2017 Irei no Hi: Remembering the Battle of Okinawa NEW

On Saturday, June 17th, the Okinawa Association of America (OAA) in Gardena invites you to a special event focusing on World War II's Battle of Okinawa. (RSVP is required due to limited seating/parking)

Designated as a prefectural memorial day by the Okinawa Government, Irei no Hi* commemorates the end of the devastating "Typhoon of Steel" in 1945. Every year, Okinawans remember and honor the nearly 150,000 Okinawan civilians who died (approx. 1/3 of the prefecture's pre-war population).

The June 17th event will feature special guest speakers including Robert Akers Martin, who, as a 19-year-old soldier in the U.S. 6th Marine Division, experienced the battle firsthand. Encouraged by his family to share his story, he recently self-published a daily journal that he kept during the 100 days he spent in Okinawa.

There will also be a screening of an illustrated documentary called "Himeyuri." The 30-minute film (Japanese with English subtitles) is based on the harrowing testimonies of Okinawan women who, as high school students during the war, were forced to become nurses for the Japanese Imperial Army. A DVD and English guidebook were donated to the OAA by the Himeyuri Peace Museum in Itoman City, Okinawa.