When 9/11 occurred I was in Japan having dinner with a friend. I did not learn of the attacks until the following morning. It was quite strange being in Japan during a time of historical significance for my country. My Japanese colleagues all expressed sympathy but they really could not understand. They simply did not have the same feelings about the event because it was not personal to them. Since then I have experienced 9/11 anniversaries abroad most of which have been in China. In the same way Chinese have expressed a sympathetic understanding but very few people seem to understand how I feel. It is quite similar to the way Americans think of the Nanjing Massacre.

“９·１１”发生时，我正在日本跟一个朋友吃饭，一直到第二天上午我才知道此事。在日本经历一个对我的国家来说具有历史意义的事件让我有点不舒服。我日本的同事都表示同情，但是好像他们并不是真的理解。因为对他们来说这不是他们个人的事情，他们的感情就不一样。从那以后，我在国外经过了好几个“９·１１”周年纪念，主要是在中国。中国人跟日本人一样对我表示同情，但很少有人理解我的感情。这跟美国人对南京大屠杀的看法差不多。

American history lessons about World War II naturally focus on the European battlefront. Students learn about Hitler and the Nazis and how 6 million Jews were killed in the holocaust. America’s role in China war against Japan is not emphasized. Rather students learn that Japan invaded many countries and that the Nanjing Massacre occurred. Unfortunately Americans are unaware of the true cost of the Second World War for China and other countries.

美国的历史课中关于二战地聚焦于欧洲前线。学生最深刻的印象是希特勒、纳粹和６００万犹太人在大屠杀中被杀。美国在中国抗日战争中的角色就不强调，学生知道更多的是日本侵略了不少国家，在中国进行了南京大屠杀。不幸的是，我们不知道第二次世界大战对中国和别的国家的真实损害。

When I was in Japan I spoke with my colleagues occasionally about that time period. Knowing that my country dropped two atomic bombs there I found it a bit awkward to talk about. My colleagues expressed their views specifically the hope that nuclear weapons will never be used again in the future. Learning about the stories of Japanese families gave me a better understanding of this hope and their view of the war. During these discussions however I never thought to ask about the Nanjing Massacre. As a young and uniformed American I had no idea how significant this event is between the two countries.

在日本时，我和同事偶尔谈到那个时期。因为我的国家把两颗原子弹丢在日本，所以在日本我感到说第二次世界大战的事有点为难。我同事表达自己的看法，也就是将来原子弹永远不再被使用的希望。知道日本家庭的个人故事使我更好地理解他们的希望和对战争的看法。在这些讨论中我没想到问南京大屠杀的事。因为年轻而有点愚昧，我不知道这个事件对两个国家的意义。

I returned to America a few weeks ago which gave me the opportunity to experience a 9/11 anniversary in my own country. Six years later I still feel sadness over the tragedy bewilderment as to why innocent people were targeted anger at the perpetrators and pride in my own country but I was finally able to experience that in a group of compatriots. 9/11 memorials foster a sense of patriotism because most Americans feel it was an attack on our freedom. This interpretation probably does not make sense to many outsiders because this situation is actually much more complex. But just like the Nanjing Massacre and the bombing of Japan the feelings of any one nation are difficult to guess through history books alone.

几个星期前我回到美国并有机会在国内经历“９·１１”纪念。６年以后由于这场悲剧我仍然感到难过，因为无罪的人被当作靶子而感到困惑，对犯罪者感到气愤和为我的国家感到自豪。不过，我终于在一群同胞中体会到这些感情。“９·１１”的纪念仪式引起爱国感因为大多美国人认为我们的自由被攻击了。对外国人来说，这个见解可能难以理解，因为真实情况确实更复杂。但是与南京大屠杀和原子弹轰炸日本等事件一样，仅仅从历史书中是很难猜测出一个国家的感情的。