Hindsight

Tomorrow is the sixtieth anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and it is indeed a sobering commemoration. Sixty years ago, the atomic age began and thousands lost their lives.

I know that a bunch of bleeding heart liberals will pour out the usual condemnation of the Americans for dropping Little Boy on the Japanese. They will say how "terrible it was and that it shouldn't have happened blah blah blah".

Yeah, well, fellas it did happen and what's more, if tomorrow was the 6th August 1945, the Americans would drop the bomb again (so to speak) and rightly so.

Our generatation has never known a world war. Yes, we've witnessed terrible events but we haven't had to face the kind of war that our grandparents had to live through. It is so easy to use the benefit of hindsight to criticize the decisions made by those generals back in '45. The leaders of the time knew what they were doing and if they didn't - well, isn't that what experience is all about? - they soon found out.

My father, who did live through the war and was in the US at the time, remembers the complete backing that the bombings of Japan received from the American public. This was four years after the humiliation at Pearl Harbour and memories were still raw. The Japanese behaved abominably to their enemies, in particular, to the Prisoners of War ( just watch Bridge Over The River Kwai if you don't believe me) and the Americans knew that Japan would fight to the death - quite literally. The Americans realised that something big had to be done to stop them. That so many innocent Japanese were killed as a result, is all the more horrific.

I fully understand the need to respect and honour the memories of all those who lost their lives on Sith August 1945. What I won't accept is the arguments that the bombing should not have taken place - it did and rightly so. War is cruel and bloodthirsty and I thank G-d that I didn't have to come through it but I refuse to use hindsight as an excuse to criticize actions that were seen by the Americans at the time, as being crucial in curtailing the war.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragically happened but the world we live in today would be no better had they not taken place and that's what we need to think about tomorrow.

Let our prayer be, that no country ever feels the need to use Nuclear weapons on another nation and that's what sixth August means to me.