This post originated on Christmas Day 2010, but it's also perfectly suited to looking back 70 years after the events of Pearl Harbor, so I'm re-posting it now for December 7, 2011. While you are likely to see and hear many stories from that terrible day of December 7, 1941, the life story of Mitsuo Fuchida (the Japanese Navy Airman who commanded the Pearl Harbor air attack) is almost certainly the most stunning. War is hell... but from the experiences of World War II, men like Mitsuo Fuchida and Jacob De Shazer (a Doolittle raid bombardier) came to find the path to heaven.
also see: Pearl Harbor, The Doolittle Raid, And An Epic Film Project: Wounded Tiger
Japanese Navy Airman Mitsuo Fuchida who commanded the 1941 Pearl Harbor air attack
One of the most amazing stories to come out of World War II is likely one you've never even heard about. It's not only a fascinating story, but it's the perfect one to acknowledge on this, Christmas Day.
Mitsuo Fuchida (1902 - 1976) was the Imperial Navy Airman who lead the air attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Fuchida had a passion for the Japanese Empire, and for flying. But events that took place shortly after the war was over would transform him into a passionate Christian who spent the rest of his life sharing the gospel, Christ's message of forgiveness and salvation, in both the United States and Japan. He even became a U.S. citizen in 1960.
You might find this an odd story to have on an aviation blog due to the deep spiritual meaning, but the truth is that man's quest to understand where we came from and where we go when we die, is unquestionably the most important information on all of earth. So if you're inclined to turn away right now, I humbly ask you instead to read on. Read the words below from Mitsuo Fuchida himself about the events of Pearl Harbor, and then how he came to understand God's plan and purpose for forgiveness. Fuchida shared our love for aviation, but through an amazing sequence of events, he found that in the end, it is Christ who gives meaning and purpose to life.
Jacob De Shazer, bombardier of the last B-25 to take off in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo