大東亜戦争で最大の激戦地、硫黄島で戦死された市丸利之介（りのすけ）中将が
ルーズベルト大統領に宛てた手紙を紹介します。
市丸中将が、最後の突撃攻撃を行って散華されたのは、１９４５年３月２６日です。
その９日前の３月１７日、中将は、地下２０メートルの洞穴に、動けるものを全員集めました。
そして副官である間瀬中佐が、一歩前に出て、「ルーズベルトニ与フル書」を読み上げました。
朗読が済むと、この書の和文のほうを通信将校の村上大尉が腹に巻きつけ、
英文のものは航戦参謀の赤田中佐が身に付けました。
そして市丸中将は、栗林中将とともに、軍服にある一切の肩章を外し、ひとりの皇国臣民として、最後の突撃を行い、散華されています。
「ルーズベルトに与うる書」は、米海兵隊員の手で二人の遺体から発見されました。
市丸中将は、自らの死を目前として、たとえ硫黄島が奪われ、我が身が土に還ったとしても、人が人として生きることの大切さをこの「書」にしたためることで、死して尚、日本の描いた壮大な理想、悠久の大義のために戦い続けようとしたのではないでしょうか。
I would now like to introduce a note sent to President Roosevelt by Rear Admiral Rinosuke Ichimaru, who died during the fighting at Iwo Jima, the site of the fiercest battle of the Greater East Asia War.
Rear Admiral Ichimaru died valiantly on March 26, 1945, when leading the final assault in the battle.
On March 17, nine days prior to his death, Ichimaru gathered together all soldier still capable of moving in a cave twenty meters belowground.
Then, Lieutenant Colonel Mase, Ichimaru’s second-in-command, stood before the troops and read A Note to Roosevelt aloud.
After the note was read, Captain Murakami, who was in charge of communications, strapped a Japanese version of the text to his stomach. An English translation was carried by Lieutenant Akada.
Then, together with General Kuribayashi, Rear Admiral Ichimaru removed all epaulets from his military uniform so that he would meet a courageous death as a subject of the Japanese Empire in the final assault.
The two versions of A Note to Roosevelt were discovered from the bodies of Ichimaru and Kuribayashi by soldiers in the American navy.
At the last minutes before his death, facing the prospect of losing Iwo Jima to the enemy and having his own life taken, Rear Admiral Ichimaru wrote in his note the importance of living with a sense of humanity. It was undoubtedly his intention to continue to struggle for the grand ideals and eternal righteousness of Japan even after his death.