of war

Within the last pages of the book FLYBOYS, James Bradley shares a phone conversation with a flyboy veteran Joe Bonn, who saw last saw his buddy Jimmy Dye descend toward the island of Chichi Jima by parachute. James Bradley had just returned from Japan where he had talked to Hayashi-san, the Japanese soldier who was ordered to decapitate Jimmy. The following is an excerpt from page 332:


...That's the way it was," he had explained. I wondered how he would react to
the news that I had met with the Japanese who had swung a sword at
his friend.

I had explained how Hayashi-san had unwillingly followed an order under the duress of strict command. Lieutenant Hayashi, the meek radar technician had had no animosity in his heart when a drunken Spirit Warrior forced him to wield his untested sword. Hayashi had been just one of Japan's many good children scarred by the Spirit Warrior's non-Bushido mania. Drunken cannibal officers abusing their troops are not part of the samurai tradition.

After I told Bonn about Jimmy's last moments, there was a silence on the telephone line.
"That's a hell of a thing." he finally said.
After a few seconds I asked, "What's a hell of a thing?"
"Well, I don't think it was right to cut Jimmy's head off," he answered.
Now it was my turn to be still. I could agree with Bonn, but just days before I had
had tears in my eyes as I listened to Hayashi-san. I took a chance and said,
"Yes, but maybe the civilians you strafed thought that was a hell of a thing."

Now there was even a longer silence. I wasn't sure if I had gone to far. Finally the former Flyboy sighed, "Yeah, I guess it just matters what side you're one."


Frankly, throughout the entire book, that's the back story that Bradley wanted to tell...that the Americans were just as much the devils as the Japanese were. I believe Bradley actually went too far with the old veteran. James Bradley capped off his telling of his Flyboy book by getting a HERO to pretty much say he was just as bad, just as evil, as the Japanese devils. Those Flyboys, were good, decent young men who were sent to fight and WIN a war they did not start but had to finish. They went to serve their God and country, not as occupiers...but to put an end to an evil empire. I pray that Bradley doesn't disturb the sleep of an old man who probably suffered enough nightmares from a war he fought so bravely so long ago. I am glad that moral equivalence and political correctness wasn't the thinking of the day back in those dangerous times.

Bradley had some pictures in his book of charred citizens that were burned from the massive B-29 bombing strikes over Japan. I think he should have included more images like this one. To my understanding, this was typical Japanese workmanship. Don't get me wrong, Bradley spent much of his book on the Rape of China...a holocaust that out-shadows what the Nazi's did to the Jews. I'll cut the author some slack. Most of the photos I've seen of the rape of China by the heartless Japanese forces aren't very nice to look at.

We have a war today, an evil empire teaching their children to hate America...encouraging them to become martyrs for their little god of hate...little human bombs for Allah. Do we as a nation have what it takes to win a war...to be hard core...do what has to be done? Evil does exist America. I read this book about a time in Japan's history that was simply demonic. I could'nt help but think about our present war, about our enemy out there, and how stupid the politicians who are politicizing this war, struggling for power at the cost of our security and the morale of our service men and women. Evil must be faced eye to eye. Evil must be conquered and there's no such thing as a pleasant war. It's not a popular thing to say but I'll say it. Devils must die for freedom to live.

Do I sound pissed?

Coming soon to a theatre of war near you!