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Everyone has a story! Do you? I am talking about World War II family stories that are slowly finding their way into our hands and hearts. Some of them are even in the bookstores in the history or memoir section. Many of these accounts have been buried in the memories of our parents and grandparents. Fortunately some have been recorded and saved in letters and scrapbooks that are now being discovered by surprised family members. I continue to hear poignant tales from friends and colleagues who are both curious and inspired by what they are learning about their relative’s role […]

Recently our two young grandsons visited us for an extended weekend while their parents were traveling. We were excited about our special time together and wanted to find an activity that would be fun and unique, but did not involve technology. This entertainment challenge was quickly resolved when we learned that a Spirit of ’45 event was being held at History Park in San Jose, California. I had first discovered this inspiring and fun-filled event in 2015 and was eager to share it with the boys. As we packed the four and seven-year olds into the car, I wondered what […]

Seventy-two years ago on August 9 at 11:02 a.m. and 1,650 feet above the city, the second atom bomb nicknamed Fat Man was dropped on Japan. The target was Nagasaki, the shipbuilding center of the country. It was quickly devastated by this explosion that had the equivalent force of 22,000 tons of TNT. Three days earlier the first atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima, but sadly the recalcitrant Japanese War Council was not ready to accept the terms of an unconditional surrender. It was not until after the bombing of Nagasaki that Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Prime Minister Suzuki […]

Typically, when I think of August I have memories of the summer ending, school starting and cool, fall days ahead. Yet I didn’t realize that August was one of the most significant months during the fight for Pacific dominance in World War II. Those war years were filled with a multitude of military activities: secret meetings, strategic planning, fierce fighting and many lost lives. Eventually peace came through the force of a powerful, secret weapon. All of these events converged in the 1940’s to change the course of history and the world. Surprisingly, many of these activities occurred during August.