The world changed

It seems that every day is the anniversary of some major event in world history. Some of these anniversaries mark the beginning or the end of a major event. While the entire world may take note of these events, they are quickly pushed into the dust bin of history as present events take over the headlines.

Such is what has happened this week as the anniversaries of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II. The first bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 and the second was dropped on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. Estimates of the dead casualties range from 90,000 to 140,000. Countless numbers were burned and injured by the blast and even more suffered from radiation sickness.

The Japanese government at that time was controlled by the Japanese military which would not consider surrender. The Japanese populace was being trained to fight invading Allied forces by attacking invading troops with mass assaults by Japanese civilians often armed with nothing more than sharpened bamboo spears. The military tried to keep the Emperor from interceding and surrendering but in a radio broadcast the people of Japan heard the Emperor's voice for the first time as he instructed his people to cease fighting and surrender to the Allies.

The horrors of World War II were ended by the horrors delivered with two bombs on two Japanese cities. Scientific developments would increase the power of future atomic bomb, and that increased power meant the bombs would kill and destroy over greater areas.

Those of us who grew up in the post World War II nuclear-threatened world would suffer through air raid drills. One of my earliest and most vivid memories is hiding in a stairwell during a national drill with all of the kindergarten kids. "Duck and cover" became a standing instruction in case of an attack with atomic bombs.

The threat of nuclear war with North Korea, Iran, or with Russia and China brings back some frightening memories for many of us. We only existed under these threats by simply believing that a nuclear war would not happen. The nuclear threat today has reached new levels with other national leaders who do not seem to grasp the threat of nuclear war.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.