HIROSHIMA AND THE ISIS
The Horrors of War: Hiroshima and the ISIS
Hiroshima
The Eyewitness Account of Fr. John A. Siemes
Events and damage
The day, August 6, 1945, started like any other sunny and pleasant. At about 8:15 in the morning, however, things changed. The atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. Nobody knew that what kind of bomb it was. Given the intensity of the damage and explosion, the residents of the novitiate, which was about two kilometers away from the city proper, thought that a bomb exploded only nearby.
After the explosion, Fr. Siemes and his companions went out to check and saw the devastation. They decided to go farther and rescue their father superior in the city. As they moved toward the city, they discover the extent of the damage. The city seems to have been decimated. Few structures were left standing and many were burning. Even the trees and plants had been uprooted and thrown away by the strong whirlwind that followed the explosion. Dead bodies were scattered all over the place. Many of the survivors suffered from severe burns. Many were stunned and sat not moving in their places. People were trying to help themselves; no rescue seems to be coming from anywhere. Survivors were all trying to leave and go farther away from the city. There were no hospitals and aid left in the city. They found the injured priests they were looking for and needed to get a stretcher for one of them. On their return home, the dead remained were they were. Some people still sat at the same places. Mercifully, it was dark. Because of the damage on the road, it took them longer to go to and back from the city. The images that met them were mere shadows. They could not see much of the suffering and pain.
The next few days were spent trying to help and provide first aid and treatment to the survivors at the novitiate. Even when they ran out of medical supplies, they continued to provide care, food and rest to survivors passing by the novitiate. They spent the few days also watching endless funeral processions. Bodies had to be quickly cremated at makeshift mass graves.
The Japanese view of Americans
Before the bombing, the Japanese did not seem to blame the Americans for their suffering. Although many people outside the country may not know, Japan had continually been bombed by the Americans during the war. Hiroshima did not suffer much though from those bombings.
Fortunately for Americans, after the bombing, the Japanese Fr. Siemes encountered did not seem to harbor hatred for them. A few though expressed anger and wariness. Some soldiers they met along the way wanted to shoot them. They, the Jesuits, were mistaken for Americans. A member of their party who spoke the language explained to the Japanese that they were Germans, an ally of Japan.
Death and suffering were consequences of war. The Japanese were very well aware of that.
A second bomb in Nagasaki
The US should not have dropped the second bomb. More 100,000 people died in Hiroshima . Japan would have already surrendered.
The ISIS
Seventy years after World War II, people would see again similar images of suffering and pain, of man’s inhumanity to man. There is no world war this time. However, people in Iraq and Syria suffer atrocities from the religious conflicts and from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Eyewitness in Iraq
An eyewitness in Iraq shares a similar story as that of Fr. Siemes. He recalls that they heard an explosion nearby. When they checked they saw structures and vehicles burning. Many were injured and brought to the hospitals. The damage and casualty in Iraq may not be as terrible as in Hiroshima. However, the pain and suffering may be the same for those affected.
The disturbing thing about the violence in Iraq is that they are being inflicted to Iraqis by fellow Iraqis as a result of religious differences. The brutalities are even being inflicted by hand.
Eyewitness in Syria
An eyewitness in Syria reported violence similar to those in Iraq. Syrians are killing fellow Syrians. The Syrian army are opening fire at the population.
The greater tragedy is that some of the atrocities in Iraq and Syria have degenerated into barbaric ways. People are being beheaded. The violence is a form of religious and political persecution. The propagators are succeeding in casting fear all over the world.
Conclusion
Fr. Siemes at the end of his report said that there may be occasions that violence in war may be tolerable. Those who support the war will have to be accept the consequence of war.
The situation in the Middle East may somewhat be different. The violence is not the result of war in the sense of World War II. Rather, it is a political and religious war waged by extremists. The “war” there may be harder to justify.
Like Fr.Siemes, Pope Francis—also a Jesuit—lamented all the crimes being committed in the Middle East as many of these are being done in the name of God. “All this gravely offends God and humanity. Hatred is not to be carried in the name of God. War is not to be waged in the name of God.”
Bibliography
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J.A. "The Nightmare Returns." The Economist, Jul 17, 2013. http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/07/violence-iraq.
Mayer, Andre. "Is ISIS Violence Expanding Worldwide?" CBC News, Sep 18, 2014. from http://www.cbc.ca/news/is-isis-violence-expanding-worldwide-1.2770413.
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Siemes, Fr. John A. "Eyewitness Account of Hiroshima." In The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by The Manhattan Engineer District, 94–117. New York, NY: Public Domain, The Manhattan Engineer District of the United States Army, 1945. Kindle, Web. http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/abomb/mp25.htm.
Zalewski, Piotr. "Syria: Eyewitness account of violence in Jisr al-Shughour." The Telegraph, Jun 11, 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/13/Isis-beheadings-and-the-success-of-horrifying-violence/.
