I have just recently discovered this site but for the last ten years a day has not gone by when I have not thought about Ishikawa-san. Everyday since 9/11/01 I put my American Flag out and every evening I bring it in and in doing so, I am assured of thinking of him and his family. He was my boss in Atlanta and a friend. I left the company several years prior to his reassignment to New York so we had lost touch. In fact I did not know he was in the New York office on that terrible day and did not know to look for his name on the victim's list. I stumbled across it one year later on the first anniversary of the tragedy. I understand there was a memorial service for him in Atlanta, unfortunately I was not contacted about it and as I said did not know to contact my former coworkers until it was too late.

He was a good man, not great man rather just one of the millions that go to work every day putting in long hard hours doing the best that they could. He loved America and everything American with a refreshing curiosity more associated with a young child discovering a new toy on Christmas morning. He came to my house for dinner with his wife and met my Shetland Sheepdog, fell in love with it instantly and soon had one of his own. He told me he was teaching it commands in English and Japanese so that it would feel at home when he was transferred back Japan. I think of him often and hope his wife and son have managed to find a way to cope.

Posted by Doug Olsen

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