The A-Bomb - 65 years Later

Try to imagine this ....

It was 8.15 AM (local time @ Japan) on 6 August 1945, the 1st A-Bomb was dropped from a B 29 plane known as Enola Gay. The target was Hiroshima, a city with a population of about 300,000 to 400,000 people.

The "Little Boy" as the A-Bomb was called created a fireball of 15 meter radius fumed in 0.1 millisecond with a temperature of 300,000 degrees centigrade. The top of the A-Bomb (it's like a giant white mushroom) reached an altitude of 17,000 meters.

One of the immediate effect of the A-Bomb was Thermal Hear i.e. intense thermal heat which caused severe burn & loss of eyesight. It caused death to anybody who was exposed to the radiation within 1 km radius from the ground zero. An estimated of 140,000 death was recorded by end of December 1945.

As if it was not enough, another A-Bomb - this time know as the "Fat Man" was dropped from B 29 @ Bockscar on 9 August 1945 with Nagasaki, Japan as the target. The estimated death was 70,000 people.

The A-Bomb was first tested and detonated on 16 July 1945 by the US in the desert area called "Jornado del Muerto" (Journey of the Dead), Mexico in what was called "the Manhattan Project" - what an irony!!!!

The immediate effect of the 2 bombings - apart from the immediate deaths caused by severe burns & radiation - was that it hasten the surrender of Japan on that August month itself.

The world with representatives from 76 countries -including the US - marked the 65 years anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing at Ground Zero on 6 August 2010. It was the 1st time, the US attended the annual ceremony...

The bombings themselves created controversies with polemic for and against the bombings. Was it really necessary and et al. Looking back, it was at a time when Japanese Army was at the brink of defeat almost everywhere from the South East Asia right up to the Pacific. The cities of Japan - except Hiroshima & Nagasaki - were bombed almost everyday by the allied forces... Some historians said that Hiroshima & Nagasaki were purposely left out to ascertain the scale of damaged caused by the impending A-Bomb on that 2 days in August 1945.

As for me, the war itself should not be created in the first place. Not under whatever circumstances as it only caused deaths & sufferings.

However, the violent cycle still goes on & on ... As in Vietnam, the US was using "Agent Orange" which caused severe illnesses such as cancer & abnormal births. In the process, the arms dealers/weapon makers @ companies make tons of money over tons of deaths!!!!

To the victims of the A-Bomb, may their souls rest in peace with the hope of peace prevailing on this earth of ours - including the late Tsutomu Yamaguchi the "double victim" of the A-Bomb. He was reported to be within 3 km radius from the ground zero, Hiroshima and was again exposed to the radiation when the "Fat Man" was dropped at Nagasaki. Tsutomi Yamaguchi survived the bombings but died recently on 4 January 2010 due to stomach cancer.

May there be an ever lasting peace ......