Do you know a couple who have different cultural backgrounds?

I have a friend who is Oriental and his wife is Caucasian. Their young son is very bright and cute. I’m sure you have friends that have married someone from a different cultural background.

The mixing of diverse cultural heritage in interracial marriages brings out some of the best qualities in the human race.

Our story this month is fascinating and entertaining. Dan, a Sergeant in the US Air Force Security Services, in the 1950’s was stationed in Japan. He met a young, attractive Japanese girl who caught his eye.

As a young service man, Dan had the opportunity to meet many single ladies wherever his travels with the US Air Force took him. Machiko, however, was different. She tugged on his heart strings more than any other he met. She was special!

While in Japan, Dan dated and got to know Machiko and her family well. He would learn just how attached he had become when it was time for him to be transferred. They said their farewells and Dan moved to Darmstadt, Germany.

It wasn’t long before he knew that she was “the one”.

So one day, his heart motivated him to pick up the phone and call his married friend in Japan where Machiko served as a domestic worker. Dan asked his friend if she was there and his friend said “yes, do you want to talk to  her”. She got on the phone and Dan asked her if she would marry him!

She dropped the phone, sat down on the couch and started to cry. His friend got back on the phone and angrily asked him: “What did you say to her!” Dan explained that he had proposed to her and she had said yes and then broke down.

What an experience… for everyone concerned!

Dan and Machiko were united in marriage on Aug. 3, 1960 in Darmstadt and shared 55 wonderful years together. Dan is living out his retirement years in Columbia Falls, MT.

Even at the age of 84 he’s young at heart and full of many stories from the past. As a member of the Flathead Valleyaires Barbershop Chorus, he sings to his heart’s content and stands as a sterling example of a valuable member of the community.

The life story of Dan and Machiko McMasters is a beautiful example of the diversity of human life. The mixing of 2 cultures into the oneness of marriage stands as proof that our creator is not partial and only sees one race on the face of the earth. The human race!