The Girl with the White Flag

Here’s a quick read that pairs well with Colonel Hiromichi Yahara’s The Battle For Okinawa. COL Yahara was the senior surviving Japanese officer and largely responsible for the battle plan and forced conscription of Okinawan civilians. The book is his account concerning what happened and his perspective of the war. Interestingly, I’ve been to many of the places in his book and they are easily identified online. Regarding Tomiko Higa and the Okinawans, he has no remorse for the impact on the civilian population which was devastating. His book is an excellent treatise on the battle and the philosophy of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1944 and should be viewed as such.

Tomiko Higa: The Girl with the White Flag

Tomiko Higa was one of those civilians and just 7 years old. She lost her mother at an early age and her father was taken to support the battle early in the fight. She initially traveled with her brother (shot while laying next to her on the beach) and her sisters (lost in a crowd). Higa struggles to survive on the battlefield on the south end of Okinawa caught between the Allied and Japanese forces. There, as the some of the most intense fighting of the war rages, she hides in caves, holes, and under a house, only leaving to find food and water. This includes digging for vegetables left during harvest and taking scraps of food from dead soldiers. The threat of death did not come from the Allied Forces alone, as Japanese soldiers were growing more desperate and destitute as certain death approached. Her first-hand accounts narrowly escaping death in nothing short of terrifying. Tomiko somehow finds the strength and courage to survive after meeting an elderly couple in a cave.

I’ve also been to some of the places in Tomiko’s book and the events align between her and Yahara’s story. If taken together, you will gain an understanding of the operational and tactical aspects of war and the consequences for individuals and communities. Interestingly, Yahara and Higa were hiding in caves in close proximity and describe some of the same events.

The implications on families are immediate and the outcomes to social groups last decades. Lessons learned are neither lessons nor learned when lost to time. I believe this book is worth absorbing for reflection.

#okinawa