My Wife's Uncle, the World War II Survivor
Yesterday we went to visit my wife's uncle in the hospital. Making a hospital visit to a sick friend or family member is quite an involved custom, called omimai (oh-me-my!), not to be confused with omiai (oh-me-eye!) which is formal meeting with a prospective marriage partner usually arranged by your parents. This is the guy who fought in World War II, and he just loves me since I'm the only one who listens attentively to his recollections of the war. I don't mind at all: it's great to be able to talk with someone who lived through such vibrant history during a time when our two countries were bitter enemies, and I gladly listened for an hour as he talked about his years manning the large guns on the Battleship Ise, a mammoth vessel that was retrofitted after Midway so that the back end could serve as a carrier. (Being an anime fan, I had to convert the scenes he described into proper Yamato vs Galimas space battles.) During the war, he escaped death no less than three times. The first was when an American bullet grazed his face, leaving a long scar. Then, his ship was to have been sent out with the Yamato on her final one-way mission, but there was no fuel so they got to stay at the shipyards at Kure. Finally, after the atomic bombing of nearby Hiroshima, the captain picked eight crew members out of a line to go to the city and see what had happened, and all eight men ended up dying of radiation poisoning. My wife's uncle had been the tenth man in that line.
Model of the ship:
posted by Peter in Japan at 8:07 PM
7 Comments:
Hi Peter, it's interesting to hear stories from loved ones that have experienced things we have only learned in history lessons isn't it? I remember listening to stories from my grandmother who survived World War 2 in Germany, she was German but her and her parents hid Jewish people in their home to protect them from the Nazi's.
If you have a moment could you elaborate on the customs involved in omimai hospital visits? What is expected of you in these visits? I'd love to know more. Thanks!
12:39 AM
Interesting. Yes, I'm sure none of us would have been able to endure the horror. I mean, just one of these big ships sinking takes out 3000 lives easily, yet look how utterly we freaked out at 9/11.
Hmm, basically omomai is a visit to someone in the hospital, but you need to bring a gift -- cut flowers are fine, but never a potted plant, since that implies that they'll be in the hospital a long time.
1:18 AM
Well I'm not sure if that is a good comparison. Loss of life no matter how it comes about is tragic, but the difference between WWII and 9/11 isn't comparable.
Most people freaked out because there was no warning or provocation.
1:28 AM
My grandpa, thankfully, was too young to join the military so he stayed home. But, he would tell all stories about the bombing of his hometown by B-12 bombers.How food was scarce after the war, real scary stuff. My other grandpa was a Zero fighter....jeez glad he survived. Apparently he was real close being a Kamikaze pilot.
5:28 AM
If you really want to do something, have him write down his memoirs.
Living witnesses to these events are becoming rarer and rarer.
8:24 AM
He must be fascinating to listen to. My father was only a little boy during WW2, but he remembers collecting milkweed pods to use for life jackets, when America could no longer get cork from overseas.
on the omomai, if you peel an apple all in one section for the sick person, they should heal quickly. heard that one?
3:34 AM
Even better... make a video of the kids interviewing him. We did that with younger generation asking their grandparents about conditions in Germany before the war and burned copies onto DVD for everyone.
6:18 AM
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