Portrait of Walter Oka

For the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 Attacks—my friend and colleague at 91.7 WVXU, Jolene Almendarez—authored a story on lived experiences. Her piece opens with the line:

“While history is visceral for some people who witness it, that isn’t the case for others who weren’t alive when major events like 9/11 occurred.”

Her story, both in print and broadcast, featured interviews with several local individuals. One was a man who was in Washington D.C., just blocks away from the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Two others were local middle school students who were born after 9/11 and have only learned about the events of that day through history class. Another interviewee was Walter Oka—a man who watched the Attack on Pearl Harbor unfold alongside his Japanese family from their porch overlooking the naval base. Walter’s older brothers would join the war effort in Europe and when he came of age, he found himself serving with U.S. Army forces occupying a defeated Japan. Walter was kind enough to not only share his story, but also invite us into his home and show us the albums of photographs he made during his time serving overseas.

Thank you, Walter.

Jolene’s full story can be read, and heard, over at WVXU.org.