It was correct to A-bomb Japan

This is another letter in response to the Rev. Bob Cushing's visit to Japan this month, and his views on the use of the atomic bombs to end the war with Japan. My reasons for strongly disagreeing with the gentleman are of a more personal nature than those expressed in the well written published letters to date.

I was 20 years old in the summer of 1945, and had just returned from Europe with the infantry division I had fought with, in the Allied victory over Germany. We landed in New York in July, and were processed at a nearby base for a 30-day, in-transit furlough. The division was to reassemble at Camp San Luis Obispo in California in mid-August for transport to somewhere in the Pacific.

We had been tapped to be a part of the invasion of Japan. Thankfully, we were not to be in the initial assault waves to hit the beaches, but we would have been heavily engaged later on. After surviving Europe, most of us had few illusions that we could get through another extended period of combat in one piece - especially fighting a fanatical enemy defending their country.

The bombs were dropped in early August and, thankfully, V-J Day followed quickly, on Aug. 14, 1945. I was just ending my furlough and did report to Camp Obispo, but with new, positive thoughts about my future. The division's orders to ship out were canceled weeks later.

The decision to drop the bombs resulted in many deaths, but saved hundreds of thousands of American GIs and Japanese military and civilians from death and injury. President Truman made a brave and correct decision.

Jim Allen, Aiken