Battle of Okinawa survivor conveys message of peace through the classroom
As a 14-year-old in May 1945, Kohei Nohara fled his hometown of Haebaru on Okinawa's main island with his relatives to seek refuge as the battle got closer and closer.
In late May 1945, 14-year-old Kohei Nohara fled his hometown of Haebaru, Okinawa, with his relatives as U.S. forces advanced across the main island. This desperate escape took them ever farther south in search of safety. Eighty-one years later, in June 2025, Nohara visited Haebaru's Shonan Elementary School, which was built after the war, to share his harrowing account of the Battle of Okinawa with 90 fifth graders.
To aid the students' understanding of Nohara's journey, teacher Naoya Arakaki displayed Google Maps on the classroom screen, illustrating the path taken by the young survivor. The encounter served as a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and the importance of conveying such stories to future generations.
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