The Obituary Column

[Badger]

Elaine Stritch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqmz10zonAU

[Miamipuck]

RIP James Garner:

http://news.yahoo.com/actor-james-garner-86-found-dead-los-angeles-112007904.html

[Badger]

Last surviving Hiroshima bomb crew member dies

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28548475

[Miamipuck]

Last surviving Hiroshima bomb crew member dies

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28548475

Well that stinks, that generation is passing on too fast. Funny you have to quote BBC about a guy that was an American hero.

[Tommy]

Though I totally 100pct believe that they made the right decision, I wouldn't exactly call him a hero.

[Miamipuck]

Though I totally 100pct believe that they made the right decision, I wouldn't exactly call him a hero.

I wrestled with that last part of my post, actually, part of it was I knew it would controversial.


The thing is, he was. He and the other crew members helped usher in the end of the war, and they weren't entirely sure they would make it back alive.

Would you have went on that mission? I don't know if I would have.

[Libero_2]

Though I totally 100pct believe that they made the right decision, I wouldn't exactly call him a hero.

Well if we are going to label any man, woman or service animal that serves a hero, there is no reason he shouldn't be considered one.

[Miamipuck]

Well if we are going to label any man, woman or service animal that serves a hero, there is no reason he shouldn't be considered one.

Not what I did and I wouldn't label just anyone the word, hero. He was part and parcel to an event that led to the end of the war. I am fairly certain he volunteered for it and that they weren't sure they would make it out alive. By not making it out alive, any war mission that was the case, but in this singular instance there was concern the explosion would kill them or knock them out of the air.

[Libero_2]

Not what I did and I wouldn't label just anyone the word, hero. He was part and parcel to an event that led to the end of the war. I am fairly certain he volunteered for it and that they weren't sure they would make it out alive. By not making it out alive, any war mission that was the case, but in this singular instance there was concern the explosion would kill them or knock them out of the air.

No I didn't mean you, but the general population considers anyone who serves as a hero. It drives me nuts.

[Miamipuck]

No I didn't mean you, but the general population considers anyone who serves as a hero. It drives me nuts.

Yeah I agree.

[JFIF]

I wouldn't consider a man directly responsible for murdering tens of thousands of civilians a hero. I'd argue he's a war criminal

But only the losing side are considered war criminals. The winners are "heros". Look throughout history and this is Almost universally the case.

No one talks about how the soviets literally committed millions of rapes after they occupied Germany or how American soldiers did the same (on a much  much smaller scale) in France  after they liberated the country. There was even a saying in France that they had to hide their men from the Germans soldiers , but their women from the Americans.


I think many Americans are indoctrinated/ blind to our brutal military history. Vietnam being one of the biggest examples. What we did to that country is beyond horrific and it was
Systematically done by incompetent military leadership. The government and military did a lot to cover it up.

[dcm1602]

Tough crowd here

Stopping Hitler and the Nazi's not good enough for ya

These guys were on the side that were committing genocide, and trying to exterminate groups of people from existence.

Bad things happened, but it was to stop some of the worst people in all of time

[Tommy]

I wouldn't consider a man directly responsible for murdering tens of thousands of civilians a hero. I'd argue he's a war criminal

But only the losing side are considered war criminals. The winners are "heros". Look throughout history and this is Almost universally the case.

No one talks about how the soviets literally committed millions of rapes after they occupied Germany or how American soldiers did the same (on a much  much smaller scale) in France  after they liberated the country. There was even a saying in France that they had to hide their men from the Germans soldiers , but their women from the Americans.


I think many Americans are indoctrinated/ blind to our brutal military history. Vietnam being one of the biggest examples. What we did to that country is beyond horrific and it was
Systematically done by incompetent military leadership. The government and military did a lot to cover it up.

Ain't war hell?

[JFIF]

Pretty much.

Complete dehumanization of the enemy, visceral brutality.

Modern warfare and weaponary is largely responsible. Not that atrocities didn't exist before that (ie Mongol Hordes)  but it made it so much easier and on a larger scale.

[dcm1602]

And just something interesting from Wikipedia I read

On August 7, a day after Hiroshima was destroyed, Dr. Yoshio Nishina and other atomic physicists arrived at the city, and carefully examined the damage. They then went back to Tokyo and told the cabinets that Hiroshima was indeed destroyed by an atomic bomb. Admiral Soemu Toyoda, the Chief of the Naval General Staff, estimated that no more than one or two additional bombs could be readied so they decided to endure the remaining attacks, acknowledging "there would be more destruction but the war would go on."[161] American Magic codebreakers intercepted the cabinets' messages.[162]

So Japan knew what would happen, but decided that getting hit by 2 or 3 more bombs would be "acceptable"

Pretty effed up leadership