Last summer, I went to Okinawa with my 90 year old Grandfather. He had been in the Marines during World War II and had fought on Okinawa. I had grown up listening to his stories of his time during the war and knew that going on this trip with him was going to be once in a lifetime.
I had actually hoped that my dad would have been able to accompany him, but since the dates didn't work out, I was more than happy to get to return to Japan. I guess it maybe helped that I at least had a somewhat working knowledge of Japanese.
My grandfather was pretty amazing (he's since passed away). To have taken a trip that long and far away was inspiring. I hope that when I'm 90 I'm a) still alive and b) as mobile as he was.
We spent hours on that plane, and then in Guam and then finally in Japan. They were in the midst of a typhoon, so it rained a lot, but that was okay. We wheeled (gpa had a handy wheelchair) around Naha like nobodies business.
We were on a group tour with a number of history buffs. It was pretty funny. I was def. the youngest, one of the very few females, but we had a good time. There was one other Vet on the trip. These two were pretty much rock stars on the trip. They even got on television and in the newspaper.
We visited a number of sites, mounds, hills, monuments. Experiencing this alongside my grandfather, seeing him relive it and watch how quickly he remembered details and friends he lost was just humbling.
It was very neat to see where my grandfather fought in the war. Regardless of personal opinions we may hold, he...and many others risked their lives for our country. I am nothing but grateful to our service men and women.
