The song that dealt with the atomic bombs

My own feelings toward the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II — and the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in particular — are complicated.

I grew up in Japan. My grandmother was Japanese and my grandfather was American. In fact, he was in the United States Air Force at the time of the war. I've had to grapple with guilt, rage and victimization — all before the age of 18.

My friends didn't help much (but I don't hold that against them). When I claimed my Japanese side here, my friends would quickly point out I was American. When I was in the States, my friends there would point out my Japanese heritage. In either case, I was always on the other side.