The Independent-News, Volume 120, Number 3, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 1 June 1995 — Page 29

VIEWPOINT 1

i END OR WORLD WAR II In the Marianas, we couldn’t rent them (the Japanese) from mitting suicide. As we overImed their forces, they retreato the edge of a cliff. We had anese-speaking servicemen "i bullhorns, and we also had oners yelling, “We’ve been treated. Don’t jump,’’ But ■nts were throwing their childoff or jumping over . . . now, t I’m getting at is that a landing k^pan would have been a very ■y enterprise.” — Indiana versity Professor Emeritus ner Chapman, retired U.S. ine colonel. s the anniversary of the end of Id War II approaches, the con- - ersy about the dropping of the lie bomb itensifies. On the side are those scholars who rt that the bomb was a case of kill against an already-defeat-apanese population. a the other are veterans as well cholars of the Pacific battles have an entirely different point. - amer Chapman’s service as a - ine pilot in the Pacific put him e middle of some of the fiercest ing from Gualdacanal to Okinand he was awarded the Dislished Flying Cross, the Air _ al and the Purple Heart. Phe one thing you have got to very clear is that there - d have been very heavy casi es — not just American, but nese. And anyone who thinks ' Japanese people would have i up any more readily than did on Saipan and other C ds, I think is just engaging in z illation that cannot really be - tantiated,” said Chapman, a , id Indiana University political _ ce professor. i contrasted the mindset of the \ nese with the Germans. lie Germans fought as long as „ were effective, but once it was that nothing further could be id, they surrendered,” he ; e Japanese mass-attached on hlalcanal — one of the early ~s they lost. A Japanese regiwhich had just been landed -j ked a small, entrenched Ma- ■ lutfit. With guts and machine Chapman said, the Marines ■J 700 Japanese. hey just kept coming and kept \ ug. On each side of the cds — Tarawa and Iwo Jima, Example — they fought to the I’he said. Japman had an opportunity to pence a kamakazi (suicide) atM close range. In fact, he was jd a carrier, the Franklin, that liiit on March 19, 1945, at the 'j of the battle for Okinawa, lur mission was to destroy in -lice as much as we could of the -hese aerial capability for re^ig at Okinawa. We were also ’jig for any major naval vessels ;ould be of danger to us. Just ie the Franklin was hit, our |h planes had sent a message ■with the location of the super =3ship Yamato, in a harbor in Ji. So we were getting ready nch a strike specifically to hit amato,” Chapman explained, group of American pilots was ^*ck, ready to take off. But the inever got to their target, be#a kamakazi plane with two —is aboard flew in from the last, early morning skies, and Ie Franklin. Ajapman was in the ’’ready below the flight deck. His < was broken by shrapnel Ping through the deck, and his --fractured from the force of explosion. He did not yet ie he was injured when, fire |g around, he jumped over►Ffrom 70 feet above the water. “Ine of my pilots was in the

water with me, and I said, ‘Hang onto to me for a second while I take my shoes off. We had those big, heavy boondocker shoes weighing us down,” Chapman recalled. He and other survivors were in the water between 45 minutes to an hour, treading water and swimming. When a destroyer came to pick them up, Chapman was so weak that a seaman jumped in the water and tied a rope around him so he could be hauled out. And so, Warner Chapman was not going to be involved in the anticipated invasion of Japan. Before the Franklin was hit, he had flown over the coast where the invasion was supposed to take place. And on the hospital train back home, traveling across the United States, he saw trainloads of European Theater veterans heading west to participate in this momentous, final, effort of the war. “We fully expected a huge invasion in the fall, with hundreds of thousands of casualties, men injured and killed,” Chapman said. “We literally saw the invasion of Japan as Armageddon. There wasn’t anyone optimistic about it.” The professor is not an admirer of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific and commander of the postwar occupation of Japan. But he believes that, right after the war, MacArthur was the right person in the right place. As a result of MacArthur’s policies during occupation, “the Japanese have made a remarkable turn. Japanese militarism has in the past decades almost disappeared,” Chapman said. “But it was the curse with which they started the war. They couldn’t control it; couldn’t control the military. The military put them in this position. The people accepted it, and with emperor worship in combination, there was little else they could do. ‘As far as I’m concerned, we don’t owe the Japanese any apologies,” he reflected. “We may regret that we felt we had to use the bomb, but the decision was based on the expectation that this would speed things up, and if it works, is going to save lives. And it did. The lives of American and Japanese soldiers, mariens and sailors — as well as untold more civilians. “The problem is, of course, that we can be tarred with the argument that we alone, of all the people in the world, used an atomic bomb against other people. ” PARENTING CLASSES TO FOCUS ON INFANTS Nothing can really prepare parents for the changes they will experience after they bring a newborn home from the hospital. And for the first year of their baby’s life, parents are trying to decide what is best for the child, what is best for them, and what is best for the family. Questions over the infant’s needs, speed of development and behavior constantly arise. And each case is a little bit different because each infant is different, each parent is different, and each family is different. That is why Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Marshall County is sponsoring a New Beginnings Parent Education Series dealing strictly with infants. The classes will begin on Tuesday, June 6 and run for the next three Tuesdays, June 13, 20 and 27. Nancy Schmelter, MA, of Counseling and Educational Resources and the regular New Beginnings instructor, will run the sessions. The classes will cover the emotional and psychological needs of infants (the first 24 months) and the various stages of development. The classes will also assist parents in developing coping skills in dealing with the newest member of the

