Stroube Smith at the Washington Times posted an article yesterday about the sixty-fifth anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Mr. Smith points out that Hiroshima was not a military target, but a civilian city.
The article concludes:
"In the war's aftermath, there was second-guessing as to whether Truman should have authorized the use of the bombs. In reality, he had no choice. No leader of a democracy could reject the use of a weapon that could save a single one of his people's lives.
"Casualty estimates for an invasion of Japan were staggering. Estimated losses from a campaign to take the first home island ranged from 300,000 to 1 million. The Army was ordering body bags and medical supplies and trying to find medics, nurses and doctors to deal with casualties of that magnitude."
President Truman made a difficult decision that saved both American and Japanese lives in the end. The atomic bombs on Hiroshim and Nagasaki destroyed cities and killed civilians, but they ended a war and actually reduced the number of casualties. We have currently forgotten how to fight with all we have. I am hoping we will remember how to wage war successfully sometime in the near future.
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