With A-bombs, 'it was over'

News of Japanese capitulation brought celebrations, nixed invasion plans.

In his hands Robert Ruff holds a publication too thick to be a newsletter and too monochromatic to call a magazine. Its corners are curling up, and many are completely folded down. He tenderly turns the pages, revealing black and white photos, underlined text and printed notes in capital letters in the margins.

In the summer of 1945, Ruff was among thousands of young U.S. service personnel getting ready to invade Japan. Like many others, he was stationed in the Philippine Islands, training for the invasion and loading supplies on ships. Then came word of Japan's surrender.

Ruff heard about the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima Aug. 6. on the radio. The news spread fast by word of mouth. Less than a week after another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan decided to surrender. Everybody was "jumping up and down," he said.

"We were all very happy when that happened. We thanked the good Lord that it was over," Ruff said.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the day Japan surrendered, the day that has become known as V-J Day. World War II officially ended on Sunday, Sept. 2, 1945, with a peace treaty signed in Tokyo Bay aboard the new battleship USS Missouri.

The military publication Ruff has underlined and made notes in is meant to perpetuate the friendships formed in combat. The publication, called The Jungleer, is provided by the 41st Infantry Division Association in Mesa, Ariz.

He identifies with the stories about World War II comrades. The Cape Girardeau veteran points to a picture just like one he has of himself. Some men are standing in front of a hollowed-out building. A hand-printed sign, written in English, hangs over the front door. It says, "HIROSHIMA CITY HALL."

Another picture is of twisted steel beams, burned street cars and automobiles. He says this is the way Hiroshima looked when they got there.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur wanted complete surrender, Ruff said. This was not agreeable to the Japanese because they believed that the Emperor was God, he said.

"They were fanatical. They would have fought tooth and nail to the end," Ruff said, comparing the Japanese kamikaze pilots to terrorists today.

Melvin Kuehle, another World War II veteran, is a member of VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau. His perspective on the bombing of Hiroshima concerns the effect on the Allied forces who were preparing their assault. He said, "When they dropped the bomb it eliminated the invasion," he said.

Kuehle also has a publication filled with memories. In addition to the printed photos, he has stapled in some photographs of himself and of people and places who shared his memories.

Kuehle's book was published in January 1946 by the 860th Aviation Engineering Battalion of the 5th U.S. Air Force. Inside, the dedication reads, "...to those comrades who paid the Supreme Sacrifice, and who now sleep in peace upon those beautiful, yet lonely islands of the South Pacific."

Kuehle's experience was similar to Ruff's. Both were deployed to Australia, then to the island of Guinea, then to the Philippines before deploying to Japan after V-J Day.

Ruff still has lighter memories of the war, and noted them in the military periodical. He has underlined the name of the city in the Philippines where his unit was planning to invade Japan. The name of the city is Zamboanga. He said there was a song popular during the war called, "The Monkeys Have No Tails in Zamboanga." But, Ruff said, "I was there and the monkeys had tails. Yes, we had a pet monkey in our tent, so we know that the monkeys do have tails in Zamboanga."

Ruff is the only surviving sibling in his family. Two older sisters and three older brothers, two of whom served in World War II, have died. His wife of 44 years died this past March; his daughter and grandson live in Florida.

He reflects the humility of the veterans who fought World War II.

"I was one of many," he said, "but we did what we could."