Illustration
A photograph of Corporal Earl Brunitt and Private Genare Nuzzi of the US Marine Corps, sharing a foxhole with an Okinawan orphan child, taken in April 1945.
The Battle of Okinawa (April-June 1945) saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire Pacific campaign during the Second World War (1939-1945), with casualties on both the American and Japanese sides totalling over 100,000. Civilian casualties, however, are relatively unknown, with estimates ranging from 40,000 to 150,000. Starvation, rape, and murder became commonplace as the battle dragged on, with many civilians being cut down by indiscriminate fire from both sides.
Many Okinawans committed suicide rather than being captured by the Americans, whom Japanese soldiers had said would rape and kill them. However, many Okinawans found that the majority of American troops would treat them relatively well. Today, American soldiers remain stationed in Okinawa, with the US and Japan standing together as allies.
US National Archives and Records Administration.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Photographer, U. (2024, October 21). Marines Share a Foxhole with an Okinawan Child, 1945. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19484/marines-share-a-foxhole-with-an-okinawan-child-194/
Chicago Style
Photographer, Unknown. "Marines Share a Foxhole with an Okinawan Child, 1945." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 21, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19484/marines-share-a-foxhole-with-an-okinawan-child-194/.
MLA Style
Photographer, Unknown. "Marines Share a Foxhole with an Okinawan Child, 1945." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 21 Oct 2024. Web. 03 Mar 2025.
