whose brother had died helming a ship that was sunk by a kamikaze attack--
recognized Petty Officer Ishino's warrior spirit, and ordered that every man under his command would recognize it, too. Here was a man who had given everything for his country, in the full knowledge that he would not survive.
Some of the men of the Missouri complained bitterly--why honor a man who dedicated his life to killing them? Others stitched together a Japanese flag, the Rising Sun, to cover the pilot's remains during the ceremony. There were some difficulties finding Marines to help with the ceremony. But when all was said and done, Callaghan was the Captain, and the ceremony occurred. The pilot, whose identity was unknown and is still not totally certain, was buried at sea by the American crew he had hoped to kill. The late Captain Callaghan was honored for his gesture at Pearl Harbor, 56 years after the day, just this week.