This summer, Sotaro Kuga, an 11th-grade student at St. Mary’s, traveled across Okinawa to retrace the footsteps of the civilians who fled through forests and mountains during the Battle of Okinawa. “The distance that I traveled throughout Okinawa took more than 7 hours by car. This journey was through dense forests and through more than 3 mountains,” Sotaro recalled from his journey. “This was the distance the civilians had to walk throughout their journey to try to get to safety, and the distance some walked just to get killed. This was the harsh reality of war.”
The Battle of Okinawa (April–June 1945) was one of the largest and most brutal battles of the Pacific War in World War II. The war between U.S. forces and the Imperial Japanese Army took place on Okinawa and was seen as a crucial stepping stone for a potential invasion of mainland Japan. The battle involved massive ground combat, naval bombardments, and kamikaze attacks. Tragically, Okinawan civilians were caught in the middle—many were killed in the fighting, forced into mass suicides, or displaced. By the end, over 200,000 people had died, including soldiers and civilians. The devastation left deep scars on Okinawan society and memory, shaping both local identity and Japan’s postwar pacifism. And Sotaro traveled through Okinawa to trace the footsteps of this brutal slaughter.
Sotaro said his journey was inspired by personal loss. Just before Sotaro’s grandmother passed away, she shared her thoughts on war with Sotaro. This reminded Sotaro of an elderly friend who was a survivor of the Battle of Okinawa, and his message, which was “忘れちゃいけないよ (You can’t forget about the consequences of war).” This message stayed with Sotaro throughout the journey and inspired Sotaro to explore the reality of war.
Before this journey, he didn’t quite have a clear image of the war, and only knew the tragedy of it. Through the journey, Sotaro visited the dark and humid natural underground refuge where Kisei hid to escape air raids, the mountain Kisei lived in for 3 months, the farm Kisei had to steal food from, and the shelter Kisei lived in. He also heard stories during the war from Kisei’s cousin, and that Kisei was in a situation where he even had to eat cycad, a poisonous plant. Through Kisei and other survivors’ memories and traveling to places where civilians fled for their lives, Sotaro mentioned that his perspectives on the war have completely changed. “From the places I went, I learned the extent of destruction and the harsh conditions that the civilians had to live through. From the professor, I heard stories of how people are still traumatized today, how one decision decides a person’s fate, and the fatality of the war,” he said. “It made me realize how fortunate I was to be living in a peaceful place.”
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at struck Sotaro the most were the survivors who continued to share their stories, despite their trauma from the war. “I asked them why they were willing to tell me stories, and they told me that they do this because they want the next generation, which might not have living survivors left, to know how terrible war is so that they don’t repeat it,” Sotaro recalled. “We are the ones responsible for carrying their voices forward and not repeating the same mistakes.”
Looking back on his experiences, Sotaro mentions that he hopes others will recognize the reality of war and peace we live in. “I think I now understand what my elderly friend meant when he said “忘れちゃいけない”. I wish that people would understand that we are very fortunate just being able to live in peace and that war is never the right choice, and we need to do our part in stopping it from happening.”