family. Parents are encouraged to come with their questions in hand. The classes will begin at 6:00 p.m. each night. Each session will be conducted in the hospital’s Emergency Department Conference Room. While registration is not required, people are encouraged to call New Beginnings (9352678) or Ask-A-Nurse (936-9977) to register. Questions And Answers About Social Security By Dr. Robert J. Myers Dr. Myers, one of the architects of the Social Serurity System in 1934, was Chief Actuary for the system for 23 years, 1947-70. He later became Deputy Commissioner, and in 1982-83 played a key role in averting the system’s financial failure. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Advisors of The Seniors Coalition. Dear Dr. Myers, I am a divorced 60-year-old woman. Before marriage, I worked for 24 years and paid into Social Security. When I married, I quit working for a few years. When my ex-husband went into business for himself, I returned to work for him. He paid no Social Security for me, but rather only for himself. Now I get only S3OO monthly from Social Security for the years that I worked before marriage. Will I ever be able to claim Social Security for the years that I worked for my exhusband? It doesn’t seem fair. He is ten years younger than I am, and has not started his benefit yet. Ms. E.F. Fairfield, CA Dear Ms. F, Unfortunately, you cannot get Social Security credit for the years which you worked on an unpaid basis for your husband’s business. Under such circumstances, it is optional whether the work is considered as “unpaid family labor” or as wage employment, but the decision on which way to go must be made at the time. If you marriage lasted at least 10 years, you can draw benefits on your husband’s earnings record after he reaches age 62 (or at his death if prior to then). However, you can receive, in essence, only the larger of that benefit or the benefit based on your own earnings. Dear Dr. Myers, 1 am six years older than my wife. I would like to retire when she is 62. I may not be able to meet that goal of age 68. In all likelihood, I will retire at age 66. My wife has only earned a small annual salary (less than $18,000). I will get the maximum amount allowable. What percentage of mine will she get at age 62? Mr. H.S. Ft. Lauderdale, FL Dear Mr. S, If you retire at age 68 (when your wife is age 62), you will receive 100% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), plus 3 years of Delayed-Retirement Credits (which are 4.5% per year of delay if you attained age 65 in 1994-95), or a total of 113.5% of your PIA. If you retire at age 66, your benefit will be 104.5% of your PIA. Your wife’s benefit at age 62 will be 37.5% of your PIA in either case. 1. How many daily doubles are usually run on each racing card? 2. With what team did Hank Aaron end his major league career? 3. What did Muhammad Ali title his autobiography? 4. What golfing accessory did George Grant patent on Dec. 12, 1899? 5. Who won the Grand Prix driving championship in 1978? 6. Who was Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in 1970? 7. How high is a basketball hoop? 8. What race is the longest-lasting, non-mechanical sports event?

