Taiwan is too close to the mainland to have sufficient warning of air attack if the Chinese Reds should unleash their jets from the complex of airfields across the Strait of Formosa. The alert time there is only 15 minutes as compared with the 45 minutes that Okinawa enjoys. The only other airbase located on soil under indisputable American sovereigntyaside from Okinawais Guam. and Guam is 1.400 miles farther away from the vital Asiatic target areas than is Okinawa. At the end of the runway at Kadena airport where my planes landed on my various trips to Okinawa. several thousand Americans lost their lives coming ashore in the initial assault wave. Nor can I forget that 12.000 were killed and another 30.000 wounded or missing before that 67milelong strip of Pacific real estate was secured.