My father served in the Army Air Corp during WW2, my mother a young adult in Japan. My mother dodged bombing raids while my father prepped the planes that flew the bombs. I'll let you postulate the possibilities.
I was born on Wright-Patterson AB (USAF HQ)in 1956 and I was a service brat growing up during the cold war on military bases. I recall the Cuban missile crisis while we were living on the SAC base, Glasgow AFB, Montana. Over the years, I took an interest in WW2 history. I read a bit. BTW, I recommend reading "At Dawn We Slept" and "Miracle at Midway", as Prague (sp) is one of the few historians of his day that chose to seek "the other side's view".
So, when discussions of the war with Japan come up, I'm very interested. I'm also a bit torn between compasion for half of my ancestery and knowledge that what Japan did was wrong to the world on many levels, China being the most horific example. I worked for/with people that had been POW's under the Japanese and heard their tales. Recently, a co-worker of Japanese ancestry (but all American), 10 yrs younger than I, asked a Phillipino man for his daughter's hand. This Phillipino man had watched the Japanese kill his brother right in front of him while they kneeled. Yet, he mustered the strength and compasion for his daughter to say 'yes'. There's a man with some thoughts.
Countries ask their good people, and some not so good, to go to war and do horrible things, hopefully for the right reasons.
I haven't had to go to war. I was too young for Vietnam (just barely, I held a 1A draft card and was 19 when the draft ended and we were out of there). But as a youngster on Yokota AFB in Japan, I watched the MATS C-141's bring in the wounded and bus them to Tachikawa AB and awed at the shot up F-4's that came to Yokota for repair. I often thought I wanted to be a military aviator in battle. I even learned to fly at a young age and pursued aerobatics with a passion, often bading others to mock dogfight, my true passion. But, it didn't work out that I would be a military pilot. I ended up in the aerospace biz working many military programs and even a 10 yr nuclear (no not nucular)project. I'm probably better off. From what I can gather, war sucks. My wife, who happens to have Japanese ancestery on both sides, born in SF,CA, has worked in many military projects including personally making and supervising the assembly of the serious nucs and now continues on military programs for satellites.
My hat is off to all who have served this country honorably. Those envolved in the Manhattan Project thru those ordered to partake in 'the bomb's' use, served honorably.
Last edited by Chuck H; 08/07/07 09:54 AM.
