Hiroshima and Nagasaki

By Tammy Derouin

The quest to humiliate and embarrass the United States is a never ending endeavor for our apologetic leader.  He took his band wagon on the road once again and performed his one-man act.  The words may change according to his location and audience but the premise of his famous apology tours remains the same. He disapproves of the United States and everything that made it a great and powerful nation.

I read the speech he gave in Hiroshima, Japan, this past weekend.  He didn’t come right out and apologize on behalf of the United States for dropping the atomic bomb, but he performed well enough to give his traveling apology show one more successful performance.

Obama began his speech with these words, “Seventy-one years ago, on a bright cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed.”  As I continued to read his speech, what was most upsetting was that he doesn’t express the same emotional outpouring, be it outrage or sympathy, when America is attacked and American lives are lost.

Obama continued, “Why do we come to this place, to Hiroshima?  We come to ponder a terrible force unleashed in a not-so-distant past.”  Why did we originally come to this place, to Hiroshima? The answer is American history, Mr. Executive. The U.S. military was involved in an island by island attack.  Casualties were very high on both sides.  When Japan didn’t agree to the unconditional terms of surrender, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in an effort to save the lives of American servicemen.  Japan still did not surrender so a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.  Emperor Hirohito soon agreed to the unconditional terms of surrender, putting an end to all hostilities, ending World War II.

I had the great privilege of having a discussion with one of my great uncles many years ago at a family reunion.  I sat at a picnic table with survivors of WWII.  He told me his story and the fate that awaited him and many others.  I’ll never forget the look in his eyes or the tone of his voice when he told me had the bomb not been dropped, he would have been part of the invasion forces the following morning.  He was assigned to the first wave, which was understood as certain death. 

What led to Hiroshima and Nagasaki began at Pearl Harbor.  Seventy-Five years ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning, death fell from the sky as Japanese fighter plans launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and the United States was forever changed. 

The attack lasted approximately two hours.  By the time it was over, over 2,300 servicemen and 68 civilians were killed.  Over 1,000 of the servicemen were on board the Arizona when it exploded and sank. Over 1,100 servicemen and 35 civilians were wounded. 

The Japanese launched two waves of attack.  The first wave included over 180 fighter planes.  The second wave was over 160 fighter planes.  The damage to the Pacific Fleet was extensive.  Seven battleships were docked in Battleship Row.  The Japanese sunk four battleships, the Arizona, California, Oklahoma and West Virginia. There were several other smaller vessels damaged as well.  American airfields surrounding Pearl Harbor were also attacked.  Over 180 U.S. fighter planes were destroyed with damage to over 150.

The following morning, President Franklin D Roosevelt delivered his famous speech asking Congress to declare war on the Empire of Japan.  Like a true leader and defender of the United States he stated, “Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

I revisited the entire speech delivered by FDR to Congress, the American people and the world.  I found it refreshing that despite political differences, the President and Congress put the defense of the United States first and foremost as their top priority.

Delivered like a true President who took his oath of office seriously, FDR also stated, “As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.  Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.  No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a president who put the safety, security and well-being of the United States and the American people as a top priority?  Aren’t you tired of seeing our enemies getting better treatment?   

“America was not built on fear.  America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

Harry S Truman

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