The China Press: 'Retain the memory of 70 years ago in China Wish of A former US China Marine' (English and Chinese text)

Retain the memory of 70 years ago in China Wish of A former US China Marine
by Liming Guan, Reporter
The China Press
15 E.40th St. 6F
New York, NY 10016

China Press reporter Liming Guan on August 8 in New York ——  69 year anniversary of the end of World War II - 69 years ago on August 15, Japan announced its surrender. Then a large number of American participation in the war against Japan after the war and was sent to China to help the then receives the surrender of the Japanese national government and stabilize the situation in China. Jeffrey Mead (Jeffrey Bingham Mead)'s father Herbert Mead (Herbert Bingham Mead) is the year of a United States Marine Corps, where he sent troops after the Japanese surrender in Tianjin, he himself where he spent his "life in the best time."

Born in Greenwich, Connecticut, in the past many years teaching in Hawaii this month, Jeffrey returned home in Connecticut, he is determined to complete his father's one wish before his death, that is the year for those who had been stationed in China Marines out of a book, let the world know their stories, so that they no longer just a silent, black and white photographs exist in the group on. Herbert Jeffrey's father died four years ago at the age of 86 years old. After the war most of the time at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (Bristol-Myers Squibb) in Connecticut and New Jersey branch through.

Jeffrey 8 at noon came specially from Connecticut State Manhattan, in an interview with reporters. "My father had often brought those days in China, he felt it was the best time of his life, he joined the army in 1943, were merely a child under 19 years old, just graduated from high school, he participated in the Battle of Okinawa, was front half of his comrades were sacrificed. later he went to Tianjin and Beijing, which is a novelty in the world he had never seen, the Chinese people's friendship and also let him miss, where he spent two and a half times. "

Jeffrey still remember the father had often mentioned some of the anecdotes in China. After the Japanese surrender at the time, where his father forces in Tianjin and China to accept the Japanese surrender to the army together, then the situation is still very chaotic, how to deal with those Japanese soldiers also a big problem, many Japanese soldiers and later placed in the street directing traffic; Another problem is that when the Japanese army to escape the toilet all away, so the military to Tianjin after coming from the South Pacific had to ask some of the resident air toilet.

Herbert Mead at the time of the Japanese surrender site still receives over a Japanese saber, which was part of the surrender ceremony. That was the knife he had been kept in Greenwich, Connecticut home. Jeffrey grew until after his whim one day, this brought the knife Pace University (Pace University) Westchester Angeles campus, showed a Chinese female teacher look. Female teacher who allegedly had accompanied Henry Kissinger's secret in 1971 from Pakistan to Beijing Sino-US relations in the negotiations. The female teacher was brought to see Jeffrey Japanese saber, very worried, she called several campus police, let them accompany Jeffrey taxi home, put the knife back into the home. The knife is now being donated to a local Middleton a museum.

Jeffrey also found the father had preserved some of the old photographs in China. He remembered his father on one of the photographs very mixed feelings - that is a street in Tianjin, a Chinese young man sitting in the carriage wedding photo, an American soldier standing next to greet them. "In all the haze was caused by
the war, which is still full of young people's vision of life and hope, decided to hold a wedding for yourself, it is unforgettable scene."

Herbert Mead also went to Beijing to visit around in front of the Forbidden City and other attractions take pictures. "My father was there in a whispering gallery (the Temple of Heaven Park) is very interested, he felt that something really weird, how sound can pass so far?"

In addition to China's memories, Herbert Mead seems to be little mention of his family suffered during the war in Japan. Only in the last few years of life, he began referring to the year on the battlefield experienced fear. "That was the nearest place from hell." Jeffrey retains home "Greenwich Times" (Greenwich Time) on October 23, 1945 publication of his father a letter. The letter said: "I am very glad when I was in Okinawa when the war you do not know what I was doing ... I started from April 8, at the front stayed until the fighting ended (June 22) head. We have different units a month and the Army of coordination. God! my life have never been ... so fear people in front of us, fifty percent of the people will eventually sacrifice or injured, several times I have hanging by a thread so I think I can survive purely a fluke. "

Battle of Okinawa US military lost more than 12,500 soldiers, while tens of thousands of people were injured. Japanese death more than 110,000. Battle of Okinawa brutal military decision-makers aware of the day to make landing operations may have to pay the cost, historical scholars believe that this is later prompted the United States to Japan, one of the reasons for the decision to use the atomic bomb.

As a brutal war had witnessed Marines, Herbert Mead choice for all young people have the mentality to maintain tolerance and love of life in later years. Later, he told his son Jeffrey teach in Hawaii - "Take care of the class of Japanese students, their parents are also victims of their own people to impose their wars, their governments have made that decision, they had to obey. "

Jeffrey said that next year's September 9 is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese surrender in Tianjin, his father was one of the year ceremony of American Marines, several generations before the Marines in line to see his blog (mydadtheuschinamarine. blogspot.com), but also have to contact him and suggested that next year went to Tianjin to commemorate this special day. He also hoped that the future will be contacted to more embassies Marines themselves or their offspring together a book and let the world remember that history, and that the young generation. His father had also endorsed the view, "Now that some people should be more research into modern history, do not forget how we reached the peace today, not because the various interests of the immediate dispute and let the world slide into the time of war again."


