I feel I had one of the best teachers I ever had

Tweet

I had a professor at University who had, after being stationed in north Africa during the war in Europe. He was Air Force, or as it was called then, Army Air Corp. I took a Middle and Near East 'survey' class from him. Along with other facts, he would sometimes tell us stories about flights out of Africa and into southern Europe. I took that class in the spring of 1973. Now, I know I've posted about this event but it was a long time ago. However, I totaled a car on the interstate at the end of September of 1972. I passed 2 classes with 'C's and 2 classes with 'D's and flunked one. I did not want to have those on my record, so I retook them in the spring... I don't remember taking one of them, so that D might've stayed. I retook the other 3 in the spring, only one with the same Prof. I also took summer classes so I could graduate on time. I could only take one summer session that summer because the folks were going to move and my sister was too young to drive, so I was helping haul stuff to the apartment Mom didn't trust the movers to move. I honestly can't remember what my brother was doing - being pretty useless probably. So, the following summer I saw that teacher was going to teach a survey class of the Far East. Along with the facts as part of the class he told us that after the war he was stationed in a town in Occupied Japan. He was a young man but part of his job was to make friends with men in Japan during that time. He was acting as a liaison with the Army and the people in this village. Now, remember this was a very different time and most of the women in the smaller towns were still pretty traditional. He had little contact with them. As a younger man, even as a liaison, he did not know about the Japanese people or their culture. One night he had dinner with one of his new friends. This man was becoming quite a successful business man. After dinner, with sake poured, my prof raised his cup and said Banzai, the only word he knew in Japanese as a kind of toast. He said his new friend froze for a moment then turned and left the room. Stunned my teacher said he stood there, knowing he had some how offended this proud man. He put down his drink and turned to put on his coat and leave. But the friend came out and apologized. Of course, my prof did as well. The gentleman asked him to sit and explain what had happened. You see, my prof had thought banzai meant, more or less, attack and used it to wish success this new friend starting basically a business exporting to the U.S. The gentleman explained to my prof it was basically a declaration to die for the honor of Japan - which basically meant the Emperor. This businessman had been one of the kamikaze pilots in one of the very last air attacks against the Allies. Except he didn't fly into a ship and die. He explained the pilots were taught how to take off and guide the plane, but not how to land, as a way to prevent what he had done, which was return. I felt that I had the privilege to be in two classes taught by this man. The Far East one was the very last class he was going to teach and the very last final he was going to grade. Good Night, Dr. Hahn, I hope the afterlife is as good for you as your classes were for me. Have you ever had a teacher, can be an informal type teacher, affect you this way?