Today is the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States.
August 6, 1945 was a Monday morning. At the time, Hiroshima had a population of about 300,000. Here is one eyewitness account.
It is not easy reading. Those who survived suffered unimaginable
mental anguish for the rest of their lives (as did many of those who
fought in World War II and all other wars.)
Survivors, most of whom are in their 80's and 90's, are still dying from effects of the bomb.
Years ago, I was able to see the Enola Gay,
the airplane from which the bomb had dropped. It's in a Smithsonian
museum in Virginia (one well worth the visit) but, as of today, the exhibit is closed for renovation work. Visiting it was so sobering.
It is also worthy to note that a number of the killed and survivors were Korean, forced by the Japanese to work in Hiroshima.
It's estimated that 2/3 of the population of Hiroshima died as a result of the bombing. One who survived, if I remember correctly, is a local resident and karate great, Hidy Ochiai., who immigrated to the United States and opened his first dojo in our area in the 1960's. I seem to remember reading hat he was at a karate class when the atomic bomb was dropped, and survived because of the thick walls of the building he was studying in. I can't, however, find this information online.
Soon,
we will commemorate the 79th anniversary of V-J Day (the ending of
World War II), with hopes that eventually our human race will find a way
to permanent peace.
Yes, it's unpleasant to think of the topic, or remember that the United States, up to the present, is the only country that has used atomic weapons in war. Since then (August 6 and 9, 1944) there has been a taboo against using atomic and related weapons, but each year. fewer people alive during World War II to remember and witness. We've had some scares in recent years, but the taboo remains - for now.
We can only hope this taboo remains in place forever.
..in war, there is no shortage of suffering.
ReplyDeleteWhen I studied this in college, the focus was on policy decisions. Weighing civilian deaths against the cost of invading Japan. The grand scale. Your post brings it down to the smallest human element.
ReplyDeleteThese bombings were terrible and the aftermath frightening and appalling, but they shortened the war and prevented many thousands more dying. All war is frightful, causing death and destruction and long-lasting, life-changing conditions. As long as man finds conflict with his neighbour, wars will continue.
ReplyDeleteAmen...
ReplyDeleteI don't believe true peace on this earth is attainable but hopefully history lessons such as this can help future generations from having to go through these sorts of horrors. We should never allow ourselves or upcoming generations to forget any of these things.
ReplyDeleteWar is cruel for everybody...there's no winning side.
ReplyDeleteI remember learning of this as a kid and being horrified. The older I get, the more I understand why it happened. But a part of me will always be the horrified kid. I hope I never lose that.
ReplyDelete