In the early hours of September 9, 1942 off the Southern Oregon coast, a seaplane was catapulted from a Japanese submarine with orders to drop an incendiary device in response to a US raid on Tokyo.

The pilot slowly flew inland.

Later that morning, Howard Gardner spotted the plane in the distance from his Mount Emily Fire Service lookout.

He watched it drop its payload then escape.

The damage was minor, but fear of more attacks rocked the region.

Years later in 1961, Bill Machesney and Doug Peterson, members of the Brookings Junior Chamber of Commerce learned of the air assault.

They wanted to invite that pilot to the city's annual Azalea Festival.

And after much research, they discovered Nobuo Fujita, a chief flying officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy flew the plane and he was still alive.

Reactions from residents ranged from hatred, bigotry, feelings of betrayal to hope.

But when Eddie Waldrop, a disabled World War II veteran from Bandon, stated he held no animosity toward Fujita, explaining that they all simply had a job to do.

Most residents softened and welcomed the Fujita family.

Fujita enjoyed the 4 day festival and in appreciation gifted Brookings an invaluable family heirloom, a 400 year old samurai sword.

President John Kennedy praised these gestures of goodwill to promote international friendship.

Fujita visited Brookings several times, even returning to the bomb site of the attack and planting a redwood tree there, memorializing the event and reconciliation.

When Fujita died in 1997, his daughter visited the bomb site area to scatter some of his ashes.

Nobuo Fujita's samurai sword is still displayed at the Chetco Community Public Library in Brookings.

Southern Oregon Experience, stories from our region's history.