U.S. attends Hiroshima bombing ceremony for first time

As my father was a Marine and fought in the Pacific in the Battle of Okinawa and Guadalcanal. I thank the US Government for dropping the bombs on Japan. Dad would have been one of the Marines who would have landed on Japan. I feel no remorse for the bombings. No member of the military of WWII in the Pacific felt any remorse for the bombings. Later in life some may have changed their minds, but I never met one. Most of them have passed on now.

reply to post by airspoon


I hope you arent a soldier for the United States and if you are , i hope you arent in a position of command. Last i checked .... War turns out the majority of the time of breaking a civilizations back. That means you bomb their factories and their infrastructure back to the stone age. You shouldnt be a soldier if you cant do what it takes to win.

By the way , the Entire Japanese population was militarized , even the Children. A Child can pick up a firearm and take your life just as easy as an elite fighting man. Bullets and hatred does very little discrimination.

reply to post by airspoon

The U.S. had better not ever offer an apology for the Bombing. I think Nuclear Weapons are Horrific. The ones dropped on Japan were small blasts in comparison with current Thermonuclear Fusion Bombs and the Cold War had the Soviets and the U.S. building these H-Bombs in number and power that were of ridiculous proportions. I mean....how many times can you destroy the entire surface of the Planet?

For those of you who think that you were out of the Blast Zones...the Radiation Alone would Kill Everyone. Even deep underground Bunkers with Air Scrubbers could only last so long so it was a FOOLS GAME and still is!

The problem back then was that the Japanese were willing to fight to the very last Man, Woman and Child as they had been Brainwashed by the Military and their belief of their Emperor was a GOD. U.S. Marine Landings on tiny islands had to fight the Japanese to the very last one and very often a Japanese Soldier would pretend to surrender only to blow themselves along with as many U.S. Soldiers...up with a hidden grenade.

My Family is both Military and "CIVILIAN" in the way the quotes denote. I have many family members serve in many Wars and the ones still alive or when they were alive would all tell you...DROPPING THE NUKES WAS THE ONLY WAY TO END THE WAR! The Atomic Attacks were not even the most lethal events during the war as more Japanese died during Fire Bombing of Tokyo as this created massive Firestorms that killed many more Japanese that the Atomic Attacks and even after one Nuke was dropped...they STILL WOULD NOT SURRENDER.

Japanese Brutality during the War took on a whole new page in the book of War Atrocities and ask any Chinese who are still alive when the Japanese Invaded China and most of South East Asia as Young Female Children and Teens were rounded up for use as Sex Slaves and in some cases a Young Girl would be raped Hundreds of times a day for Months or until she died. As for Japanese treatment of prisoners...Torture was the Rule.

The Japanese Admiral Yamamoto....KNEW that even if the Japanese were successful with their Sneak Attack at Pearl Harbor and even if the Japanese were able to sink the U.S. Carriers...that it was just a matter of time before the U.S. retooled for war and that any attempt at a Japanese Ground Attack of the U.S. Mainland was Suicide. Yet even though he tried to talk the Army...which was the Japanese Service Branch that held all the power...out of attacking the U.S. at Pearl...since they were intent on forcing the Japanese Navy to do it anyways...He felt if he led the Attack it would give the Japanese the best chance for success. But deep down inside he KNEW that Japan would loose the War and knew the Army would not listen to him as he had visited the U.S. before and knew about American Resources.

In the end...without the Nuclear Attacks...the war would have waged on and MILLIONS of Japanese would be dead as well as a very large number of Dead U.S. Soldiers. THIS WAS THE SOLE REASON FOR DROPPING THE NUCLEAR BOMBS...AND IT TOOK TWO FOR THEM TO SURRENDER!

The Leadership should be apologizing to their own people as even after two Nukes were dropped...there were STILL some Japanese Army Leaders who wished to continue to fight!

There should NEVER be an APOLOGY from the United States....EVER! However I do think that participation in the ceremonies is a sign that the U.S. and Japan have come a long way since 1945 and when the Earthquake and Tsunami struck Japan....even before Japans own Rescue Teams and Civil Defense could respond...U.S. Navy and Marines and the U.S. Nuclear Carrier Group and all support ships were able to provide great help in Medical Ships, Search and Rescue as well as being able to fly to areas that Japan itself did not have the capabilities to provide relief to people in need.

The Japanese Leader who at one time had taken a Hard Line and desired an end to the Stationing of a U.S. Nuclear Carrier Group in the waters off Japan...has had a change of Heart as well as most Japanese politicians and the Carrier Group is welcome to stay. Many Japanese people who were helped by their former enemy noted the quick effective and professional manner of which the U.S. Navy and Marines were able to display and how they would not give up easily on a possible buried individual.

THIS is the story that should be discussed rather than what two onetime enemies did to each other over 67 Years ago! Split Infinity