[Colonel]

Originally Posted by ninty

Did it end the war? Probably. Did it save lives? Probably. But even after those ideas are considered, I still can't support bombing of civilian populations.

It was horrible. No doubt about it. The pictures that I saw in Hiroshima will forever be etched in my brain, but stories such as the ones you have told stick with me as well. Hiroshima has a couple of rivers or canals running through right where the bomb went off. I remember the guide telling us about the intense heat and that people were jumping in the rivers to get away from the fire ball but the water was boiling from the heat and they were boiled alive. Nasty stuff. But, as Gen. Forrest said, "War means fightin' and fightin' means killin'." What difference does it make if you die in an instant from a bomb or from being riddled with M1 rounds? Is there a difference in dying from radiation and starving to death due to food shortages? Dead is dead. Ultimately the bombs resulted in a lot less suffering.