Vision & Values
Thoughts from a Pearl Harbor Tour…
The symbolism of the USS Arizona and Missouri memorials is striking. The USS Arizona memorial sits above and straddles the sunken Arizona, which has been a national cemetery since the Japanese attack on Dec 7, 1941.
The memorial’s bridge shape has 21 windows and a marble wall engraved with the names of those entombed in the ship who gave their lives in defense of our nation that day and reminds of the start of the war and it’s costs.
The USS Arizona and Missouri deliberately sit end to end on battleship row, symbolizing the start and conclusion of World War II. While the USS Missouri’s guns are elevated as a salute to the officers and men of the Arizona.
As we toured the ship, two unexpected stories of Vision and Values emerged, one about the surrender ceremony and the other about a kamikaze attack on the USS Missouri.
Vision & Values - Fast forward to September 2, 1945, a fleet of 300 allied ships entered Tokyo harbor to formalize Japan's surrender and end WW2. As we stood on the deck where the Japanese signed the surrender agreement aboard the USS Missouri, we were told the story of how the delegation of the emperor of Japan came aboard to sign the peace treaty. Members of the delegation surrounded by the crew of the Missouri expected after the ceremony that they would likely be imprisoned or executed. General MacArthur’s speech took the Japanese delegation by surprise.
“It is my earnest hope, and indeed the hope of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past -- a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice.”
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At this moment, after almost 4 years of war that caused 69 million casualties, believing in a vision of the future and living your values both as individuals and as a country is the only way forward. Words and promises of prayers are cheap; value-based actions show integrity and promise.
Living your Values - On April 11,1945 during the battle for Okinawa a Kamikaze attack on the Missouri emerged as a demonstration of honor and living one’s values.
This picture shows the final seconds of the attack, taken by Buster Campbell. Its wing caught the side of the ship, crashed into the ship and parts of the plane, and its fuel caught fire on the Missouri deck. Its crew responded quickly and put out the fire within 3 minutes with no loss of life in Missouri. The pilot's remains were found in the wreckage on the deck of the Missouri.
“Despite protests from crew members, who wanted the remains hosed over the deck, Callaghan insisted that the young Japanese airman had done his job to the best of his ability, with honor, and deserved a military burial. The USS Missouri’s commanding officer, Captain William M. Callaghan, issued an order that the pilot be given a military burial at sea the following morning. A Japanese flag, hastily-sewn and pieced together by Missouri crewmembers, was draped over the pilot’s body and as he was laid to rest, the Marine guard fired a traditional three-volley rifle salute, a bugler played “Taps” and the ship’s chaplain, Roland Faulk, concluded the brief ceremony with the words, “Commend his body to the deep.”
“Had Captain Callaghan let the sailors hose Ishino’s remains overboard, he could have been forgiven, as the war had already touched the Callaghan family in the worst of ways. His brother, Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan, had been killed earlier in the war when a Japanese shell tore into the USS San Francisco during the Battle for Guadalcanal.”
Once the war was over, the families of the participants in the burial gathered on the USS Missouri's deck. The handstitched Japanese flag was presented to the pilot’s family as a memento of his courage and sacrifice. As you might imagine, the Ishino families shared their tears, emotions, and gratitude that their son was treated with honor.
Many thoughts crossed my mind during this tour about these events and how we should tell stories. Sometimes telling a story requires more than just a picture. We need to understand what we are capturing, and how important it can be to journal pictures and ideas together.