Entire classes of girls became nurses. But Okinawans were still distrusted. Scores were executed as alleged spies. Simply speaking in the Okinawan dialect was considered evidence of treachery. Nor did the military evacuate civilians before the U.S. assault.
Many people seem to view war abstractly, as a kind of international game.
But the human costs are always catastrophic. Okinawa's experience offers a sober reminder of the horrors of war, something, sadly, that mankind constantly seems to forget. Many thousands were caught in the open and left to fend for themselves. In fact, soldiers forcibly supplanted some civilians from their cave hiding places. Moreover, the military urged civilians to commit suicide to avoid capture, since.