By Danny Minton

On January 27, 1945, an American Superfortress B-29 bomber took off from Isely Airfield in Saipan on a bombing run to take out two aircraft factories outside Tokyo, Japan. The eleven-member crew called themselves the “Rover Boys Express,” after the popular “Rover Boy” books of the time. The navigator was Lt. Raymond “Hap” Halloran. As the planes crossed Mt. Fuji, they were met by 300 Japanese fighters, the largest group of any of the groups on record launching an aerial defense. The B-29 had a reputation for being almost impossible to shoot down with one plane. One of the Japanese pilots was Isamu Kashiide, known as the “King of B-29 Killers,” due to his record of knocking down more B-29s than any other fighter. 

On this day, Kashiide came upon the Rover Boys and at 32,000 feet hit the B-29 square in the nose, causing an explosion that killed several of the crew and dropping the temperature inside from 50 degrees to minus 58 degrees. Hap and the rest of the crew prepared to bail out as the plane fell to 27,000 feet. Hap knew not to open his chute right away since his body could not survive the temperature at the height. In his interviews, he talks about dropping to 3,000 feet before opening the parachute. As he descended, he saw three Japanese fighters flying toward him, expecting to be shot as they passed. As they came near, Hap, fearing the worst, waved to them. Two of them turned and flew away. A third, piloted by Japanese pilot Hideichi Kaiho, flew near enough to Hap’s chute that they could see each other face to face. Then, Kaiho, feeling the spirit of the Bushido Code, an old Samurai code of integrity and honor for your enemies, looked at the pilot floating down. As their eyes met, Kaiho saluted Hap Holloran, turned, and returned home. It was a gesture that Hap would remember his entire life.

Hap went through a horrific time as a prisoner of war. Only he and three others of the eleven crewmen survived. He would suffer from PTSD and 40 years of nightmares. One moment of light that shone in his days of darkness was the picture of an enemy saluting him and giving mercy as he floated down from his plane. “I have never forgotten that day. I have always recalled and spoken of this incident in subsequent interviews, speeches, and books. I wanted people to know of this chivalrous act by an enemy pilot. A pilot who saluted me at that critical time in life, on that cold winter day of January 27, 1945, over enemy soil.”

Hap and Hideichi would meet several times after the war, becoming friends. Not only did he become friends with Hideichi, but he also became friends with Kashiide. It was a story of enemies who started out hating each other, but in the middle of a war, a simple act of kindness would lead to peace and friendship.

Wouldn’t it be nice if more people today shared words and acts of kindness instead of words and acts of hate! Let’s face it, there are too many words and acts of hate taking place in our world. It’s everywhere and not just one group of people. Sometimes it’s about what each side believes. Other times it’s between different nationalities or people of varying skin colors, sometimes between men and women, or one generation and another. It’s usually only a few in each group, but human nature gives the impression that everyone in a particular group feels the same way.

So how do we get out of these attitudes? Maybe we should take a lesson from Hideichi Kaiho, who, during a mission to kill people, stopped and looked at a man, not as an enemy, but as a human being. In the midst of a fight, he had the courage to do a more noble thing: let a man go free, and at the same time, offer a small gesture of friendship by saluting his enemy.

I don’t know one perfect individual in my life, and that includes me. I know I’m not perfect, and more importantly, God knows. I also know that, despite my imperfections, God still loves me, and Jesus died for me. He tolerates my shortcomings, and I would imagine shedding a tear when he sees me acting unchristian. But I know one thing for sure. No matter how my life is going, he will not abandon me. He’ll still love me.

Jesus died for us all, regardless of our beliefs or actions. Listen to the messages: “For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD that He gave His only son.” John 3:16 “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY.” Mark 10:45 “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and HE DIED FOR ALL, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God HE MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERYONE.” 

Jesus told his followers to love one another. He told us to love our enemies and pray for those who treat us wrongly or those with whom we disagree. When we harbor hate and a desire for others to suffer, we, in effect, are telling Jesus His death on the cross meant nothing. In simple terms, “TREAT OTHERS LIKE YOU WANT TO BE TREATED” (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