"Dave Stadt" wrote in message gy.com...
"Mark" wrote in message
om...
wrote in message
. ..
I can't vouch for the authenticity of this story. I was talking with
an acquaintence I don't see often and he asked me: "You're a pilot
aren't you?" I told him I was, that I'd gotten my PPL last August.

He then launched into this story he'd heard from a relative who worked
at the Udvar Hazy Center down in Washington.

He told me that the director, an ex general, was squiring a group of
Japanese journalists around the center (date of this incident not
mentioned). When they passed the Enola Gay, some of the journalists
spoke up and said that they were offended by the display, saying that
the bomber had dropped the atomic bomb on Japan.

The ex general asked them what they thought about Pearl Harbor. The
Japanese, all journalists, were bewildered. "What about Pearl
Harbor?" They asked.
snip

Ever been to Perl Harbor on Oahu? When I was there last fall I would
estimate between 50% and 75% of the tourist on the boat ride to the
Arizona Memorial were from Japan.

Haven't been there but those that I know that have say the Japs are very
disrespectful while on the memorial.

Let me give you another first hand account of Japanese people at the
Pearl Harbor memorial. When I was there this past fall, everyone was
very respectful. The Japanese people were just like everyone else in
our tour group.

We had to get a ticket for the boat ride to the memorial. When they
call your ticket you go into an auditorium for a ~25 minute movie on
the history of Dec 7th, 1941. Then you board a boat (operated by the
Navy) that takes you out to the Arizona Memorial. You get to spend
about 20-20 minutes at the memorial and then take the boat ride back.

I remember while we were waiting for our ticket to be called, it was
your normal crowd of tourist. Kids running around, people taking
pictures. However once in the auditorium everyone got quiet and the
proper respect was made. While at the Arizona Memorial I remember
watching some of the Japanese people and I could tell in their faces
that they had respect for both the Americans and Japanese people that
died that day. You didn't hear any kids screaming or people taking
loudly. I was very impressed with how everyone acted. They even had
some Pearl Harbor survivors present and I remember Japanese people
having their pictures taken with these veterans.

If you're even on Oahu, take time to stop at Pearl Harbor. On they
busy Saturday morning when my wife and I visited the memorial, it only
took a little more than 2 hours.