World War II

Ron Modro (whose haunting video of a Nazi stronghold in Bretagne, France I featured in this entry) has a new project set to commemorate the anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb, which was dropped at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945.

According to Ron’s site Once Upon A Time on Planet Earth, 80,000 people died in an instant and 60,000 have since died. On the 62nd anniversary of the bombing more than 40 photographers in 25 countries will take a single photograph and share the story behind the image. The goal is to raise awareness about the considerable challenges and crises that face our planet today.

I’m greatly looking forward to the exhibition on many levels — as a total shutterbug, as a concerned citizen of the world trying to live as “green” a lifestyle as possible, and because I have a particular memory.

When I was in the 8th grade a very fine social studies teacher taught a unit on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Among the materials provided was an address to a retirement home where many of the elderly survivors received care. I selected a name and wrote a letter expressing my deep regret for the suffering of so many innocent civilians.

To my great surprise I received a reply a couple of months later. The note had been written by an orderly who explained that the woman to whom I had written did not see well and no longer attempted to write. She did, however, want me to know that she had appreciated my letter and that I must not feel guilt about what happened at Hiroshima. It was war time and many horrible things happened. She blamed no one and was thankful to have had a long life.

I’ve never forgotten that letter nor the sentiment and each year on the anniversary I think of that woman who I am sure is now long dead. Grace and forgiveness are rare commodities in our world. I applaud Ron’s project and am curious to see what thoughts go through the minds of other people on the anniversary of the dawn of the atomic age.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Ron Modro, photography