Main(e) man Micah

With a love of aviation since childhood I'm a co-host on @AirplaneGeeks, @TJITReward, & a regular on other well known international aviation podcasts.

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@tanyaweiman Maybe we should make that a @TJITReward meet-up trip.

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

Strange to find any kind of common sense coming from Congress. Finally, something that’s a bit logical. https://t.co/nZz686zTvb

[Dr. M.F. Khan @Dr_TheHistories]

“A Japanese general faced a choice: obey his Nazi allies or save freezing Jewish refugees. He chose trains, not excuses. And when his own life later hung in the balance, the people he rescued refused to let him die. That’s not karma. That’s the math of saying yes.”

In March 1938, a doctor named Abraham Kaufman walked into the office of Major General Kiichiro Higuchi in Harbin, Manchuria. He brought terrible news: thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler were trapped at a Soviet border station called Otpor. Stalin refused them entry. Japan’s puppet state refused them as well. Families huddled in canvas tents as temperatures plunged below zero. Children were already dying. The doctor looked at the Japanese general and asked for help. Higuchi knew the risks. Japan had signed the Anti‑Comintern Pact with Nazi Germany. Helping Jews could offend Hitler, trigger diplomatic consequences, and end his career. He said yes anyway.

Higuchi was no dissident. He was a rising star in the Imperial Japanese Army, a Russian‑speaking intelligence officer who had served across Eastern Europe. But those years changed him. In 1919, he had lived with a Russian‑Jewish family in Vladivostok, listening to young Jewish voices describe the persecution they faced. Later, while stationed in Poland and Germany, he saw antisemitism rising. By the time the doctor came to him, Higuchi already knew what Hitler’s regime meant. Months earlier, he had publicly condemned Nazi persecution at a Jewish conference, declaring: “Expelling people without designating any destination amounts to mass murder.” Nazi officials were furious. Tokyo was furious. He did not back down.

Now he had to act. He pressured Manchukuo officials to authorize visas. Then he went further: he ordered thirteen special trains to the border—twelve cars each—to bring the refugees to safety. One obstacle remained: his superior officer was General Hideki Tojo, the future prime minister who would lead Japan into Pearl Harbor. Higuchi walked into Tojo’s office and asked permission to open the border. Tojo asked why. Higuchi answered: “Japan is not a vassal of Nazi Germany. Is it truly right to crush helpless people simply because Hitler wants it done?” Astonishingly, Tojo approved. The trains rolled. Thousands of Jewish refugees escaped to Shanghai and beyond, their families saved.

After Japan surrendered in 1945, the Soviets demanded Higuchi be extradited as a war criminal. For most Japanese officers, that meant death. But the Jewish community he had rescued mobilized. Dr. Abraham Kaufman was still alive. The World Jewish Congress testified to his actions. General Douglas MacArthur refused to extradite him. The people he saved helped save him back. He returned quietly to Tokyo, never seeking fame. Today, many know the story of Chiune Sugihara, another Japanese diplomat who rescued Jews. Few know Kiichiro Higuchi. Yet somewhere in the world, thousands of descendants of those who boarded the trains in 1938 owe their lives to one general who said yes when it was safer to say no.

History often turns on enormous battles and famous speeches. Sometimes it turns on a quieter moment: one person deciding that being human matters more than being obedient. Higuchi did not become a perfect hero—he remained a soldier in a brutal war—but in that one choice, he saved entire family lines. His story reminds us that the most powerful word in any crisis is not “no” but “yes.” As the Talmud teaches: “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.” Kiichiro Higuchi saved thousands of worlds. And when his own life hung in the balance, the worlds he saved refused to let him go. Share this if you believe that compassion is the only alliance that never expires.

© Historical Photos

#drthehistories

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@UntoldWarFacts Here’s another story you might find interesting @UntoldWarFacts

https://t.co/8Qwdcn97ET

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@ValerieInsinna I’m sure it will be at least as useful as the LCS.

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

🎶🎼🎵What they do? They smile in your face…🎵🎶

https://t.co/pBFNCsdKoj

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

I’m pretty sure they have the list of participating aircraft wrong, which is pretty typical for reporters that know nothing of aviation. They mention F-18’s Navy aircraft, but no Naval units are participating. https://t.co/6v634oMkca

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

Flight from Spangdahlem
https://t.co/EtCNIxMR7i

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@OnDisasters It was Stan Rogers, not Steve.

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@jefftvalois

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

Bath built is best built! @GDBIW

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@jefftvalois Yesterday!

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

Right over my house. Knew it was a C-130 just by the sound.

Flight from North Kingstown
https://t.co/xyG6iUYoMX

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

At her christening, just two years ago.

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

Bath built is best built! @GDBIW

[U.S. Navy @USNavy]

🚨📰⚓️ #USNAVY UPDATE: Navy Accepts Accelerated Delivery of Future USS Patrick Gallagher

WASHINGTON - The U.S Navy accepted delivery of future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), the final Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-Class destroyer, from Bath Iron Works, May 28.

The delivery, which marks the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy, was accelerated by more than two months, due to exceptional builder’s sea trials. The trials executed hull, mechanical, electrical and combat systems at sea testing in series, during a single accelerated effort.

“Our nation’s leadership, including Secretary Hegseth and Acting Secretary Cao have been very clear—build ships faster,” said William Mahan, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. “Thanks to innovative collaboration between the Navy and industry, we’re doing exactly that.”

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@curatorWH @aniemyer A bulka is even better, and unfortunately more difficult to find than the elusive bialy. For those not in the know, a bulka is an elongate, almost French bread shaped bialy, and typically is the equivalent of about three times the amount of dough in a bialy.

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@MilHistNow The Longest Day

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@theepicmap I don’t know…

THIRD BASE!

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

The lead ship of the class.

Bath built is best built! @GDBIW

[🇺🇸𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿⚓️ @USN_Submariner]

In the crest of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), why does St. George have a birch branch on his head?
His grandfather, Anders Björkegren, shortened his name to Gus Burke around 1860. So Arleigh's original surname was Björkegren, which translates to "birch branch".
We almost had Arleigh Björkegren-class destroyers.

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

I am guessing the destination is Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Flight from Mildenhall
https://t.co/LmgKJwPyO0

[Main(e) man Micah @Mainefly]

@tanyaweiman I understand they have good rugelach. 😜