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Dr. Lester Tenney's Speech To my many friends here in Japan and to the Honorable members of the Japanese Diet. My wife and I are honored at being invited to your beautiful country, and I am humbled at being asked to share with you some of the events that has lead to this historic meeting. Once I was a prisoner of the Imperial Japanese Army here in Japan; today I am a free man, and our nations are good friends. Where once I was a slave laborer forced to work here in wartime Japan, today I am back in Japan as a friend. Where once I bowed to the Japanese due to the fear of reprisal, today I bow as a sign of respect and honor. And where once it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to have the memoirs of a former prisoner and slave laborer published in Japan, today, through the efforts of many of my Japanese friends, my book, "My Hitch in Hell: The Bataan Death March," has been translated and ultimately embraced by a Japanese publisher. It is interesting to note that the book on the subject of slave laborers in Japan during World War II is the first to be translated into Japanese and published in Japan. This, in and of itself, is a testament to our friendship and the faith we have in each other. The events that led to this book began 61 years ago, when, out-numbered by the superior forces of the Imperial Japanese Army, we fighters on Bataan surrendered, and I became a prisoner of war. For a young man of 21 that was a humiliating and frightening experience. As a young American soldier I had never imagined surrender, or being imprisoned. And the emotions still rise within me as I vividly remember the hour we laid down our arms. But those emotions are pale in comparison to the emotions that still haunt me at being made a slave by a private Japanese industrial giant, a corporation that allowed its employees to physically abuse me on a daily basis, any time I didn't work fast enough, didn't work hard enough, or if the Japanese lost an important battle. That experience alone, was by far the worst of all my experiences as prisoner of war. Worse even than the surrender. Worse than the march through Bataan. Worse than the hell ship on which I was taken to Japan. We will never forget what happened to us on the March of Death on Bataan, but we must face the reality that we were part of the United States military, dedicated to protect our country at all costs. We were young men and women willing to serve our country in war or peace. In war we were prepared to face our enemy with courage and determination, we were willing to accept whatever tragedy befell us, even if it meant dying on the battlefield. And if surrender became the only option left, then we would face this disaster with dignity and honor. What we former POWs of the Japanese never expected, or thought possible, was the torture and beatings we endured by the civilians working for those Japanese companies who enslaved us for three long years. We, like other young men and women from other countries, accepted the responsibility of fighting a war against an enemy of our country, but we did not expect that we would have to endure the barbaric treatment meted out by some of Japan's largest and most sophisticated industrial giants. The effects of being made a slave have lived with me all these years. You see, in slavery a man loses everything, his honor and dignity, his confidence and identity, his hope for tomorrow. These were taken from me in my youth and many times during those years I came close to giving up my desire for life itself. Yet I was blessed to survive, and in spite of this tragic experience at the hands of our former enemy, I have learned the value and importance of moving on, of forgiveness, of friendship and responsibility. By my forgiving I am now free. No longer am I a prisoner of war. Those men who beat and tortured me are no longer alive in my mind. Those awful memories from years past lay dormant, always there, but no longer consuming other thoughts that would make my life whole once again. I have learned to forgive, but I will never forget, and through forgiveness I have found freedom. By my forgiving those who have wronged me, I have recovered my dignity, my honor and my self-esteem. By forgiving I have found inner peace. Forgiveness has been a gift that I have given to myself, and this gift has allowed me the restoration and creation of valuable friendships here in Japan — friendships that have enriched my life beyond my ability to describe. Forgiving is very difficult for many of the survivors of Japanese forced labor committed during World War II. For many, the ability to forgive requires recognition, remorse and restitution on the part of the offending party. And it is in this vein that I ask my tormentors, the industrial giants of this wonderful country, to admit their wrongdoing, admit their transgressions against humanity and accept responsibility in an honorable way. Acknowledge past indiscretions by admitting the wrong perpetrated against individuals and humanity, and by doing this, they can regain the honor and dignity the so richly deserve. But time is a great healer and with this in mind we must all reckon with the past. Those of us who were victims of the Japanese civilian workers in the coal mines, in the factories or on the loading docks, must learn to forgive. And those who committed these atrocities to humanity must come forward and accept responsibility for their actions. My visits to Japan the past four years have culminated in my making many new friends, while continuing the friendships made many years ago. These friendships have developed through understanding and respect for each other, and have proven to me that we are all concerned with the importance of freedom being our ultimate goal. I have found that your dreams and goals are the same as mine. We want a family. We want peace and happiness. We want the rewards that come from hard work. We want to love and be loved, but most of all we want to be responsible for our actions. We want to look in the mirror every morning and be proud of who we see there. Casualties of war can be found everyplace and by many people, but war must not be an excuse for inhumane treatment and slavery to feed corporate greed. It is said that he, who has the courage to remember the past, shall find an honorable future. I hope that with dignity and responsibility, with determination and vision, our nations can continue building our future together.
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