Reading Response #5:

Irene Holmes
Ms. Darrow
ENG 140
July 13, 2009

Reading Response #5

Okinawa: The Bloodiest Battle of All

In the short essay, Okinawa: The Bloodiest Battle of All is written by Willaim Manchester in 1987. Manchester by placing himself and his audience among a gathered crowd ready to celebrate Flag Day in Okinawa to honor both parties, the American and the Japanese who were oppositions during the Okinawa war. Manchester argrues that to reunite both parties in such a ceremony is wrong, yes there is a commonality of the loss for those who never returned home but Manchester states that the pain of war is never forgotten, so why would one place themselves in this position and call it patriotism.

Manchester was born April 1, 1922 and died April 1, 2004. He enlisted into the United States Marines after the attack of Pearl Habor and was wounded in a battle in Guadalcanal and also participated in World War II, from which he won several military awards. With a strong military background has written articles related to military and politics. (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmanchesterW.htm.
Manchester , takes the position as a narrator in the short essay, Okinawa: The Bloodiest Battle of All and appeals to the audience into a grueling war scence by recalling some of the events that took place during the conflict in Okinawa, between the Americans and the Japanese. Manchester convicts his audience that who in their crazy mind would bring back warriors who fought against each other to stand there and salute flags together like nothing ever happened. Manchester states that the wounds and pain will always be in the heart, you honor and remember the warriors who stood by you and fought with you till the very end. You do not stand there and honor your opposition's fallen warriors. "On Okinawa today, the ceremony will be dignified, solemn, seemly. It will also be anachronistic. If the Japanese dead of 1945 were resurrected to witness it, they would be appalled by the acceptance of defeat, the humiliation of their emperor-the very idea of burying Japanese near the barbarians from across the sea and then mourning them together. Americans, meanwhile, risen from their graves, would ponder the evolution of their own society and might wonder, What ever happen to patriotism?" (Manchester 499). This appeal will make the people think about the sacrifices made by military personnel for American freedom and to have them met with thier opposition and celebrate Flag Day is a dishonor to those who served.
Only a few than a million have actually participated in the front lines of a war, while 16 million other enlisted military have never experienced such. But those who have been in the front lines will always keep the memories of the fallen ones in their heart, the pain of loss which Manchester or any warrior will always keep in their hearts. "It is impossible to loathe war- and with reason-yet still honor the brave men, many of them boys, rally, who fought with me and died beside me. I have been haunted by their loss these fourty-two years, and I shall mourn them until my own death releases me. It does not seem too much to ask that they re remembered on one day each year. After all, they sacrified their futures that might have been yours" (Manchester 505). By bringing his personal feelings into the article, he is convincing the audience that honoring military people should only be for one, the Americans and not the other country's fallen ones. This is what patriotism is.
When Manchester found out that the Flag Day in Okinawa included the Japanese he quickly withdrew himself from the event, because his wounds and respect for the loss of his fellow warriors were still within him. Standing next to a Japanese in celebration of a Flag Day will never happen for Manchester, "There are too many graves between us, too much gore, too many memories of too many atrocites...Nations may make peace. It is harder for fighting men...The fact is that some wounds never heal." (Manchester 506).
Like Manchester, I can relate to his wounds which will never be forgotten. The Lakota Sioux living in Porqupine, South Dakota, for many of us will not stand and salute the flag of the United States due to the fact of the Wound Knee massacre of 1890, when 350 unarmed native people were gunned down by 500 armed men of the U.S. 7th calvary. Many who died that cold winter morning were young children and elderly women. Those who tried to protect and defend the women and children fought with their bare hands, killing 23 armed calvary men who were later recongnized with Congressional Medal of Honor for slaughter of defenseless group of Native people. With this "common greif", I for one will not stand and salute, the pain is too deep and personal.
Manchester's strength is using his personal military experience in the essay, which tells the realism of war rather than the romanticism of war. His weakness is that maybe not every military personnel feels this way, "wounds never heal" because possible someone who served in the same war as him brought this reunion of the two nations so the healing does begin. This is also brings Manchester's composition to a possible inductive fallacy because Manchester is biased in the whole essay, it becomes too personal.


Simkin, John. "Biography: William Manchester." http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmanchesterW.htm. 07 July 2009. Spartacus Educational . 14 Jul 2009


Oates, Joyce. The Best American Essays of the Century. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. Print. (Manchester 499,505,506).