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Capt. Hidaki Yamashita, center, presents his operations
Kurayoshi Takara, center, offers remarks with the assistance
Yoshihiko Fukuda, center, mayor of Iwakuni City and
Shinzo Abe, center, prime minster of Japan, is escorted
Hiroshi Kiyan, center, speaks to 3rd grade students
Seiji Shoya, Club Iwakuni supervisor, performs a taste
Japanese Maj. Gen. Omori, center, the deputy commanding
Takeda Takayuki, community relations specialist with
Sayaka Higa, center, translates a response to a reporter’s
Takejiro Higa, center, shares his experiences as a
Summary
Takejiro Higa, center, shares his experiences as a U.S. Army soldier and Battle of Okinawa veteran Dec. 9 with Marines here. Higa was recruited by the U.S. Army for his linguistic abilities and, during the battle, his main mission was translating captured documents and interrogating prisoners. Higa also was able to use his Okinawa dialect to convince local non-combatants hiding inside the cave to surrender peacefully to U.S. forces. Higa was invited by the Okinawa Prefectural Government to attend a symposium at the Peace Memorial Museum in Itoman. Higa was born in Waipahu, Hawaii, and moved to Okinawa, Japan, at the age of two, and he returned to the U.S. at the age of 16 before becoming a soldier in the U.S. Army. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Janessa Pon/Released)