Remembering World War II--A Report from China

[Shepherd]

My father fought and lost much of his hearing during World War II. I was born at the end of that war, a birth from which my father was absent. Eric Arnow, formerly of Sonoma County, now lives in Asia. He sent the following, of historical interest, from Beijing this morning. There are things that it is important for us not to forget, including the many Chinese who lost their lives during that time and the many Russians who fought and died to defeat the fascists.

Unless we remember real history, we are doomed to repeat it. History is not just what happened, but what is happening now.
SB

Friends,
Today, in Beijing is the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in WWII.

While Japan attacked the US in 1941, Japan attacked China first in 1931, and between then and the end of the war, over 30 million Chinese died, and China tied down most of the Japanese army, and 70% of Japan's soldiers killed were in China.

At Pearl Harbor, the US lost 3000 dead. At the city of Nanjing alone, Japanese killed 300,000.

The United States lost 400,000 dead, a terrible cost, but China lost 30 MILLION.

Russia lost 25 million dead and fought against 200 German Nazi divisions, whereas the US fought 11 divisions.

So who fought the real war against Fascism in WWII?

Our own history recognizes the horror visited upon the world by Fascists, Germany, Japan and to a lesser degree Italy.

Russia and China were both totally devastated by those invasions by Germany and Japan.

At today's ceremony, 33 countries came to China to support China for its role in defeating Fascism. 17 countries even sent military contingents to march with the Chinese.

Japan is not attending, and has never formally apologized for what it did.

One of the Chinese reporters noted, though, that leftwing Japanese journalists did report on the slaughter of 300,000 people of the city of Nanjing. Most Japanese are never taught what their government did, and most don't even care.

On the other hand, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil and Cuba came to offer their respects.

Did President Obama come? Did the USA send even one representative?

Take a guess.

Nor did the USA recognize Russia's enormous sacrifices.

Instead, US military bases surround and threaten both countries.

During WWII, major US corporations such as Ford, GM, Standard Oil, IBM all supported the Fascists with war materials. See Charles Higgins, Trading with The Enemy.

And now, what are we to make of US not coming to China, as it did not go to Russia?
A fair question. What do you think?

Eric