August 8

August 8, 2007 in Birthdays, War by Mardé | 4 comments

Today is the day the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and my early childhood friend, David Burnham, would have been 78. He died in 1996. Here is what I wrote in my Records 1945 book on August 8, 1945:

Picked Gravs after mashing range; Russia declares war on Japan; Atomic bomb wiped out over 100,000 people in Hohorshuai; Went down to see Waugh tonight; Apples netted 25.97; 12.98 coming to me;

Amazingly casual, and I can’t even spell Hiroshima. Well, I was 16 years old; old enough to know better though? Casual I may have been in this entry, but I remember having nightmares about atomic bombs around that time.

I picked up this YouTube on Juan Cole this morning. Not exactly our most shining moment, as he says:

YouTube Preview Image

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  1. barbara’s avatar

    barbara on August 9, 2007 at 2:35 am

    Hi Mardé,
    That was a very somber period of history.
    Thank you for reminding us of this anniversary date, but it was very sad to learn about your friend.
    I remember from an early age ( about 11 or 12 ), knowing about the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. I was shocked and saddened.
    Knowing that my dad was a WW11 vet, I said to him ” Dad, did they have to use those bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki ? ”

    My Dad seemed to be somewhat surprised by such a profound question; he pondered a few seconds and said “If we didn’t, there would have been even more people killed by the war”.

    Of course, the answer did not entirely satisfy me. I had the feeling of the ugliness of war even at an early age.
    Another reason to choose PEACE and DIALOGUE over WAR.

    Peace be with you and everyone.

    Have a nice day, Mardé and see you soon.

  2. Mardé’s avatar

    Mardé on August 9, 2007 at 9:16 am

    Thanks, Barbara, for your comment on this. Yes, many in the older generation say that even more people would have been killed if the bomb hadn’t been dropped, or I should say, if the bombs hadn’t been dropped because Nagasaki got wiped out too on the next day. It’s true that Japan surrendered less than a week later, on August 14, 1945. Was the price worth it? is a good question to ask. I don’t even want to go into it; it leads to endless arguments. But it’s a terrible irony that innocent people have to be sacrificed in oder to stop wars not started by them. That’s still going on right now as we speak.

    OK, so those hundreds of thousands of innocents stopped the war by being sacrificed. But the innocents were all Japanese. If the bombs hadn’t been used, would it have been possible that more of our innocents would have perished and less of theirs? Would the total then have been greater too? Many say Yes, but it’s still only speculation, in my opinion. So, my gut reaction now is we should never have dropped those bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But it’s done, and have we learned anything?

    OK, enough preaching for now! :lol: :cry:

  3. Danielle’s avatar

    Danielle on August 9, 2007 at 10:18 am

    I didn’t know that the day was August 8th which is my middle son’s birthday. Thanks for continuing to remind me of our history.

    As always…

    I also have to thank you for the introduction to the lovely Barbara. She has a heart of gold and I am so appreciative just to know the both of you.

    Be well and enjoy the day.

  4. Mardé’s avatar

    Mardé on August 9, 2007 at 10:37 am

    Thanks, Danielle. Another birthday on August 8! Yes, Barbara does have a heart of gold. Glad I had introduced you, which I didn’t remember. Yes, and you enjoy today too.

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