Newspaper articles from the Chuunichi Shinbun regarding the return of a Japanese Army Pilot's logbook by USMC Pilot Capt. Ken Walsh. Medal of Honor recipient Ken Walsh was a member of the infamous "Black Sheep Squadron" under Major Pappy Boyington. During the course of the war, Capt Walsh shot down 21 Japanese planes to be one of the Marine Corps leading aces.
Dan King met Capt. Walsh after reading an article that appeared in the Orange County Register (it was sent to him in Japan by his Mother living in California). On a business trip to California from Japan, Dan King met with Capt. Walsh to learn the old Marine wished to return a WWII souvenir he obtained while flying combat on Okinawa; a Japanese pilot's logbook (aka legboard). Capt. Walsh traded a bottle of whiskey for the bloodstained logbook from a group of "Mud Marines at Kadena who took it off a Jap pilot who crash landed his plane and shot it out with them."
He and Dan shared a common friend in Japanese aviation historian Henry Sakaida. It was Henry Sakaida who tracked down the dead Japanese pilot's former squadron Commander who in turn located the dead pilot's nephew. King met with the former squadron commander Mr. Atsushi Yoshida (below) and returned the legboard which is now housed at the Chiran Kamikaze Museum in Kyushu, Japan.
This Japanese WWII political cartoon is from a 1944 issue
of the Japanese version of LIFE magazine called "Shashin shuho" (The week in photos). The Japanese were mocking the Americans for the string of seemingly effortless victories in 1941 & 1942.
The set-up is a filmstudio in Hollywood and the men are attempting to create a photo depicting US planes sinking a Japanese warship. The caption reads, DIRECTOR- "Hey there, Cameraman, make sure you make this look real" CAMERAMAN - "Don't
blame me, no one has ever seen a Japanese warship sunk before."
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Written by Kipp Shiotani A play revolving around the emotions and circumstances of the tragic end to the lives of thousands of young Japanese aviators in the closing days of the Pacific war. The play's actors turned to Dan King for background information on the cultural climate of which the pilots found themselves in; and proper Japanese military etiquette.
World Premiere: February 5 - March 3, 2005
El Portal Forum Theatre
5269 Lankershim Blve.,
North Hollywood,
CA 91601
(866) 811-4111
www.10k.theatermania.com
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