VOICES: Japanese-American vet: Atomic bomb saved my life

The 93-year-old served in the Military Intelligence Service, a U.S. Army unit made up of mostly Japanese-Americans who interrogated prisoners, translated intercepted messages and went behind enemy lines to gather intelligence.

Part of a series of perspectives on the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, released this week as President Barack Obama prepares to visit Hiroshima.

"A lot of these people telling us we shouldn't have dropped the bomb — hey, what they talking about?" said Ishimoto, who after the war became an Air Force major general and commander of the Hawaii National Guard.

Excerpts of video interviews with Ishimoto and other U.S. veterans and Japanese atomic bomb survivors are available at http://apne.ws/243ZLSD

Part of a series of perspectives on the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, released this week as President Barack Obama prepares to visit Hiroshima.