I was on Leyte in a short line getting my combat gear for the invasion of Japan. To be candid and honest my emotions were mixed. My brother had been killed on Okinawa a few weeks earlier and I was a very angry infantry replacement wanting some revenge, yes,even at my own peril. However I also realized dropping the bombs saved many US lives including probably mine. The bombs were by far the wiser of alternatives.
Thank you for clearing the decks for later generations like mine to live the life we’ve been able to live. And God bless the memory of your brother.
There were members of our family who were on their way to Japan when the first bomb was dropped. (They were actually on a ship headed for Japan.) Their commanding officer lined them up & told them, “Look to your right, then to your left. We are invading Japan. They are prepared to kill one out of every three of us.” - My father was a hardened combat veteran of N. Africa, Sicily, Italy & Germany. If Truman hadn’t had the guts to use those bombs; I’m sure Daddy would have ended up in Japan. I wasn’t born until AFTER the war.