On Sept. 8, my husband, Jeff, and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Ishihara Sangyo in Yokkaichi, the company that my dad, Harold Vick, was forced to work for while a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II.
After surviving the infamous Bataan Death March, he was held at several POW camps in the Philippines and was eventually sent to Japan. Of some 13,000 American POWs sent to Japan, 1,115 died in Japan due to the inhumane and abusive treatment that they received.
Akira Kobayashi, director and managing executive officer of Ishihara Sangyo, apologized for what took place at their company where they used POWs as forced laborers. He used the word "apology" and didn't just talk around it. I could tell they weren't just words he felt obligated to say because of the circumstances; it was a heartfelt apology. I had trouble holding back the tears.