At the next WW II Veterans Discussion Group meeting, 2 p.m. January 30th, 2013, here at the Hagaman Library, we will explore opinion on whether the Japanese Memorial, seen here in this United States Coast Guard photo, should remain on the Aleutian Island of Attu.
The WW II battle which occurred on the American owned Aleutian Islands, following the Japanese attack on the American military base at Dutch Harbor in June of 1942, initially killed 100 Americans including civilians. Many deaths of Americans and Japanese would follow. The Aleut population of Dutch Harbor was taken prisoner, some would die of disease and starvation.
The army would bring in the 7th Infantry Division from North Africa which then trained in California. The warm weather training did not prepare the men for the 100 mile an hour winds and below zero temperatures of the Aleutian Islands. In addition, the army did not provide many of the men with winter uniforms. Men fighting in summer uniforms suffered illness, frostbite, and sometimes amputation.
The Alaskan Anchorage Daily News article Monumental Concerns reports from the National Park Service and the documentary Red White Black and Blue that:
• 549 Americans died, 1,148 were wounded and 1,200 suffered severe-cold injuries. Taking into account Japanese and American soldiers, American civilian contractors those who died later of wounds and others, some estimate the death toll at 4,000, mostly Japanese. Of the estimated 2,600-3,000 Japanese invaders, only 28 survived and were taken prisoner.
When WW II veteran, Bill Jones, who was in the final battle on the Island of Attu on May 29th, 1943 revisited the site of the battle in 2000, he was shocked to find a memorial placed their by the Japanese. The inscription on the monument reads:
An inscription, in Japanese and English, reads: "In memory of all those who sacrificed their lives in the islands and seas of the North Pacific during World War II and in dedication to world peace."
The Japanese government has expressed remorse over the events on the Islands and feels that the memorial is an expression of peace. Bill Jones and others however have petitioned for its removal. Jones and another veteran, Andry Petrus were featured in the documentary concerning the battle, Red White Black and Blue.
Our own WW II Veterans Discussion Group member, Vincent Barone wrote an article concerning the monument to the New Haven Register, June 9th 2008, in which he stated:
The monument that was erected to the World War II battle on the island of Attu, part of Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain, from the Japanese government is a disgrace to our soldiers' honor because it also is honoring the Japanese who fought there.
It took 15,000 men- 549 killed, 1,140 wounded - and Attu ranks as one of the most costly assaults in the Pacific.
The Japanese were the aggressors. We were defending American soil.
Take down that Japanese monument and erect our own monument. Only then will our soldiers have a lasting heroic tribute to show that they had not died in vain.
