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9. The War and the Gama
What is a gama?
"Gama" means "cave" in the Okinawan dialect.
In Okinawa, you will find natural gama here and there.
The gama played a very important role during World War II.
The Japanese army used the gama as trenches.
Civilians used them as places of refuge.
However, many people died of hunger or from wounds in the gama.
Many died at the hands of the U.S. army.
Flame-throwers were used to burn people to death.
Soldiers sometimes threw grenades into the gama and killed people.
Civilian lives were also lost in the gama because of the Japanese military.
Some people were killed as spies only because they spoke an Okinawan dialect.
Some babies were also killed because they would not stop crying in the gama.
Many people were forced to kill themselves in the gama.
And sometimes, Japanese soldiers sent people out of the gama by force.
With no place to hide, those people died.
Many civilians were forced to fight in the Battle of Okinawa.
Many tragedies took place in the gama.
Of course, the gama saved many lives as places of refuge, but not always.
Stories of the gama tell us how tragic war is.