Last Letter of Second Lieutenant Heiichi Matsuzawa to His Parents
On April 8, 1945, Second Lieutenant Heiichi Matsuzawa took off from Kikaijima
Airfield and died in a special (suicide) attack west of Okinawa at the age of
22. He was a member of the 42nd Shinbu Special Attack Squadron and piloted an
Army Type 97 Fighter (Allied code name of Nate). After his death in a
special attack, he received a promotion to Captain. He was from Nagano
Prefecture, attended Tōkyō College of Science, and was a member of the 1st Class of the Army Special
Cadet Officer Pilot Training (Tokubetsu Sōjū Minarai Shikan) Program.
He wrote the following final letter:
Dear Parents and everyone in family,
At the time when the arrogant enemy now approaches the mainland, in the
morning I will depart to destroy them completely. I write a note to you my
parents first and to everyone in my old home.
I deeply appreciate that I was able to have a happy life through your
kindness deeper than the sea and higher than the mountains.
Now in this way my departure to go is repayment for your kindness.
As a Japanese person I believe that this is greatest repayment of your
kindness.
I deeply feel that my life was truly happy.
It is an especially unforgettable inspiration that I was granted as a
student with a personal inspection by the Emperor in front of the Imperial
Palace on May 22, 1939, and was privileged with the honor as a
representative. Even now the deep emotion of that time is engraved in my
mind.
It is unnecessary to enumerate one by one the rest of them. I just have
only appreciation for the time that I was happier than anyone. Now there are
no regrets. I was not able to send greetings one by one to the persons who
treated me kindly. I intend to go to die in a splendid way. Please do not
cry in front of other people.
Now I will depart.
Heiichi
Letter translated by Bill Gordon
July 2018
The letter comes from Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō Kai (2005, 106). The biographical information
in the first paragraph comes from Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō
Kai (2005, 106, 181) and Osuo (2005, 196).
Sources Cited
Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō Kai (Chiran Special Attack
Memorial Society), ed. 2005. Konpaku no kiroku: Kyū rikugun tokubetsu
kōgekitai chiran kichi (Record of departed spirits: Former Army Special
Attack Corps Chiran Base). Revised edition, originally published in 2004. Chiran Town, Kagoshima
Prefecture: Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō Kai.
Osuo, Kazuhiko. 2005. Tokubetsu kōgekitai no kiroku (rikugun hen)
(Record of special attack corps (Army)). Tōkyō: Kōjinsha.
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