topics: |  japan | history | world-war2

Extracts

Falling cherry blossoms.
The remaining cherry blossoms
Will soon be
Falling cherry blossoms.
	- Haiku quoted by one of the officers in conversation

--
The 15 Thunder Gods and the mother plane crews took clippings from
their fingernails and hair and placed them in unpainted wooden boxes
for delivery to their parents so they could hold funeral services for
them.  They took off their old clothes and burned them, putting on new
uniforms.  They then sat down and carefully wrote out their death
statements.
			...
Flight Petty Officer 1st Class Ataru Shimamura, Ohka Squadron 17th
Term, Category B, Graduate Naval Training Course, Age 20:
	I shall fall, smiling and singing songs.  Please visit and worship
	at Yasukuni Shrine this spring.  There I shall be a cherry blossom
	smiling, with many other colleagues.  I died smiling, so
	please smile.  Please do not cry.  Make my death meaningful.