To Zenji Abe, 89, a former dive-bomber pilot, Pearl Harbor was a place where he headed to risk his life to defend his country. But more than 60 years later, it has turned into a place where he can nurture ties with American friends who had once been his foes.
He can clearly recall the day when he joined the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in the early morning hours of Dec. 7, 1941. The spry white-haired veteran spoke about his experiences in an interview at his home in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, where he lives with his wife.
"I put a photo of my (former) wife holding my 6-month-year-old son in my uniform's inner pocket. . . . I didn't feel fear, or such excitement as 'I'm going to beat the Americans!' Instead, I thought it's just like (an) exercise," Abe, then a 25-year-old lieutenant and squadron leader, said.