淳のプランで行われた“サプライズパーティー”は
大成功でした。
兄妹達だけで集まっての誕生日会、成長すればする程
一緒にどこかに行ったり集まったりが難しくなるので、
とても良いアイデアだったと思います。
現在3人とも（一人陽子ちゃんは婚約中です）
付き合っている人がいるので
合計6人で集まってのパーティーになりました。
今週の日曜日は家族でRedondo beachにある
フレンチレストランで
陽子とあゆみの誕生日をお祝いします。
http://dominiqueskitchen.com
もちろん、彼らの彼女や彼も一緒に来ますので
合計8人でお祝いします。
この同じメンバーで私の誕生日には
アリゾナ州に大型バンで大移動になります。
今から楽しみです。
土曜日はランナーの一人が転勤で
テキサスに行く事になり彼からのリクエストで
彼のお別れ会を我が家で行います。
と言う訳で今週はパーティーが続きます。
きこ書房さんから
「奇跡の音8000ヘルツ英語聴覚セラピー」の
プロモーションビデオが完成しました。
Youtubeにアップしてありますので
良かったら見て下さいね。
（このビデオはできてすぐに送って頂いたので
数カ所タイピングミスがありますので
ご了承下さい。）
書店さんには7月下旬から設置されるそうです。
＜今週はもう一つご紹介したいことがあります。＞
メルマガ読者のTakaさんが
トーストマスターズの例会で戦争体験の
語り部の１人としてスピーチをされ、その原稿を
送って下さいました。
読者の皆さんとShareさして頂ければと思います。
The Fourth of July
What does the Fourth of July mean to you?
Could it possibly be your birthday or a memorial that
you became Grandpa and Grandma?
Put aside such a guess, I wonder if you have ever asked
your parents about the Fourth of July 69 years ago.
To me, it was also ‘the Day of Infamy’ as then the
US President Franklin Roosevelt put it right after the
Imperial Japanese Navy made a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
Back to July Fourth 1945, I was eight years old; a naughty,
naive second grader in 内町elementary school, which was
located across from 徳島Station at that time.
I remember clearly what happened on that day as if it were
only yesterday.
Amid growing fear of losing the war, many Japanese were
sick of nightly air raids by the US warplanes.
They were not surprised at sirens warning that enemy
bombers were approaching.
But in Tokushima even a child sensed something was wrong
with the air-raid siren on that night because it lasted
much longer than usual.
My Dad, who volunteered to stand on guard near 徳島 Station,
hurried back home, saying “You have to evacuate right away!
B-29s are coming at low attitude!”
Dashing out of the makeshift shelter, seven of
my family—Dad, Mom, Grandpa, an older brother,
two sisters and me—ran eastward to the 徳島Central Park.
No sooner had we arrived at its entrance than a firebomb
struck the railroad track just a few meters behind us.
We really had a narrow escape from a direct hit.
“It’s not safe here. Let’s move to south!” shouted Dad.
Again we fled from the spot, with hand in hand lest
we should be separated in the darkness.
When we came to the northern end of the 富田橋 Bridge,
I saw dozens of people submerged in the 新町 River.
We followed them, covered ourselves with a floating futon
mattress.
The tide was going out. Thank God the water level was
about my waist.
Wooden houses along the 新町River were already engulfed
in flames.
I couldn’t even open my eyes because of dazzling inferno.
Terrified with a roaring sound of B29s above, I
desperately clung to Grandpa’s shoulder, crying in fear.
Then I found myself unconsciously praying to God without end.
“I don’t want to die. Help me, please!
I don’t want to die. Oh God, help me, PLEEEASE!”
It was almost dawn that enemy bombers went away.
The entire city was surrounded by ghastly tranquility.
All the houses were turned into ashes except a few
concrete buildings.
One of them was a blurred silhouette of my school that
could be seen from the bridge.
Dragging our feet, we walked home through the piles
of debris.
Burnt human bodies were found on the street.
At first I had no idea what they were all about.
I was inquisitive to find out but my brother held me back.
As we had feared, our two-storied house was totally
destroyed.
Nothing left but a huge amount of wreckage.
Being petrified, we stood speechless in front of it.
The whole world seemed like hell.
According to the US official document, the B-29 squad of
129 warplanes that swarmed over the City of Tokushima
dropped 1,050 tons of fire bombs, burning down more
than 60 % of the City.
It reported 1,000 dead, 2,000 injured and roughly 70,000
lost their houses.
After an Atomic-Bomb was dropped over 広島 and 長崎, Japan
surrendered to Allied Forces unconditionally.
Everything changed upside down on August 15th— another
“Day of Infamy.”
I still remember, when asked what I wanted to be in the
future, ‘a Commander of Tank Battalion’ or‘a Zero Fighter
Pilot’ was my pet answer.
Japan’s defeat in the World War 2 made a brainwashed child’s
patriotism blown off.
To me, the Fourth of July in 1945 remains as a turning point
from war to peace.
It instilled deep in my mind not only a strong anti-war
sentiment but also the fact that killing each other is
the worst folly of human beings.
Since the number of survivors from Tokushima Air Raid is
decreasing, it may be my turn to keep telling what
happened on that day.
That’s why I have to renew my commitment to lasting
peace on every Fourth of July when it comes along.
