"What is that strange looking cloud on the horizon?" "What do you mean Lawrence, I don't see any thing?" "Look over there just above the horizon to the west." "I see it now," I replied. "Looks like a large mushroom."

     This day seemed no different from the rest. It was perfectly clear and we were cruising sixty miles or more off the coast of Japan. The bombers were banging away and we would be going in after dark. What we did not know was this day would change the world we lived in forever.

     We jokingly decided the bombers had hit a mushroom factory. "Well, if that was the target for the day they may get so hungry they will surrender." "I doubt it," I replied. "Those bastards can live forever on fish heads and rice."

     The conversation indicated how tired we were of this never ending war. Hitler had been beaten in Europe. No one thought the Japanese would ever surrender. We were positive they would fight to the last man. We had not even invaded the home land yet. It looked like we would be fighting them for at least two or three more years.

     "Now hear this. We have dropped an atomic bomb on Japan." This news came over the loud speakers and did not mean anything to any of us. No one had ever heard of such a thing. Of course, we always had a bunch of "sea lawyers" that knew everything about everything. It was not long until we had a pretty good idea about what we saw on the horizon. They had not blown up a mushroom factory after all.

     The next good news came when we were told that the Japanese had surrendered. Our prayers had been answered and our dreams had come true.

     We all had a hard time realizing that this hell on earth was over. The next exciting news was that we were going to be the second ship to go into Tokyo bay.

     Our first view of Japan was Mount Fuji and all its majestics made me wonder how anyone who lived in such a beautiful country could be our mortal enemy.