Why Did the US Navy Hold a Funeral for a Kamikaze?

This is the story of Setsuo Ishino, the Japanese Zero Kamikaze pilot that crashed into the USS Missouri off of Okinawa, and how the US Navy Actually held a funeral for him. This was made using the World War II flight simulator War Thunder. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder

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[fredblonder]

Sometime in the 1980s, I was inthe checkout line for the hardware store at Beltway Plaza in Greenbelt, Maryland. The two men in line direclty ahead of me started an amazing conversation. They were both World War II veterans: one Amercan, one Japanese. They compared notes and realized that they had once fought in the same battle, against one another. Forty years later they were neighbors, both buying hardware to do home repairs.

[paulcanon]

My father piloted an LCT in Okinawa. He never volunteered stories, but I asked him one day if he ever saw any kamikaze’s. He hesitated a moment and all he said was “every day.” I sure miss him.

[SaintEve]

The men stitched the flag of their enemy so he could be buried with respect. And it looks like they did a beautiful job with it. True honor.

[breakfreak]

The Captain truly was a man of honour and integrity (as was the pilot, knowing without doubt he would die).

[GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

I read about this when I visited the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor. The fact it was done while the battle was still going on says much about the character of the ship’s captain.

[Grimangell]

"A true soldier fights not because they hate what is in front of them, but because they love what is behind them." Ishino proved this statement true, as did the Commanding officer. There was honor in both actions.

[ryanmartin]

In 2003 I was living in Sasebo Japan while stationed onboard the USS Essex (LHD-2). I made the acquaintance of a WWII era Soldier form Japan. We went bar hopping together and he was very friendly. He told me that he never hated Americans. He fought us because it was his honor and pride to fight for his country. I told him I respect his service to his country and that I'm happy that our countries are allies. Then we got drunk and barfed in the street. Good times.

[denniskluver]

One of my uncles served on the USS Missouri battleship. He made a bracelet from the Japanese aircraft metal and gave them t to his son when he came home after the war. His name was William Ludwigs who lived in Sioux City Iowa.
He served with two brothers in WWII. Fred Ludwigs served on the USS Arkansas battleship and their younger brother, Arthur Ludwigs, served as a Naval CB on the Island of Iwo Jima. They all 3 came back home alive. We thank God for that. I am a nephew of these 3 uncles now at the age of 89 years old. My name is Dennis Kluver

[anthonyxavier]

Wow! Not only did the crew gave him a proper funeral but even went above and beyond and made a Japanese flag for him!

[Eric_Hutton.]

William Callaghan's brother Admiral Daniel Callaghan was killed in the waters off Guadalcanal in November 1942. That makes it even more remarkable.

[AArdWf]

I visited Yasukuni shrine in person a few weeks ago and wandered the museum, and its decisions both good and bad, afterward.

The room dedicated to the Kamikaze pilots was rough. So many young dudes - all their faces covering the walls - every single one. So many of their final letters home too.

Powerful stuff

[teti_]

I used to volunteer to clean the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor. The markings on the ship still remake from this crash and the story is told as part of the tour. To be clear, the pilots body was said to have been ripped in half and his upper body had landed on the main deck. The location of his legs were unknown. 🙏🏽 the captains told his men that even though he was an enemy, he was following orders for his country.

That's honor. 💯

[SaviorCross]

That photo of the plane about to hit the ship, the funeral preparations, the family reunion...wow. Excellent production.

[fxfbudj]

As a Japanese, I knew the photo but didn’t know its story. So I appreciate your sharing this incredible story. I want to mention that Captain William Callaghan and the crew members remind me of my American friends.

[ericbitzer]

My grandfather was on Battleship Missouri during WWII. He brought home a little piece of metal that was from a kamikaze plane that crashed into the ship. He was seaman first class Samuel Thomas Lennox.

[IBooDoopI]

Captain William C Callahan will always go down as one of the most honorable men to ever serve to me. To make such a call after being attacked speaks so highly of his character. Props to the men who not only went to his funeral but put in the effort to make a Japanese flag for the fallen soldier.

Every soldier, regardless of who they serve, is a soul putting their life on the line.

[elijahfreeman]

To fully appreciate Captain Callaghan's respect for this Japanese pilot, you should know that only about 2 years earlier, his older brother Admiral Daniel Callaghan was killed in action by the Japanese Navy. It speaks to his character that his personal grief did not stand in the way of his sense of honor.

[mikekeyloh]

“Maybe some of them like to fish or like to hunt… they were trying to do what they were supposed to do, and I was trying to do what I was supposed to do. Under different circumstances, we might have been good friends. ” - Shifty Powers, WWII veteran in his interview with TV series ‘Band of Brothers’

[cynaptyc]

This made me cry. As a veteran myself, I've never heard this extraordinary story of respect and camaraderie! Captain Callahan was a real soldier! I've heard of stories but this one just choked me up a bit.

[ph]

Another ship that did this was USS Enterprise (CV-6). After Lt (Jg) Shunsuke Tomiyasu had ploughed his Zero into her flight deck and blew off the Forward Elevator. Her crew was able to find his body and what was left of his Zero in the elevator well and was able to find him. His body was sutured up and was enshrouded in a mattress like the rest of her fallen crew before being buried at sea. A mistranslation of his name (at the time, he was identified as Tomi Zai), meant that his belongings and pieces of his Zero weren't returned to his family until 2003.