re: #293 albusteve

the ground war in the Pacific was as brutal as it gets…a vicious, racist, bloodthirsty killfest for all involved…way beyond combat in Europe

Yes, it was all that. The racist meme however is a more modern take however, based, justifiably, on the propaganda that is archived from the time. The truth is that those fighting the fight recognized the Japanese for the unforgiving, brutal, fight to the death opponent that they were. Respect and hatred were synonymous.