Robert F. Holden,
Adjunct Professor of History
2006
I was truly honored to be one of the first
American teachers to be included in this year’s Peace and Reconciliation Study
Tour to
So little is taught in American schools
about this chapter of history, and I now see it as my responsibility to advance
the knowledge of teachers and students to know more about the atrocities
committed in
On the tour, we heard the emotional story of
Japanese Germ Warfare survivor, Yang Da Fang who quoted a Chinese phrase, “You
cannot live under the same sky as those who killed your father.”
As teachers of history, we all see this quote as being the clarion cry of
our trip. None of us should rest
until we have spread the word to as many teachers and students as possible about
what happened in
Every victim we heard give testimony, affirmed in us as educators, our collective sense of humanity, social justice, and the hope for peace in the world.
I have greatly benefited from every
experience on this fantastic trip to