By Theresa Anzaldua author or We Had A Job To Do: World War II Through The Eyes of Those Who Served. I was assigned to write a magazine article about a WWII veteran, called around to senior centers and was referred to a gentleman named Edwin Holopainen. When I asked Mr. H. what he did in the war, he told me he was a tail gunner on a B-29 Superfortress and that his very first mission was as a part of the March 10, 1945, firebombing raid over Tokyo! I was stunned, as this was one of the most famous and controversial operations in modern warfare, and amazed that I could pick up the phone and simply talk to someone who was a part of history. My article was fact-checked by Kris Perry, Lieutenant Colonel, Retired, U.S. Air Force, and Director, Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs at the University of Connecticut. Kris encouraged me to interview more veterans. As I told friends and others about my project, I was surprised by how many people of all ages and levels of education told me that they wished they knew the basic history of WWII. Folks said that they enjoy…
