I attacked Pearl Harbor by Ensign Kazuo Sakamaki
The true story told by the midget submarine officer who became United States P.O.W. #1
Many quotes in this book are worth sharing; however, I will only share one. “The idea that I learned, which I wish to share with all my fellow countrymen, is that man can and should live in pursuit of happiness.”
Ensign Sakamaki was an officer on a midget submarine. His responsibility was to attack Pearl Harbor alongside five other midget subs. He failed in his duties and was captured shortly after by the U.S. troops. Mr. Sakamaki’s story is a personal insight into a soldier’s mind—albeit from the ‘enemy’ side.
This story sheds light on many things. The most important, however, is Ensign’s “discovery of a new duty.” The way he was treated at the P.O.W camps is extraordinary. At times I thought, ‘none of this can be real.’ Because my knowledge of P.O.W camps comes from movies and fictional stories, for the most part, I was waiting for the torture to begin against Mr. Sakamaki, but it never did. He was kept from hurting himself, treated well, fed and clothed properly, treated almost as a guest instead of an enemy. Honestly, I found his story inspiring. To come from such a background and end up finding a path that leads to love and rebuilding, all because he was a prisoner of war—fascinating.
