News>Airmen, Japanese remember the past, honor the present
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Shinyu Kizaka, temple priest and host of the event, recites a sutra during the unveiling of a memorial monument in honor of fallen B-29 Superfortress aircrews on March 20, 2013, at Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Kizaka was just 12 years old when the U.S. service members crashed in his home town, and 68 years later he helped honor the aircrew by using his temple as resting ground for the memorial. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Cody H. Ramirez)
Lt. Col. Mark Allen, 459 Airlift Squadron commander, speaks during the unveiling of a memorial monument in honor of fallen B-29 Superfortress aircrews March 20, 2013, at Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Allen thanked the local citizens for all they have done to honor the service members who lost their lives and reminded everyone in attendance that sacrifices from both the Japanese and Americans during World War II were not in vain; they have led to their current alliance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cody H. Ramirez)
Airmen from Yokota Air Base, Japan, lay flowers during a ceremony March 20, 2013, at Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Each flower honored a life lost during the B-29 crashes in Gunma during World War II. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Cody H. Ramirez)
Shinyu Kizaka, temple priest and host of the event, recites a sutra during the unveiling of a memorial monument in honor of fallen B-29 Superfortress aircrews March 20, 2013, at Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Kizaka was just 12 years old when the U.S. service members crashed in his home town, and 68 years later he helped honor the aircrew by using his temple as resting ground for the memorial. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Cody H. Ramirez)
A memorial in honor of fallen B-29 Supefortress aircrews reflects Airmen from Yokota Air Base, Japan, and Japanese citizens during an unveiling ceremony March 20, 2013, at Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Since 1972, Airmen at Yokota AB have participated in joint ceremonies with Japanese citizens throughout the region to honor fallen B-29 aircrews. This was the first ceremony taken place in Gunma. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Cody H. Ramirez)
by Senior Airman Cody H. Ramirez
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
3/22/2013 - GUNMA PREFECTURE, Japan (AFNS) -- Airmen from Yokota Air Base, Japan, joined local Japanese citizens March 20 here, to remember American B-29 Superfortress flight crews who lost their lives during a World War II raid over the city and unveil a memorial monument in their honor.
Since 1971, service members stationed here have traveled to prefectures throughout the area to participate in annual ceremonies honoring fallen B-29s aircrew members. This year marked the first in Gunma.
The monument dedication reminded both countries of the past, while strengthening their partnership bond in the future. The words inscribed on the monument read, "We wish to commemorate the 23 brave souls and offer a wish for world peace and friendship between Japan and America."
"I'm glad I had the opportunity to be a representative for those families remembering their loved ones who lost their lives for their country," said Lt. Col. Mark Allen, the 459th Airlift Squadron commander. "Many young Japanese and Americans sacrificed their lives during World War II, but the sacrifice they gave is now the lasting friendship between our great nations."
On Feb. 10, 1945, the U.S. planned a massive air strike on Nakajima Aircraft Ota Factory to disrupt Japan's combat capabilities and destroy the factory's aircraft and buildings. The night of the operation, one of the B-29s shot by Japanese defense forces crashed into another B-29, sending both crashing into Gunma.
The 23 service members on board the aircraft died. Upon seeing the wreckage, Gunma citizens buried the bodies, showing them proper respect despite their current enemy status.
American family members and friends of some of the crew members visited Japan to join in the ceremony.
Nancy Samp, a family member and historian for the 505th Bomb Group (one of the units associated with the crashed B-29s) was glad to see the aircrew members remembered for their sacrifice and dedication to the nation.
"My family would be so proud to know this crew and the lives lost are being honored in Japan so many years after the mission," she said. "My father was on the same mission, so it is very important and memorable date to me."
She expressed the importance her family kept in remembering their father's name and honoring the past. With this, she said she was grateful to the local community and everyone involved for keeping the fallen aircrews' memories alive.
The American service members' families aren't the only ones who remember the tragic event.
One local Japanese citizen said most people in the area remember the B-29 crash and how the story was passed down and retold through the generations.
Shinyu Kizaka, the priest of the temple hosting the monument, was just 12 years old when the crash occurred and still recalls the event.
"I just remember being very frightened," he said. "Pilots are bright and honorable people, and I am sorry for all the members who died."
He said, although American and Japan were once enemies, much of Japan's post war rebuilding was due to America, which led to the honor and respect shared between the two cultures today.
