Memory aids (28 May 2007).
Local veterans honor their fallen comrades-in-arms at Chelsea’s Memorial Day parade.
After the ceremony, I had the honor of having a conversation with Richard Laws, a World War II veteran who was very pleasant and willing to speak of his experiences. His uniform informed me that he served as a paratrooper, and he informed me that he fought in the Pacific.
Our brief conversation yielded an interesting tidbit. Before Truman decided to drop the bombs on Japan, Laws was part of the plans for an invasion of Japan; however, the Japanese found out about the invasion, and they would have been waiting for Laws and his fellow paratroopers. So, Laws told me, “Truman saved [his] life” when he decided to bomb Japan.