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Teaching History Matters

"for the sake of humanity"… A small town American high school history project changes lives worldwide. These are the observations of a veteran teacher- on the Power of Teaching, the importance of the study of History, and especially the lessons we must learn, and teach, on the Holocaust. Click on "Holocaust Survivors, Liberators Reunited" tab above to begin.

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My 93 yr. old history teacher/WWII survivor told the Japanese that he did not think he would have survived another close encounter. »

How my 93 yr. old history teacher got to address the Japanese people.

August 3, 2015 by Matthew Rozell

How my 93 yr. old history teacher, who survived a deadly kamikaze attack in the spring of 1945, got to address the Japanese people on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the end of WW II.

Mr. Alvin Peachman, Nov. 2014, out for his daily walk. Photo by Mike Nicholson, HFHS Class of 1979.

Mr. Alvin Peachman, Nov. 2014, out for his daily walk. Photo by Mike Nicholson, HFHS Class of 1979.

Be sure to come out and see us at the first author event- yes, Mr. Peachman will be there, too. He has TWO chapters in the book.

August 8th, 1-4 pm
The Village Booksmith.
223 Main St, Hudson Falls, NY 12839
(518) 747-3261

As the book  ‘The Things Our Fathers Saw ‘ went to press, I was contacted by the Japan’s largest news wire service, “with over 50 million subscribers worldwide, publishing articles in Japanese, English, Chinese and in Korean…” They wanted a veteran’s “reflections as we approach the 70th anniversary of the double bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” (which he offers in the book, Chapter 13, ‘The Kamikazes’). So, seventy years after the war, Mr. Peachman got to address the Japanese people. The story is not out yet, but I just called him to ask him how it went.

Mr. Peachman: “It was very nice, the reporter was happy to speak to me. I told her, ‘I hope you have an hour or two.’ We had many things in common- I had traveled to Japan several times after the war, and we knew of the same places. I told her, you can’t say that you feel the same as you did, 70 years later. During World War II, the Japanese would fight to the death. I honestly felt that the bomb was necessary to end the war, though I feel that President Roosevelt made a mistake by demanding unconditional surrender. And I have questions about how and when the bomb was used. But make no mistake, the coming land invasion of Japan would have been a bloodbath.”

From the book:

 ‘I Lost Many Friends’


Matthew Rozell: So what did you think about the atomic bomb?

Best thing that ever happened to us. If it wouldn’t have been for the atomic bomb, I think we would have had a catastrophic amount of men killed, and probably the elimination of the Japanese nation as a whole. It would have been a terrible thing to conquer. I think it did a great deal in helping to save a million or two men, as well as the Japanese. I believe Harry Truman was a wonderful president in that regard; he really did a great favor to us. But I do not understand why we had to wait so long to figure things out! We shouldn’t have gone into Okinawa if we knew we had the atomic bomb because in Okinawa, we had 50,000 casualties! Our whole division was hit, except for the Wilmarth, as I told you. Two hundred and fifty ships were hit at Okinawa by kamikazes. The day we got hit, 26 ships got hit, and six were sunk to the bottom! I believe the Japanese had over 500 aircraft against us that day, suicide aircraft. Have you ever been startled by a partridge suddenly trying to fly into you? It is really a scary thing! Although you weren’t thinking of it at the time, it was a scary thing that these people would give up their lives like that. It was the most Navy lives lost in one battle. I lost many friends.

Destroyer Escort USS WITTER undergoing repairs following kamikaze attack. Alvin Peachman collection.

Destroyer Escort USS WITTER undergoing repairs
following kamikaze attack. Alvin Peachman collection.

As the land battle for Okinawa raged toward its crescendo with the fury of a storm, the kamikaze attacks would claim over 15,000 American casualties for the Navy alone.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alvin Peachman, Author Matthew Rozell, Japan, kamikaze attack, narrative history, Pacific War, Seventy Years, teaching history matters, The Things Our Fathers Saw, the Japanese, Voices of the Pacific, World War II | 4 Comments

4 Responses

  1. on August 3, 2015 at 8:10 pm Brenda (Neumann) Barlow

    Alvin Peachmans was my teacher in Hudson Falls High School. I took care of his wife Gretchen till she passed. Now I help Alvin.


    • on August 3, 2015 at 8:39 pm Matthew Rozell

      Hi Brenda. I remember you. Very beautiful person as I recall. I’m glad you were, and are around for them today.


  2. on August 4, 2015 at 12:22 pm Trudy Morgan Andresen

    How wonderful to read about Mr. Peachman! I was in his HF first class (7th grade). Later, I babysat for the Peachmans. Glad to hear he is still sharing his experiences and thoughts with all of us. Look forward to reviewing the book.
    Trudy Morgan Andresen, Palo Alto, CA.


  3. on August 4, 2015 at 2:41 pm Kevin LaPoint

    Thank you so much for your war research and and bringing it “home” to HF. Amazing that Mr. Peachman was right in the middle of the conflict. Never had him as a teacher, but he was so low-key/personable I never would have thought about his wartime service. But the vets coming home didn’t talk much about the war. My Dad, Wayne LaPoint (US Navy submarines) and Mom Edna, “professor” Peachman and wife Gretchen, were great friends. Long live their legacies…



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