Wisdom Thumbs

BREAKING: Exospires create void between nearby planets.

US Japanese Relations have been on my mind due to the official visit to DC and such. On my Mission in Wisconsin, I visited Camp McCoy and the small museum there. And it has always stuck with me. C.M. was a location of Japanese prisoners of war. When the Prisoners first arrived, cold and terrified, they were given warmth, winter coats, socks, and boots. The prisoners all thought this was some trick. And then they were invited to the mess hall for dinner. They were served White Rice. They were all terrified, of course. Some of the men wept. Some were unable to eat. The rest of them ate in stoic silence. When the Camp's Commander asked what was wrong, it was explained that the prisoners thought this was their Last Meal and that they would be executed afterwards. As it was the tradition in Japan to feed the condemned well. It took a lot of explanation to convey that the Japanese Prisoners would be treated fairly, and fed well every day, eating the same food the American troops ate. And they were treated fairly, with respect and dignity. The relationships and understandings built there, and in other POW Camps, became a salve to the anger and hostile emotions harbored by the Japanese people. While maybe Camp McCoy wasn't the most important camp in the War... A difference was made there. A mere brush stroke that helped paint a rather beautiful picture of our international relationship today. Image Below of Japanese POW's tasting Burgers and Cokes for the first time: