to memory care 24 hours a day, every day. Please call 4 A Lost Letter From 1945 A letter to the editor that might have been published in June, 1945: to discover all that Alterra has to offer. _Alterra CLARE BRIDGE enemy like that? These suicide pilots prove that the Japanese have a dif- ferent value system than we do and can never be converted into a demo- cratic society. "As for me and many other Americans, enough is enough. We are fighting a racist war against a culture that despises us and will never surrender. Sue for peace, declare victory, bring the boys back home and let's move on." (signed) A reader, Detroit, Mich. "Dear Sir: "It is obvious by GEORGE now that the war CANTOR with Japan cannot be Reality Check won. Even the lunkhead in the White House, Harry Truman, . should be able to see that. I made up this entire letter, of "Our terrible losses from suicide course, but there were probably a bombers and fanatical ground troops good many Americans who felt during the recent battle of Okinawa exactly this way as the summer of 1945 began. prove that any invasion of the Japanese home islands would be a There have been many compar- huge mistake. isons made between the kamikazes "In fact, it is begin- of World War II and ning to look as if this what they represented, whole war was a mis- and the suicide take. Thousands of our bombers of today in boys are dead and what Iraq and Israel. do we have to show for But the most impor- it? Many of the top tant part of the equa- Nazi leaders have not tion is usually omit- been captured and ted. The kamikazes probably never will be. failed. The men who We don't even know for sent them did not suc- sure that Hitler is dead. ceed in their aim of "The Germans hate destroying morale on us and other Europeans the American home look on us as an occu- front. While they Truman pying force, not libera- inflicted damage on tors. Many of them U.S. naval vessels it undoubtedly will choose to join was not enough to change the out- with the Soviet Union in opposing come of the battle or the war. everything we stand for. Instead, according to military his- "Our losses have been terrible in torian Victor David Hanson, in his new book Ripples of Battle: How the Pacific war, too. If we had declared a truce after Pearl Harbor Wars of the Past Still Determine How and just negotiated an equitable set- We Fight, How We Live and How We Think, the horrific experience with tlement, all of this could have been avoided. kamikazes at Okinawa led inex- "After all, there had been warnings orably to the decision to use atomic that such an attack was coming. Our weapons two months later at foreign policy in regard to Indo- Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By using China and the Dutch East Indies this strategy, Japan ended up visiting made it inevitable that the Japanese an even worse calamity upon itself. would hate us. I hate to say it but But the invasion of the Japanese maybe we deserved a Pearl Harbor. home islands would have gone forth, "But the kamikaze attacks at atomic bombs or not. Because in Okinawa should have convinced 1945, Americans had a better under- everyone. The Japanese are willing standing of what was at stake and what risks were worth running. to give up their own lives to defeat us. How can we prevail over an There is a price to be paid, howev- er, for teaching history badly. If you George Cantor, a West Bloomfield doubt that, just read the letters to resident, is a native Detroiter and the editor that run in the papers longtime Detroit journalist. His e-mail today. II address is gcantor@thejewishnews.corn (248) 489-9362 27900 Drake Road, Farmington Hills Our unique features include: ✓ Beautiful grounds with a walking trail where residents can move about freely ✓ Intimate and home-like living areas where residents feel less confused. ✓ Indoor walking paths that lead residents past areas of activity and allow them explore. to ✓ Intimate dining areas that promote social interaction as well as good nutrition. ✓ Floor plans with destination points, color cues, and contrasts of color & light, that guide and provide gentle reassurance that is so important: ✓ Staff trained to understand the special, unscheduled needs of the residents. Get Better: Anesthesiology Behavioral Medicine . Cardiology/Cardiac Surgery •_Care Community Program's Emergency Medicine THE • AMAZING STORY OF. Endocrinology Family Medicine Gynecology Health High Risk Obstetrics Home Care Infertility Evaluation Internal Medicine ,.Laboratory Lactation Counseling- Laparoscopic Surgery Mammography Menopausal Medicine Mothei/Baby Home Care Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Neonatology Neurology I Neurosurgery Obstetrics Oncology Ophthalmology Oral Surgery Orthopedics Pediatrics Perinatology Pharmacy Physician Network Plastic Surgery Prenatal Education Primary Care Quality Stacy Long was on vacation in northern Michigan when she went into labor: She was only twenty-three weeks pregnant—that's the point where a baby might just survive. Stacy was flown immediately from a Charlevoix Emergency Room to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac. With its staff of high-risk pregnancy specialists . and a Level III, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, no hospital is better prepared to handle complex, high-risk cases. Stacy's baby was born weighing just one pound, six ounces. Yet today she's eleven pounds and doing great. The staff was so caring and compassionate. Through God's grace they worked a miracle. So we named her... Gracie Marvel. Gracie meaning blessing and Marvel meaning miracle," Thousands of moms each year choose to have their babies at St. Joe. Stacy Long had that decision made for he because doctors knew she needed something better: A place where cutting edge medicine is matched with a tradition of faith, hope, compassion and, now... Grace. Radiology Rehabilitation • Safety Senior Services Surgical Services Technology witragnind Urology Women's Services Better doctors. Better nurses. Better care. Its time for you to get_better. For more information. please call I-888-7GET-BETTER or visit our website at wwwstjoesoakland.org . & m, ST. JOSEPH qa MERCY _ OAKLAND P "r e e er 11/21 2003 31