“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

My husband was a World War II buff and loved the wartime stories he heard of bravery and sacrifice.  Whether it was because he was born in 1941, the same year as the attack on Pearl Harbor, may have been why he was so interested in what took place.  One of his favorite stories was the following.

Captain Mitsuo Fuchida of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force rose through the ranks while logging over 10,000 hours of flight time.  With his extensive military service , he was chosen to plan and then lead the air assault on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  At 06:00 hours, Captain Fuchida led the first wave of 183 attack aircraft descending on Pearl Harbor.  He ordered his pilot to send the radio signal, “Tora!  Tora! Tora!” to the flagship Akagi, informing them that the attack had begun and it was a total surprise.  In Japanese “Tora” means tiger.  He remained over Pearl Harbor until the second wave of attack finished and saw the extent of the damage to the US military.  His plane was hit 21 times by anti-aircraft and it was amazing it did not crash.  Because of his success, he was a Japanese hero and was granted an audience with the Emperor.

During the Battle of Midway, Capt. Fuchida was unable to participate because he had appendicitis.  He watched the battle from the carrier Akagi.  Some historians believe that if he had been the commander, the battle would have had a different outcome.

On the American side, Jacob DeShazer was one of General Doolittle’s Raiders, a bombardier of a B-24 aircraft.  He was chosen to drop bombs over Nagoya, Japan.  Because the aircraft did not have enough fuel to return to the carrier, the plan was to fly to China and land there.  A large hole in the windshield resulted in a wind drag on the B-24, and it ran out of fuel.  Jacob parachuted to land and was captured by the Japanese.  He spent 40 months in a POW camp, beaten, suffering from malnutrition and three of the crew were executed by a firing squad.  Because of the cruelty of his captors, Jacob developed a deep hatred towards them, thinking only of revenge.  After 23 months, the guards gave him a Bible.  As he read, he accepted the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and it changed his life completely!  The love of Christ melted his heart and he resolved to someday bring the message of salvation to Japan.  Several years after the war, he returned to Nagoya, the city he had bombed and established a church there.

In 1949, Fuchida purchased a Bible and read the gospels.  He had heard of Jacob DeShazer through a tract someone on the street had given him.  He came to understand what motivated Jake.  It was the crucifixion of Jesus and His words in the gospel of Luke, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  In April 1950, he accepted Christ as his Savior.  The following month, he went to the house where Jacob and his wife resided and knocked on the door.  The door opened and Fuchida said, “I have desired to meet you, Mr. DeShazer.  My name is Mitsuo Fuchida.”  After a moment, DeShazer recognized the name and welcomed him in.  They embraced as brothers in Christ.  Former enemies were made friends!  Fuchida spent the rest of his life as an evangelist.  His book, From Pearl Harbor to Calvary, recounts his journey to faith.

Your Friend, Jean