HCBW & I met at BYU. When we got engaged we made the usual trip to meet the parents. Her dad was a sailor that served on Iwo Jima just days after the island had been "secured."

There was still "mopping up" going on during the first few weeks he was there. Every single cave had to be entered and checked for surviving Japanese soldiers. He didn't have to be in combat himself but he heard all of the stories of the battle and saw bodies all over the place when he first arrived. After all of the caves were cleared they were allowed to go explore if they took weapons with them. He described to us what it was like.

My F-I-L was a great man. The best man that I have ever known on a personal level. When we had a chance to talk between just the two of us it was only a few minutes before he asked me about Japan, the Japanese people and what my mission was like. He told me about some of his experiences on Iwo Jima. It was evident that even 20+ years later it was hard for him to think of the Japanese people in a kind way. I didn't totally understand it at the time because of the great feelings that I had for Japan and its people due to my mission.

Over the years I've read a fair number of books about the war in the Pacific. I can see now how American soldiers held onto their harsh feelings for so long. The Japanese soldiers basically treated all other people during the war as sub-human. They equated killing to courage. It was part of the ancient warrior culture that was used to train them. Part of that was the samurai Bushido code.

There were about 20,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the time of the Allied invasion. Their superiors told them that no help was coming and that they were to fight until death. Basically, the were abandoned there by their country; left to die. Only a few hundred Japanese soldiers survived as POW's. The rest died in combat or took their own lives.

The Japanese soldiers did the things they did because of the way they were trained and indoctrinated. Now it is like the Japanese are a completely different kind of people. They were of course, as a country deeply emotionally scarred by the A-bomb detonations. It is a part of their history that they all still remember well. They know full well that as a country they brought it upon themselves.

My first branch in Japan was Nagasaki. There is a hospital there that is for people that are survivors of the A-bomb blasts and for their children and grandchildren. Even at the time of my mission, the hospital was busy with people who had severe mental health problems related to the bomb. The 4 Elders and 2 Sister in our district one time helped take a young woman kicking and screaming to the hospital. She had been admitted there several times before.

I don't blame anyone who after learning of the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers would hold harsh feelings towards the Japanese. They were the aggressors everywhere they went during the war. They were ruthless and heartless. As time goes by though, learning more about why the soldiers were the way they were, and learning about what the Japanese people are like now should serve to calm the harsh feelings on our part.

I had the chance to take my wife back to Japan as tourists a few years ago. I had always wanted to climb Mt. Fuji. So we did that and traveled around close to Tokyo for about 9 days. Japan is a wonderful country to visit. We had a great time. The people really are nice and kind towards Americans. If we could, I'd like to go back for another couple of weeks sometime.

Kind of rambling here but just wanted to share a few thoughts.