Teaching With Primary Sources
Veterans’ Day - November 11, 2024
Iwo Jima and the Post-War Occupation of Japan: WWII Veteran John Robinson Shares His Story With SPI, Grades 7-12
After nearly a lifetime spent "trying to forget," WWII Marine Corps veteran John Robinson agreed to share his memories of the Battle of Iwo Jima and the post-war occupation of Japan with SPI. He chose to do so for young people—for the students listening today—hoping they would gain a deeper understanding of the humanity woven into the history. Mr. Robinson is today 101 years old.
He relates: Initially, Iwo Jima had been bombed and strafed and burned for a month ahead of the invasion. It was assumed there was no enemy there. What the US didn’t know was that on a volcanic island, there are tunnels. In the case of Iwo Jima, the tunnels housed at least 20,000 Japanese troops. When US troops landed, 20,000 Japanese soldiers came out and attacked.
What was supposed to be a simple landing turned out to take 25 days to successfully take the island. It was, in his words, “a catastrophe. Every time I took a breath, someone was killed.”
During his time of military service Mr. Robinson headed a Sound Ranging unit that worked to identify the location of hidden enemy artillery. He was 20 years old.
When talking about his experience in post-war Japan, he tells a remarkable story about a young Japanese man he met, Hiashi Wasaki (sp). Hiashi spoke English and was fascinated to learn about America. These two men, who weeks before were mortal enemies, struck up a friendship. As John prepared to return to the States, Hiashi’s parting words indicated his wish to come to America and visit John. The two never saw each other again. Their relationship gives one pause.
SPI suggests that students listen to Mr. Robinson’s story and those of other veterans to find the parallels that exist for all soldiers regardless of the war or conflict. In addition to learning about history, the stories are a lesson in humanity.
Click here to listen to John’s story and others in SPI’s Veterans collection.
About Story Preservation
Our Mission: Story Preservation Initiative believes in the transformative power of story to connect people around our common humanity and create a better future.
Our Work: We are a leading producer and online distributor of original, content-rich audio-based narratives for K-12 students. SPI stories are the raw materials of history, roadmaps to scientific discovery, and windows to the minds of artists and skilled tradesmen and women. SPI also makes available original projects and educator prompts developed to deepen student engagement and learning.
What We Achieve: SPI brings listeners into personal contact with extraordinary people whose stories engage their hearts and minds, imparting content knowledge and fostering curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking as they open doors to possible career paths in professions associated with the arts, sciences, humanities, and skilled trades.
SPI produces original, primary source recordings of extraordinary people who share their knowledge and experience with young people to educate, inspire, and make learning meaningful and real-world relevant.
We are committed to remaining open-source, but we need your help. Please consider a donation in any amount. All contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Click HERE to donate.
www.storypreservation.org