Chinese text:

留住70年前在中国的记忆
一位前海军陆战队员的心愿

【侨报记者管黎明8月8日纽约报道】今年是二战结束69周年 ——
69年前的8月15日，日本宣布投降。当年大批参与对日作战的美军在战后又被派往中国，协助当时的国民政府接收投降的日军并稳定中国的局势。杰弗里·米德（Jeffrey Bingham Mead）的父亲赫伯特·米德（Herbert Bingham
Mead）便是当年美国海军陆战队的一员，他所在的部队在日本投降后被派往天津，他本人在那里度过了自己“一生中最美好的时光”。

生在康州格林威治、过去多年在夏威夷教书的杰弗里在这个月回到了康州老家，他立志要完成父亲生前的一桩心愿，就是为那些当年被派驻过中国的海军陆战队员出一本书，让世人知道他们的故事，让他们不再只是一个无声的、存在于黑白照片上的群体。杰弗里的父亲赫伯特四年前去世，享年86岁。战后大部分时间在施贵宝公司（Bristol-Myers Squibb）在康州和新泽西的分公司度过。

杰弗里8日中午特地从康州赶来曼哈顿，接受记者的采访。“我父亲生前经常提起在中国的那段日子，他觉得那是他一生中最美好的时光。他1943年参军时还只是个不满19岁的孩子，刚刚高中毕业。他参加了冲绳战役，当时前线一半的战友都牺牲了。后来他去了天津和北京，那是他从来没见过的一个新奇的世界，中国人的友好也让他非常怀念。他在那里度过了两年半时光。”

杰弗里仍记得父亲生前经常提到的一些在中国的轶事。当时日本投降后，他父亲所在的部队在天津和中国军队一起接受日军的投降，当时局势仍相当混乱，怎么处理那些日本兵也是个大问题，很多日本兵后来就被安排到街上去指挥交通；还有一个问题就是日军逃跑时将马桶全都带走了，所以美军到了天津后不得不要求从南太平洋的一些驻地空运马桶过来。

赫伯特·米德还在当时的日军投降现场接收过一把日本军刀，这是当时投降仪式的一部分。那把军刀后来一直被他保存在康州格林威治的家中。等到杰弗里长大后，他某一天心血来潮，将这把军刀带到佩斯大学（Pace
University）威切斯特分校的校园里，拿给一位华裔女老师看。那位女老师据称曾在1971年陪同基辛格秘密从巴基斯坦飞往北京谈判中美建交的事宜。当时这位女老师看到杰弗里拿来的日本军刀，显得非常担心，她叫来几名校警，让他们陪同杰弗里打车回家，把军刀放回家里。这把军刀如今被米德一家捐赠给了当地一个博物馆。

杰弗里也找到了父亲当年保存下来的一些在中国的老照片。他记得父亲对其中一张照片非常感慨 ——
那是一张在天津大街上，一对中国年轻人坐着马车结婚的照片，一名美军士兵站在旁边和他们打招呼。“在当时战争所带来的所有阴霾中，这对年轻人仍旧满怀着对人生的憧憬和希望，决定为自己举办婚礼，那是让人难以忘怀的一幕。”

赫伯特·米德也到北京四处参观，在故宫等名胜古迹前拍照留念。“我父亲对那里的一个回音壁（天坛公园内）非常感兴趣，他觉得那东西简直有些不可思议，声音怎么可以传那么远？”

在中国的美好记忆之外，赫伯特·米德似乎很少对家人提起在日本打仗时的遭遇。只是在生命的最后几年，他开始提到当年在战场上所经历的恐惧。“那是离地狱最近的地方。”
杰弗里保留着老家的《格林威治时报》（Greenwich
Time）在1945年10月23日刊登的他父亲的一封家书。信中写道：“我很庆幸当我在冲绳打仗的时候你们不知道当时我在做什么。。。我从4月8日开始，在前线一直呆到战斗结束（6月22日）。头一个月我们和陆军的不同分队协同作战。老天！我一辈子从来没那么恐惧过。。。我们在前线的人，百分之五十的人最终都牺牲或受伤，我好几次都命悬一线，所以我觉得我能活下来纯粹是侥幸。”

冲绳战役中美军失去了1万2500多名士兵，另有数万人受伤。日军死亡超过11万人。冲绳战役的残酷令美军决策者意识到对日登陆作战可能要付出的代价，历史学者们认为这也是后来促使美国决定对日本使用原子弹的原因之一。

作为一名亲历过战争残酷的海军陆战队员，赫伯特·米德在后来的人生里选择对所有的青年人都保持宽容和爱护的心态。他叮嘱后来在夏威夷教书的儿子杰弗里
—— “照顾好班里的日本学生，他们的父辈也是自己人强加给他们的战争的受害者，他们的政府做出了那样的决定，他们不得不服从。”

杰弗里表示，明年的9月9日是日军在天津投降70周年，父亲是当年仪式现场的美军陆战队员之一，好几位前陆战队员的后代在网上看到他的博客（mydadtheuschinamarine.blogspot.com），也纷纷与他联络，并建议明年一起去天津纪念这个特殊的日子。他也希望未来能够联络到更多驻华陆战队员本人或者他们的后代，共同出一本书，让世界记住那段历史和那一代的年轻人。他也赞同父亲生前的观点，“现在的人应当多研究那一段现代史，不要忘记今天的和平是怎么来的，不要因为眼前的各种利益纠纷而让世界再次陷入当年的混战局面。”


图a：杰弗里展示父亲当年在天津街头的照片。（侨报记者管黎明摄）

b：赫伯特·米德和父母在一起的老照片。（侨报记者管黎明摄）

c：杰弗里在曼哈顿街头。他表示，自己已经15年没来过纽约，路都有点不认得了。（侨报记者管黎明摄）

d - 当年家乡报纸对赫伯特·米德的报道。（杰弗里·米德提供）

e - 杰弗里的父亲生前经常提起的婚车照片。（管黎明翻拍）