Posted on May 27, 2016
Obama Embraces Hiroshima Survivor Who Pushed To Add U.S. Victims' Names To Memorial
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Meet the Man who Pushed for the addition to the Hiroshima Memorial of the 8 American POWs who died in the Bombing.
Obama Embraces Hiroshima Survivor Who Pushed To Add U.S. Victims' Names To Memorial
Posted from huffingtonpost.com
WWII World War Two
Japan
Nuclear
POW/MIA
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
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I spent a lot of time in Hiroshima when I was stationed in Iwakuni (19 miles south of Hiroshima) 1982-1984. I met a lot if Japanese people, dated some Japanese girls, did some outreach with young Japanese children learning English, and worked along side Japanese sailors, and all were gracious, friendly, and seemed to be happy to spend time with me.
President Obama's job is to maintain good relations with a critical ally in the face of open hostility from North Korea, aggression from China, and deteriorating relations with Russia. He did not apologize for the bombing. Remember, President Reagan visited the military cemetary in Bitburg Germany and got a ration of shit because some Waffen SS soldiers wete buried there. The fact is that the war is long over, soon there won't be anyone left with first-person recollections of it. (BTW, I grew up on Bitburg Air Base as my dad was in the Air Force, and I spoke at the 1978 memorial day observance at the Bitburg cemetary as commander of the JROTC unit at Bitburg American High School).
The circumstances of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are convoluted and awkward. In 1982 I wrote in the visitors book at the Horoshina memorial "you started it, we ended it." While true, I don't think I would write the same thing again. Nothing in history is ever that simple.
President Obama's job is to maintain good relations with a critical ally in the face of open hostility from North Korea, aggression from China, and deteriorating relations with Russia. He did not apologize for the bombing. Remember, President Reagan visited the military cemetary in Bitburg Germany and got a ration of shit because some Waffen SS soldiers wete buried there. The fact is that the war is long over, soon there won't be anyone left with first-person recollections of it. (BTW, I grew up on Bitburg Air Base as my dad was in the Air Force, and I spoke at the 1978 memorial day observance at the Bitburg cemetary as commander of the JROTC unit at Bitburg American High School).
The circumstances of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are convoluted and awkward. In 1982 I wrote in the visitors book at the Horoshina memorial "you started it, we ended it." While true, I don't think I would write the same thing again. Nothing in history is ever that simple.
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PO3 Donald Murphy
It is that simple. And we have Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa to thank for illuminating what would have happened if 650,000 Marines and Soldiers landed on Japan's home islands. Kamikaze's were killing sailors daily by the hundreds and Admiral Nimitz threatened General Buckner that he would pull the ships out (thus ending support for the Army) unless he did something to stop the slaughter. Buckner's response was to tell General Marshall to step up raids on Japan, destroying the airfields. Enter Curtis "Firebomb" LeMay.
On March 10th, 1945 using just ordinary incendiary bombs, Curtis' bombers (for a mere loss of 8 planes) killed close to 500,000 people and burned almost 75% of Tokyo to the ground. Another million were made homeless. The book "A Torch To The Enemy" is largely apologetic, but accurately lists the cities that followed, how much of each city was burned and how many civilians died. Had Curtis lead the 30 day pre-bombing missions for Operations Coronet and Olympic, over ten million Japanese would have been burned to death.
So yeah...two atom bombs were a life saver to the Japanese. Also note that Japanese "bomb death" totals are wrong for 1945. In 1945 Japan, a wounded, nuclear burned person could still hold a gun and pull a trigger. Japanese wounded were still expected to fight to the death as zealously as their non-wounded comrades. Japanese "bomb death" panels routinely list these wounded people as "deaths" because they eventually (late 1940's) succombed to radiation sickness/poisoning. But note that Japanese "post-bombing" totals only listed 65,000 dead in Hiroshima and 55,000 in Nagasaki. In other words, "it wasn't so bad, we can still continue to war."
On March 10th, 1945 using just ordinary incendiary bombs, Curtis' bombers (for a mere loss of 8 planes) killed close to 500,000 people and burned almost 75% of Tokyo to the ground. Another million were made homeless. The book "A Torch To The Enemy" is largely apologetic, but accurately lists the cities that followed, how much of each city was burned and how many civilians died. Had Curtis lead the 30 day pre-bombing missions for Operations Coronet and Olympic, over ten million Japanese would have been burned to death.
So yeah...two atom bombs were a life saver to the Japanese. Also note that Japanese "bomb death" totals are wrong for 1945. In 1945 Japan, a wounded, nuclear burned person could still hold a gun and pull a trigger. Japanese wounded were still expected to fight to the death as zealously as their non-wounded comrades. Japanese "bomb death" panels routinely list these wounded people as "deaths" because they eventually (late 1940's) succombed to radiation sickness/poisoning. But note that Japanese "post-bombing" totals only listed 65,000 dead in Hiroshima and 55,000 in Nagasaki. In other words, "it wasn't so bad, we can still continue to war."
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Cpl John Mathews
I don't disagree with any of the facts you cited. It is also clear that the Japanese General Staff wanted to continue fighting regardless of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In their minds it seems that they didn't see the atomic bombings any differently than the incendiary bombings of other cities.
The projected casualty figures have always been questionable with some people arguing for much lower rates depending on how many days post-invasion. Regardless, that is all conjecture and when you consider the wartime experience of the US military any US military lives saved would be enough to justify continued bombings of Japan to Nimitz and MacArthur.
My comment about nothing in history being that simple was strictly in terms of what I wrote in the Hiroshima A-bomb museum visitors book: you started it, we finished it. The numerous issues involved should have elicited a more reasoned response. What I wrote was from the mind of a 21 year-old Lance Corporal with just a little information retained from high school to guide my pen. Perhaps I could be more eloquent today, without losing my basic message.
The projected casualty figures have always been questionable with some people arguing for much lower rates depending on how many days post-invasion. Regardless, that is all conjecture and when you consider the wartime experience of the US military any US military lives saved would be enough to justify continued bombings of Japan to Nimitz and MacArthur.
My comment about nothing in history being that simple was strictly in terms of what I wrote in the Hiroshima A-bomb museum visitors book: you started it, we finished it. The numerous issues involved should have elicited a more reasoned response. What I wrote was from the mind of a 21 year-old Lance Corporal with just a little information retained from high school to guide my pen. Perhaps I could be more eloquent today, without losing my basic message.
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There's a little paperback by Deutermann called "Ghosts of Bungo Suido" about a sub Captain in the Second World War that is a great book to read. The Sailors are captured and stuck in a POW camp when the bombs are dropped.
Oddly, my neighbor was a little Japanese girl who survived Nagasaki when her parents told her to walk upstream out of town into the mountains. She survived to marry an American and wind up in Southern California.
Again, for those who are upset about the President's actions, please read the words of his speech before letting your political attitudes run loose. Thank you.
Oddly, my neighbor was a little Japanese girl who survived Nagasaki when her parents told her to walk upstream out of town into the mountains. She survived to marry an American and wind up in Southern California.
Again, for those who are upset about the President's actions, please read the words of his speech before letting your political attitudes run loose. Thank you.
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