Hiroshima, 70 years later. What does the term 'Hibakusha' mean?

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 21:20:20 -0400

Today marks the 70th year anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. The Enola Gay dropped 'Little Boy', bringing us into the era of nuclear warfare. The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima (and Nagasaki) are called hibakusha, a Japanese word that literally translates as "explosion-affected people" and is used to refer to people who were exposed to radiation from the bombings. 70 years later, the numbers have officially dropped below 200,000. Every year, on this day, there is a memorial ceremony that continues to pray for the souls of all who were lost and more importantly, for world peace. Within a few decades, there will no longer be any hibakusha remaining. Now, our two nations have come full circle. Today, Japan is one of the very few nations that remains strongly allied to the United States. Sonkei. (Respect.)

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 4 at 2015 9:35 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 21:35:38 -0400

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2015 9:37 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 21:37:53 -0400

Great post. Thanks

Response by SGT Michael Glenn made Aug 4 at 2015 10:37 PM

SGT Michael Glenn — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 22:37:10 -0400

I served with a kid who said his grandfather was the one who opened the doors for little boy to make his decent down to the city.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2015 10:39 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 22:39:55 -0400

I pray at night that our "leaders" never make another decision like that again. The Japanese Culture has more tradition than any culture that I have been introduced to, SFC Mark Merino

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Aug 5 at 2015 9:12 AM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 09:12:45 -0400

SFC Mark Merino Thanks for posting this. This is a beautiful post on such a globally tragic event.