I spent part of Saturday afternoon watching the WWII movie, "Objective Burma." Starring Errol Flynn as Captain Nelson, the movie started with a secret American landing in Burma that was aimed at the destruction of a Japanese radar station there. All went well for the Americans until they found out that they could not be airlifted out of Burma: they would have to walk out instead! At the end of the movie, a few of the original group had survived and were able to leave.

From the little research I have done today on Burma in WWII, it is pretty clear that the people of Burma did not like the Japanese or their occupation of Burma. Before the end of the war, Burma was liberated by Allied forces.

Two things struck me about how things change in this world. (1) Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were our hated enemies. Over 60 years after the nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan, they are now our friends and trading partners. (2) Myanmar (formerly Burma) is now ruled by a miitary junta (dictatorship). That group is so distrustful of foreign iinfluence that it will not allow Americans and others in the counry to aid the severely hurting Myanmar people following the devastating cyclone that killed tens of thousands of them. Over 60 years later, we are no longer welcome there!

Jim Gilbert, Austin TX Realtor