If Frank Kohnke's story isn't remarkable enough, down the hallway from him in the nursing home are two other World War II veterans.
Sverre Vinje is resting after physical therapy for a broken hip. At 99, he had been living independently and still driving until a recent fall. He was on the USS Donaldson when the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered.
He remembers sailing into Yokohama Harbor days later. "We saw all the guns lined up," Vinje says. "We would have lost so many Americans if we'd had to invade. My God, we'd have lost good men."
Gordon Walstrom hears the war talk and scoots over in his wheelchair. He served in the Army's 25th Infantry Division during the final months of the war in the Pacific and remained as part of the occupation force.
In regards to the atom bombs, he said: "You're 18 and still a daredevil. But I can tell you they got our attention real quick when we got briefings about the dangers of radiation from the bombs."
--DaCoot
No comments:
Post a Comment