Vet salutes Truman

On Memorial Day, we honor men and women who gave their lives for their country. Those who made it through our various wars know of others who did not and in many instances they can thank someone else for their survival.

In my case, and for possibly 500,000 other veterans of World War II, we can thank President Harry S. Truman for our lives.

In August of 1945 he made the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. Imagine the weight of that decision, knowing that many thousands of noncombatants would be killed.

There have been numerous criticisms of that decision, many from the college campuses by people who were not there at the time.

I was an 18-year-old sailor in August of 1945, headed out into the Pacific Theater on a troop ship. Those of us with no shipboard skills figured we would be assigned to the invasion forces, probably unloading the cargo and equipment from our landing boats onto the Japanese shores.

The Japanese homeland citizens—men, women and children—at that time were preparing to fight the invaders to the death with guns, swords, knives and even pointed sticks. That's why the loss of American lives was projected to be so great.

It was only after the second atomic bomb was dropped that the Japanese surrendered. I am sorry that it had to be that way, but thanks to you, President Truman, for 64 years of added life and the chance to raise a family. John Torkelsen Camarillo