Remembering WWII
The 6th of August this year, is the 80th Anniversary of an event that shocked the world.
At 8.15am on the 6th of August 1945, at the very end of WWII, a United States Airforce bomber aircraft, flew over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and dropped a 500 kiloton nuclear bomb that destroyed the city and killed over 250,000, mostly, women, children and elderly inhabitants. Two days later, another 500 kiloton nuclear bomb was dropped by the United States, destroying the Japanese city of Nagasaki and killing another 60,000, mostly women, children and elderly inhabitants.
The nuclear bombings caused unforgivable human suffering, and served no strategic purpose. The United States used the cover of war, to cruelly test their new invention on living subjects.
The nuclear bombings are the only time that a weapon of mass-destruction has been used on humans and is the worst-ever act of terrorism and the worst-ever war crime.
The United States have never been brought to justice for this crime against humanity.
The threat of nuclear annihilation still hangs over our heads.
There are currently 15 countries known to have nuclear weapons. In the order of number of nuclear weapons, Russia, United States, China, France, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea, have stockpiles of nuclear weapons that they have produced themselves. Belarus hosts Russian-owned nuclear weapons, while Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Turkey, host US-owned nuclear weapons.
Until we rid the world of nuclear weapons, there will be no security for the world.
Stephen Chenery, Geelong West
