Abstract:

"Narrated by Hal Holbrook. Dramatic U.S. combat footage, along with confiscated Japanese training films and newsreels, offer a balanced view of the kamikaze pilots as both scourge and honored warriors. Scenes of touching final letters home, ritual preparations for their missions, and deadly suicide runs show these pilots for what they were: idealistic boys embodying the ethic of the ancient samurai, willing to die for their country, and killing thousands of U.S. soldiers to prove it. HBO" Kaikaze book (128 pages written at 6th grade level) also available for $21.96