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I guess, too, that if America hadn’t developed the atomic bomb, & Truman hadn’t had the guts to use it, Japan would have fought on Japanese soil to the last woman & child with broomsticks killing many more thousands of Allied troops.

Troop carriers were on their way to Japan when Truman dropped the bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. - Their commanding officers lined them up and told them, “Look to your left & then to your right. When we land, two out of the three of you will die.” - Those boys were, frankly, relieved when they heard Truman had bombed Japan.

In June of 1961, I enrolled at NC State as a sophomore. I attended an assembly for incoming students and a lecture by the chancellor.

He admonished us to look to your left and then to your right. Two of the three will not graduate

(he also said that one of the most important things you must do each day is to take a crap)

“Those boys were, frankly, relieved when they heard Truman had bombed Japan.”

My USMC amphib. tank driver father was wounded on Okinawa after 45 days combat there. He was treated in hospital in Honolulu, and was back serving in limited duty, ready for full duty when the war ended.

My mother (age 90) still tells that story, that the atomic bomb likely saved our father’s life and gave us ours.

I guess, too, that if America hadn’t developed the atomic bomb, & Truman hadn’t had the guts to use it, Japan would have fought on Japanese soil to the last woman & child with broomsticks killing many more thousands of Allied troops.

Troop carriers were on their way to Japan when Truman dropped the bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. - Their commanding officers lined them up and told them, “Look to your left & then to your right. When we land, two out of the three of you will die.” - Those boys were, frankly, relieved when they heard Truman had bombed Japan.

I remember a story where they had a troop ship going from Europe to Asia. After they dropped the bombs, the ship changed course or Boston and the men aboard cried tears of joy knowing they were headed home instead of Japan. I also had a college professor, he was in WWII and the first thing he said was "if you are against the atomic bombs in Japan, get out of my class. The bombs saved my life." A teacher of mine in high school was flying a B-24 over to the Pacific as he heard the news of the Hiroshima Bomb.

Lastly, one interesting story told to me from a local WWII vet was he remember them watching them load the A-Bomb aboard the Enola Gay. Naturally he didn't know what it was but knew it was important. Later when Tibbetts and his crew came back, the same vet served him in the officer's club and he remembers Tibbetts saying over and over again, "what have we done?" That was a cool story, being an actual witness to history.

Had we not dropped the bomb there are a lot of FReepers who never would have existed.