the blythewood leader

•Print
From Page 6
another. If you needed
something, you could count
on your neighbor. Tending
to children was a joint
effort: everyone looked out
for one another. Neighbors
were your family- they were
the best thing next to kin.
Now, life has become too
busy. Many people don’t
even know their neighbor’s
name; much less invite them
over for Sunday dinner. If
you ask me, a lot has been
lost because of corporate
America. People don’t
know people like they did
back then. Yes, it is time we
relive history, and get back
to some of the foundations
this country was built on.
BLYTHEWOOD DENTISTRY
• ZOOM Teeth Whitening
• Cosmetic & General Dentistry
Dr. James A. Finkel is dedicated
to providing you and your family
with quality dentistry in a relaxing
atmosphere!
Let Us Keep Your
Smile Beautiful!
Dr. James A. Finkel,
D.M.D.
Can you guess where this print came from? If you think
you know, you could be the winner of a free print. (See
page 10 for a color photo of the print).
Get back to caring about
one another and looking out
for each other.”
Branham is hoping that
“The Old Neighborhood”
can bring back memories
to you as well. “The first
person that can call me and
tell me where this scene is
will receive a free print of
the scene,” Branham said.
“It is my hope that people
will search for this scene,
Glen Beanard
Certified Master Auto Technician
The Dealership Alternative
Check Engine, ABS, Air Bags, Power Windows,
Power Locks and more........
LOCATION: Wherever You Are!
803-269-8753
Email: autodrglen@yahoo.com
New Patients Welcome!
205 Blythewood Road
691-4430
not just for the free print, but
for a chance of remembering
and even perhaps recreating
‘The Old Neighborhood.’”
The winner of Branham’s
contest will be published in
The Blythewood Leader.
“Take a Sunday drive with
your loved one, spend
time with them and slow
down enough to enjoy the
view,” Branham said. “If
you stumble across ‘The
Old Neighborhood,’ give
me a call and let me know
where. I’ll even give you
a hint: the parameters are
Blythewood and Elgin.
Good luck!”
If you think you know
the location of Branham’s
print, give him a call at
803-348-7773. The prints
are also available for sale.
$21ea.
2009
Silver Dollars
Men’s & Ladies
DIAMOND RINGS
$59
& Up
Hundreds
in stock!
Acoustic & Electric
Guitars
60+ In Stock!
• •
Now offering coverage through age 29!
Seven affordable plans to choose from.
Benefits Include:
$25 office visit copayments
Prescription drug card from $8
Free annual eye exam
Monthly Premiums * (male/female):
Ages 0-4 – $117.75/$117.75
Ages 5-18 – $92.50/$92.50
Ages 19-24 – $106.25/$116.00
Ages 25-29 – $116.50/$142.00
*Premiums shown are for Plan 4.
Need Small Group Health Coverage?
Call Today!
Authorized Local Agent
Paul deTreville, DE TREVILLE & ASSOCIATES
866-786-4391 toll free, pdet4@aol.com
BlueChoice HealthPlan is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
The Blythewood Leader May 21, 2009 Page 15
$99
&
Up
$29
&
Up
GAME SYSTEMS
$59
& Up
Check out our large selection of
games & accessories
Great Graduation Gifts!
More Jewelry Than The Jewelry Stores!
Bracelets
Pendants
•Hiroshima
From Page 7
Earrings
Watches
CAMDEN PAWN
Downtown
411 Rutledge Street, Camden
(Next to SAFE Credit Union)
803-425-5727
four years ago.
Now and then in pensive moods,
waiting for a traffic light to change, I
think about the Hondas, Nissans, and
Toyotas around me. These cars plunged
a dagger into Chrysler’s heart, killing
off my Dad’s favored brand. I know that
many of those cars are now made in the
United States. I know, too, that many
are not. I wonder about the Japanese
autoworkers who built them and what
life was like for their parents. Surely
some had okasans (moms) and otousans
(dads) who experienced atomic warfare
like no one ever has.
The bombs saved lives in the long run,
they say, and I believe that. Still, the
hidden choice facing some U.S. soldiers
was to die in an invasion or die down the
road from radiation’s long-term effects.
They had no choice, really, and the long
run continues to lose value as it reaches
out and kills people still.
For the Japanese, I try to absorb the
annihilation. A flash of light, fire and
wind blast and fire again, a towering
mushroom cloud, black rain, people with
their arm skin and fingernails sliding onto
the ground, silhouettes of people burned
into granite. How did the survivors pick
up and carry on with their world changed
forever. After loved ones simply vanish
without a trace. How?
For the U.S. servicemen, it must have
been Hell and Heaven intertwined.
The end of war at last, but a headful
of horrors to go home with. Burdened
U.S. servicemen performed their duty,
crossed the Pacific again, and returned
home to begin life anew. Memories of
Hiroshima had to haunt them. How could
it not. Appreciating life like few of us
ever will, these veterans, these Atomic
Veterans, came home to do good. Many
started families. Many bought American
cars. Some bought two-tone Plymouths.
Some returned with keepsakes of where
they had been, flags, photographs, and
things they didn’t talk about. Touched
by Hiroshima, some returned with things
they didn’t know they had.
It took “Little Boy” 57 seconds to fall
over Hiroshima, and for some American
soldiers, the damage took 57 years to
reveal itself. Damage that made dying
American GIs victims, too, of World War
II ... the long run turned upside down.
The Japanese committed atrocities but
I don’t recall dad ever saying he hated the
Japanese. Not once. During the ’70s, he
sold Hodaka motorcycles and dirt bikes.
He always owned Chrysler products,
but near the end of his life, he bought a
pickup made by Mazda, a company that
got its start in Hiroshima. In a way, he
had come full circle.
Email Tom with feedback and ideas for
new columns. tompol@earthlink.net