ask

for the comfort of their souls.

We seek relief

for the sadness of their families.

May they now

and for evermore rest in peace.

Right face!

Right flank, ammunition, load.

Ready.

Aim. Fire!

Aim. Fire!

Aim. Fire!

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