The Pacific War

Martina and Terrance witness the destruction at Hiroshima, 1945

Germany and Japan were defeated, and World War II ended. In the Pacific theatre, the Battle of Midway signified the turning point. The victory enabled Americans to start “island hopping” and get close enough to attack the Japanese mainland. The cost in American lives to capture the last two islands, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, proved so high that it led President Truman to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Navajo American Indians helped contribute to the island victories through the use of the Navajo Code, and Hispanic Americans also fought bravely for the United States.