{"id":2025,"date":"2017-07-04T06:00:34","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T11:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/?p=2025"},"modified":"2017-07-04T11:37:07","modified_gmt":"2017-07-04T16:37:07","slug":"july-4th-heroes-world-war-ii-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/july-4th-heroes-world-war-ii-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"July 4th Thoughts: World War II Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I mentioned in the June 23, blog, https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/world-war-ii-veterans-living-legends-frank-buschmeier\/<\/a> It is not often that you get to meet a living legend.\u00a0 I consider any man who fought in World War II and is still walking this earth to be a living legend, heroes if you will.\u00a0 There are not many of them left, but there are a few.\u00a0 My Dad, sons and I got the privilege of meeting second and I would like you to meet him too.<\/p>\n

As we watched the excellent air show prior to the 13th<\/sup> Annual Gala at the Tri-State Warbird Museum, we were wowed by the AT-6 formations (see the pictures at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pg\/doctoraviation\/photos\/?tab=album&album_id=1940155189595847<\/a> ) and the sleek P-40 Warhawk chasing a Japanese Zero.\u00a0 Between passes I looked over and saw a man in a wheelchair.\u00a0 He was wearing a baseball cap that said, \u201cWorld War II Veteran\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

I pointed him out to my boys.\u00a0 We approached him.\u00a0 \u201cExcuse me sir, did you really serve in World War II\u201d?\u00a0 Yes, I did was the reply.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you do,\u201d was our next question. \u00a0I served in the Navy on a minesweeper was his reply.<\/p>\n

We introduced ourselves.\u00a0 His name is Don Baechle.\u00a0 As we chatted, his son, who was pushing the wheelchair, said, \u201cTell them about your field trip\u201d.<\/p>\n

This is when it got really interesting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat field trip was that,\u201d we asked.\u00a0 My jaw dropped at the response.\u00a0 As it turns out, Don and his crew had a day off after the Japanese surrender on August 15.\u00a0 Instead of staying onboard the minesweeper floating in Japanese waters, the Navy decided to let the boys go on a field trip.\u00a0 The destination: Nagasaki.<\/p>\n

Yes, that Nagasaki.<\/p>\n

Nagasaki: the target of the second atomic bomb dropped by the Americans in an effort to end the bloody war.\u00a0 I discussed that decision and the ethical dilemma in a previous blog (https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/hiroshima-nagasaki-the-aircrews-atomic-dilemma\/<\/a> ).<\/p>\n

They brought the sailors to port.\u00a0 Put them on a bus, gave them a box lunch and took them to Nagasaki.\u00a0 I asked him if everything was flat.\u00a0 He said that there was an arch standing.\u00a0 While bulldozers pushed aside the few other objects that remained in piles.\u00a0 I asked if he had felt any effects from being in an area of high radiation.\u00a0 No, he wasn\u2019t aware of any, he replied.\u00a0 He son jokingly piped in, \u201cSometimes we wonder\u201d.<\/p>\n

Don returned to the US and raised a family.\u00a0 His son Andy was with him this day — Clearly very proud of his Dad.\u00a0 There is a website dedicated to Don and other WWII veterans, you can view it at http:\/\/ourgreatestgeneration.blogspot.com\/2009\/12\/don-baechle-us-navy.html<\/a> \u00a0. Thank you for serving Don and protecting our freedom! \u00a0You are a hero!<\/p>\n

But Don said one more thing that I don\u2019t think that I will soon forget.\u00a0 \u201cWe had to drop the bomb. That was the only way to end it, they would have never surrounded, the Japanese would have fought us to their last broomstick\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I mentioned in the June 23, blog, https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/world-war-ii-veterans-living-legends-frank-buschmeier\/ It is not often that you get to meet a living legend.\u00a0 I consider any man who fought in World War II and is still walking this earth to be a living legend, heroes if you will.\u00a0 There are not many of them left, but there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":338,"featured_media":2024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[39],"tags":[326,313,328,66,327,67],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJuly 4th Thoughts: World War II Heroes - 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