Atomic Veterans
Posted by tpkirkpatrick on May 30, 2008
First of all, I would like to post a cowardly disclaimer:
This post in NO way is meant to dishonor or belittle the work of any veteran of any military, especially atomic veterans during WWII. Like most blogs these are only thoughts that were provoked by a bumper sticker.
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A few weeks back I was riding through beautiful historic St. Martinville and noticed a large truck (like a F-250 or Chevy 2500) with several incredibly designed stickers on the back of the truck expressing the owners gratitude of a certain member of the Atomic Veterans from WWII. Not knowing anything about the Atomic Veterans, I just let my mind wonder in careless thought. Here are a few things that sprung up:
1. How would it feel knowing you are responsible for killing 80,000 civilians?
2. If we had a chance to talk to those civilians, what would they say?
3. If the tables were turned, and their was a massive attack on the United States, an attack from a country we’ve attacked, what would our response be? If there could be a one on one dialogue with invading soldiers how would it go? I imagine it would be like this:
Me: “Why are you doing this to us?”
Soldier: “Your government attacked us, we are retaliating.”
Me: “But I didn’t even know my gov’t was attacking you, and I certainly don’t agree with what they’ve done.”
Soldier: “I thought your gov’t was one of the people, by the people, and for the people? Isn’t it your responsibility to govern your government?”
See, it is our responsibility to govern that which governs us. Whether this is our government, our churches, or our schools. If there is an element that we do not agree with, then in a civil and ordered way, we need to address our governing bodies. But if that does not work we have two choices: 1. Sit back and do nothing. 2. Rise up against.
What was the charge of Socrates death? Corrupting the minds of the youth. People would get paid to speak their mind in a very poetic and elegant way in the forum. Socrates came in and began to argue with these orators and was able to get them to contradict themselves. He realized the educators and governors were no longer in their industry for others, but for themselves and their pocketbooks. The very people he challenged, sentenced him to die. Sounds familiar to a carpentar and his cross.
I am not promoting anarchy. We must have order, but I believe that if we don’t agree with something (gas prices, taxes, foreign policies) then it is up to us the common people, the government of the government, to do something.
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Mark said
I believe your comments about the atomic veterans are wonderful in spirit, but I must say I think your opinion would have been vastly different had you been alive during WW2. I do not believe that dropping the atomic bomb was unavoidable, but I do believe that at the time, under those most-pressing of circumstances, the decision can be justified. You spoke of the tables being turned. Under the imperialist powers of Japan the civilians were taught that America would inflict the most horrible tortures on them if they ever invaded. The initial dropping of “the bomb” on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it can be argued, saved millions of lives by preventing an invasion of the mainland of Japan. It’s important to note that this saved civilian lives as well as soldiers’ lives. While invading islands closer to the mainland, civilians killed their children and committed suicide to prevent what they imagined the American soldiers would do. The cold war and the buildup of nuclear weapons that ensued would have happened even if we had not dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I shudder to think of the atomic weapon’s first use if it had not been to end WW2.
tpkirkpatrick said
Mark, you’ve got good insights but as usual you missed the trees for the forest. Where were the thoughts on a revolution or on socrates or on our current church and political structures?
Do I agree with dropping the bomb in WWII? I believe it was a time efficent way to end the way. There were numerous casualities then and some still linger today (I’ve heard people say the overall maturity in Japan has been stunted). Look at what Japan was, a strong traditional country with values and art. It became diluted in the late 1800’s (Last Samurai taught me that) but it was the dropping of the bombs that has seemingly stunted the growth of that country now enamored with robot dogs and anime’.
It’s not about the dropping of bombs, and it’s not about Japan or the impending Cold War. The post was about questioning authority the right way (something I have yet mastered…or even tried). The post was about stepping up and not being afraid or complacent or immobile about letting our governing leaders know what we think.
The post was about us as a nation being a steward of the democracy our soldiers fought and died for.
Mark said
I agreed with the rest of your points, that’s why I didn’t mention them. My initial comment, though not stated outright, reflects on this fact: what put Japan in such a terrible position then and now is the fact that they didn’t step up, and were afraid to prevent their government from making inexcusably stupid decisions. Japan would have been stunted regardless of the bomb. They threw (literally) their young men at America as if they had an inexhaustible supply instead of surrendering when they could have secured more decent terms under more decent circumstances. Japan was responsible for their destiny then and suffers their own consequences now.