The yellow bastards got what they had coming to them. One can only wonder how different our world would have been if we'd had to beat them by way of invasion in stead of by dropping the bomb. I think it's safe to say some of us wouldn't be here today as our dad's would have died while taking mainland Japan.
My Dad and his and his air crew were training in preparation for the initial parachute drops on the Japanese mainland when the bomb was dropped. I am pretty sure that the C-47s would have been like sitting ducks for the Jap Zeros.
Our family has always been grateful for the two missions that brought about a quick end to the war in the Pacific.
Ben
Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
My FIL was a fighter pilot. He was on Okinawa training for the invasion when they dropped the bomb. There's a good chance I would have had to find someone else to marry if they'd had to invade.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
I have a 90+ year old neighbor that credits his life and his kids lives to the dropping of the bomb. His kids of course were unborn at that time. He was in the islands training for the attack on Japan.
Dad was at MCRD San Diego. His birthday was August 9. He always said that the Nagasaki bomb dropped on the 9th was the best birthday present he ever had!!!!
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
My dad was slated to go in the the first wave on Kyushu, the large southern island of Japan. He as an Army Air Corp weatherman. His job was to stand up on the beach and take wind speed and direction readings for Close Air Support (CAS). I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been born if that had to happen. Pop said for every man going in, there were two men planned to replace him. The estimate was one million US casualties and up to six million Japanese. Truman save a lot of lives.
Both my Grandpa's joined up in 1940 and both went to Germany in the early days of the war, one made a career and did 41 years in the Army, retired an E-9 in 1981 and lived to be 92 years old, we buried him in the Winter of '11.
Both were great Men that I am very proud of, and learned a lot from, and I didn't/don't deserve such talent wasted rearing my non-measuring up ass .
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
A now dead fishing buddy flew bombers over there but would never speak of it. Thank God they went with navigators as he could not find his way around for sh-t while driving cars.
Did not see the movie, but the Unbroken book certainly painted any ugly picture of the POW camp boss. Sounds like there were some lesser evils, but a few real buttheads as well.