Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story

by Marc Tyler Nobleman and Melissa Iwai

In 1942, at the height of the U.S. involvement in WWII, Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita... read more

In 1942, at the height of the U.S. involvement in WWII, Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita embarked on a mission to bomb a section of Oregon, just east of the small town of Brooking, in order to set a large forest ablaze. His equipment malfunctioned and he only managed to drop two small bombs, neither of which did much damage. But foresters found metal fragments of the bomb that identified them as Japanese, and the news rattled the town of Brookings for a short time. After the war, Fujita returned home and resumed his quiet life as the owner of a hardware store. Fast forward to 1962, when the Brookings Jaycees decided to track down the pilot who’d dropped the bomb and invite him to Brookings for their annual Memorial Day celebration, despite some people’s objections. Fujita, who had been consumed by guilt in the ensuing years, accepted. This remarkable story of forgiveness (on both sides) and redemption is quietly told in an understated tone, and beautifully illustrated with detailed watercolor paintings. (Ages 8–11)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2019

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