JUNE 1, 1995 - THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS

COAST GUARD REQUIRES PFDs ON FEDERAL WATERS INCLUDING LAKE MICHIGAN Boaters and water sport enthusiasts must carry personal flotation devices (PFDs) for recreational vessels on waters under U.S. government jurisdiction, according to Maj. Larry Rhinehart, support services officer in the Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division. New U.S. Coast Guard regulations effective May 1 require wearable PFDs, rather than other devices such as buoyant cushions, ring buoys and horseshoe buoys (Type IV devices), on waters under federal control. In Indiana, federal waters include the Ohio River and Lake Michigan. All other inland waters in Indiana are not affected. Type IV PFDs or throwable devices are intended for calm, inland waters with heavy boat traffic where help is always present. These devices are designed to be thrown to a person in the water and grasped and held by the user until rescued. These devices are not intended to be worn. The new Coast Guard regulation also requires recreational vessels, 16 feet or longer, on federal waters to have at least one Type of IV PFD on board in addition to the total number of wearable PFDs required. A special, temporary, one year exemption delays the effective date of this new regulation to May 1, 1996, for liveries and rental businesses. For more information, contact the Law Enforcement Division of the Department of Natural Resources at (317) 232-4010. KEEP KIDS SAFE: Summer is the favorite time for most youngsters. It’s a chance to get out into the open air and indulge in one’s favorite sport and that means hospital emergency rooms are primed to accept more young people with injuries sustained during these expanded play periods. Orthopedists are especially concerned about injuries to young people because their bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments are still growing, making any injury potentially more serious than they would be in an adult. For example, growth plates — the areas of developing cartilage where bone growth occurs in youngsters — are weaker than the nearby ligaments and tendons. What may be just a bruise or a sprain in an adult can be a potentially serious growth plate injury in a young person. Overuse injuries are also being found in young athletes. One example is called “Little League Elbow,” a term that describes a group of common overuse injuries in various sports, not just baseball. Other overuse injuries affect the heels and the knees with tears in the tissue where tendons attach to the leg bone or the heel bone. Parents need to be aware that no child should be asked to play through pain. Any coach who insists on sending the injured child back into the game needs to be advised that this is not acceptable. Remember, any injury left untreated can result in permanent damage and even inhibit proper physical growth. Rush the child to a doctor or orthopaedic specialist if

NHL TEAMS Answers to 0. King Crossword j6|E|E|TißD| I |E|sMS|i |Y| WXX\W lS|h|O|R|T|C|A|K|EMO|Pl^ pl MMM^^kleMdiulrielrl aR Ibli _ L A H IRWRiEIL E A S EJdI e o ialgioMmioi v if rmtiri y y R [6IOIRWW sfe f r UIBIAMSMoTRifINI/^^^ mNlrbNE|ilqdN $ |a|d|pßy|e|n|sßn|e|h|s| Differences: 1. Moon is reversed. 2. Fence is different. 3. Logo is added. 4. Coat is longer. 5. Door is changed 6. Polka dots are missing.

any of the following symptoms develop: 1. Inability to play following an acute or sudden injury; 2. Decreased ability to play because of chronic or long-term complications following an injury; 3. Visible deformity of the arms or legs; 4. Severe pain which prevents the use of an arm or leg. For most minor injuries, RICE. is still a pretty good means of providing first aid. The R stands for Rest (stop doing what you did when you were injured); I is for Ice (apply ice to the injury site to keep the swelling down); C is for compression (a brace or tape can be used to support the injure area); and E for elevation (keep the limb elevated while you're resting). This cuts down on swelling. ©1995 by King Features Synd. On June 4, 1805, land and naval campaigns waged by the U.S. forced Tripoli to negotiate a peace ... May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law ... May 31, 1889, the flooding of Johnstown, Pa., took place, claiming 2,200 lives ...May 29, 1932, World War I veterans began their Bonus March on Washington, D.C., demanding Congress pay their bonuses in full rather than waiting the prescribed time ... June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway began ... June 2,1952, the Supreme Court ruled that the government’s seizure of the nation's steel mills in order to avert a strike was illegal ... May 31, 1955, the Supreme Court ordered “all deliberate speed" in the integration of the nation's public school system ... May 30, 1994, rejecting a proposed plea-bargain agreement on his 17-count felony indictment, Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-UL) declared his innocence ... May 31, 1994, U.S. Attorney Eric Holder announced Rep. Rostenkowski’s 17-count indictment which included charges that from 1971 to 1992 the congressman had put 14 people on his payroll who did little or no work and who, in some cases, performed personal services for Rostenkowski and members of his family; the embezzlement of $50,000 from the House Post Office, tampering with a witness in the investigation, and improperly charging $40,000 worth of gifts to friends to his congressional expense account ... June 2, 1994, President Clinton met with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican to discuss abortion, birth control and related family issues ... June 4, 1994, Oliver North, whose convictions on several charges in connection with the Iran-Contra affair had later been overturned, won the nomination of the Virginia Republican Party for the U.S. Senate. 1 tetel r—। n O' f , co a c IPPOLITO 1. one; 2. Milwaukee Brewers; 3. “The Greatest”; 4. the tee; 5. Mario Andretti; 6. Bobby Orr; 7. 10 feet; 8. the Tour de France ©1995 by King Features Synd.

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