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I am a fan of the history channel. On this particular night the host went to Okinawa and actually found a man who had been 13 years old at the time when he and his family hid in the caves upon this island while it was bombarded with bombs.
Let’s talk about the graciousness of this man who would face his own demons. He spoke of horrors none of us have ever imagined let alone tried to live through. Still he walked these caves with the host to share with the rest of the world what a true nightmare war can be. A chilling moment came when he mentioned how there were human remains everywhere they walked in this cave. His memories were so sharp he was able to tell in detail the many ways he watched his neighbors die.
When the host asked him if he’d come back to this place, he was adamant to speak out in broken English how he’d never let this place into his physical presence but more importantly into his memorable life. I knew what he meant. He’d never again let the horror of the past interfere with his present or future life, it had stolen enough of his youth.
This man was a living witness of something we all need to recognize. We need to understand how we should never be robbed of today’s riches by yesterday’s thieves.