March 10, 2010
Jerry Yellin enlisted in the military when he was 18 years old in 1942, and as a P-51 fighter pilot participated in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima.
Although the memories of death are still painful for him, last week Yellin was among the veterans who gathered on the island - now known as Iwo To - to commemorate the battle's 65th anniversary, according to CNN.
The 87-year-old told the news provider that he harbored ill feelings towards the Japanese for many decades after the war, until his son married a Japanese woman whose father had been a pilot in the Japanese Imperial Army Air Service, and also flew missions in Iwo Jima.
Initially, the two families opposed the marriage, but reconciled shortly before the wedding.
"[When] my son got married and started having children my whole life expanded," he said, quoted by CNN.
"I saw that human beings were killed in the war, and they were kind people, they were bright people, and now they're my family," he added.
An estimated 300,000 Americans died and a similar number were wounded in foreign wars, and that includes more than 6,000 soldiers who perished on Iwo Jima in the early months of 1945.
Since Americans continue to be involved in war zones around the world, individuals suffering from the aftermath of violent conflicts may turn to the Trauma Resource Institute. The American Red Cross is another prominent non-profit organization that helps war victims around the world and accepts donations.
