PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (KHON2) -- Friday marked 80 years since a powerful moment of humanity occurred during World War II, when a Japanese Kamikaze pilot was given a formal burial at sea.
To commemorate the event, officials held a ceremony, where they gathered to remember a moment of unexpected com
passion in the chaos of war on the decks of the USS Missouri.
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"But the kamikaze attack happened on April 11th, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. A long ways away from here," said Michael Carr, Battleship Missouri president and CEO. "There was really no damage done to the ship. But the pilot's body flipped onto the ship and was recovered."
Most of the younger sailors wanted to discard the Japanese pilot's body overboard and viewed him only as the enemy.
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"Instead, Captain Callahan determined that that young man should be given a proper sailor's burial," Carr said. "Captain Callahan did what I think we would all agree would be the proper Christian thing to do, to honor somebody as we would hope that they would honor us."
The Kamikaze pilot was wrapped in a Japanese flag that was sewn from a white bed sheet and red signal flag and was then laid to rest at sea with full honors.
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Officials and loved ones of the captain on board at the time say that--despite the fact that the attack occurred 80 years ago--the lessons of its aftermath still ring true.
"This event could have deepened the divide between our nations. Instead, it became a defining moment of humanity and honor. Today, as we gather here… once enemies, now allies, we are reminded of how far we have come," said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
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"I think the message is that we need to be careful in our relations with other people, that it's so important to to build a relationship, even in times of stress to have the foresight to confer dignity on other people when perhaps it wasn't the most popular decision," said Capt. Callaghan's grandson, Carey Callaghan. ...read more read less
