Sixty Years in the Nuclear Age and the End of War As We Knew It

Speaking of anniversaries, today also marks 60 years since the dropping of the of the atomic bomb, "Fat Man", on the city of Nagasaki. This event, in conjuction with the devastation suffered by the city of Hiroshima 3 days prior, would cause the Empire of Japan to finally concede defeat to the United States and bring an end to World War II.

The decision to use the bomb has remained as controversial today as it was then. No single weapon in the history of the world ever caused as much destruction or terror as the two bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. Casualties have been estimated to be well over 100,000 people, an unprecedented death toll, nearly all of them non-combatant civilians. There can be no disputing the horrible ramifications of these acts.

What is less talked about, however, is the alternative. By this point in the war, Japan had already been defeated. Most of their able-bodied soldiers were dead or captured, their industrial capacity demolished, and resources non-existent, there were some in the Japanese high command who called for Japan to continue fighting down to its last man, woman, and child. The American command knew it needed to put an end to the war. It had dragged on too long and would likely continue to drag on for years.

The next step planned was a full-blown amphibious attack on Tokyo on a scale that would make D-Day look like a war game exercise. It could have been the most horrific battle of the war. Casualty estimates for this operation ranged upwards to roughly 10 times the destruction caused by the 2 bombs. Because Japan surrendered, it did not come to this.

The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed us the true horrors of war. They are regrettable and should be remembered. But it should also be remembered that had the bombs not been used, the destruction likely would have been far more reaching. The bombs also demonstrated the power of that terrible genie we had unleashed and the world would never be the same again.

If any long-lasting good can come out of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, let it be to serve as a warning. A warning against the power we humans learned to unleash. Let us pray that those two events are the last time such power is ever used.