0529 Mountain War Time, Monday, 16 July 1945. The world changed forever. If you like what you get at That’s Another Fine Mess, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to support the work - it’s only $7/month or $70/year. Comments are for paid subscribers.
I’m sorry Janice and I empathize with you. My dad was absent in my life by his choosing, although as a child thought it was my fault. I also went through counseling and was finally able to understand and accept that he was the flawed one, not me. I’m glad you had such a good relationship with your father-in-law. My Mom was wonderful and still is at 94. So I feel blessed for having her.
My father-in-law turned 5 years old that day. Today I mourn his passing as he was like my second father to me, after my family of origin disowned me. All day I have kept busy but tonight I feel the heartbreaking grief of losing my second dad, and of the lost opportunities with my own dad, who I last saw in 1997 on Father's Day. A week from today will be his passing a month later that year. I really wish he could have had a few more years to have met my children. Two weeks from today my mother will turn 96, and I have barely seen her in the 20-something years since my dad passed away. After years of counseling/therapy one learns that it is impossible to develop any sort of healthy parent-child relationship with a narcissist.
It sounds like you and I have dealt with the same problem, Janice. I was talking yesterday with a good friend who also dealt with that problem. She said we had to believe in ourselves and know it wasn't our fault. We were "great kids." They were the ones who couldn't see that, couldn't see though their own shit. From what I know of you here, you've done a good job of going from "great kid" to "great mom," and a "great contributor" here. So you've been doing it right. The fact she has acted as she has is her loss. Not to know you.
My father of blessed memory was scheduled to be plucked from the European Theater of Operations, to be one of the Pathfinders for the Allied invasion of Japan.
Given what I know of his service in Europe, it is more likely than not that, absent the Manhattan Project, I never would have existed.
Actually, it is more likely that absent the Red Army you would never have existed, 78 years of Official Mythology to the contrary.
The day the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, there was no mention of it in the minutes of the Supreme War Council. They were intently focused on the entry of the USSR into the war, with the Red Army slicing 110 miles into Manchuria in the first 24 hours, due to the fact that there were no good troops left in the Kwantung Army; they'd all been transferred to Kyushu to meet the US invasion. The Japanese saw that the Russians would be in position by the end of August to invade Hokkaido, where there were no defenses (everything being in Kyushu). The Red Army would have been in Tokyo by October, a month before Operation Olympic, the US invasion, since there were no defenses in northern Japan. Knowing what the Soviets had done in Germany in the previous 90 days, the Japanese surrendered to us and told us "yassuh buss, that bomb done did it." The bombs did nothing. The Japanese had already had 78 cities over 500,00 in population wrecked by firebombing - more people were killed in Tokyo the night of March 9-10 than at both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
We have spent the last 80 years basing our foreign policy on bullshit. And in that time, depending on "the bomb" as the ultimate threat, we have fought four wars we didn't win.
Tom, thanks for the information on the Japanese viewpoint. It seems possible they realized that the war was lost and they decided that they would probanly get better treatment by surrendering to the Americans than to the Soviets. I think that VonBraun and other German scientists made a similar calculation near the end of the European campaign.
Your image of the A-Bomb blast reminds me of how Stewart Brand's use of the famous NASA photo of the planet from space featured on the cover of the Whole Earth Catalog altered our collective perception of Pacha Mama. Alas, the event wasn't sufficient to motivate us to take serious enough action to save our precious Spaceship Earth from ecological disaster, and I doubt that the prospect of nuclear war triggered by the mind-blowing shot you posted will deter the war mongers in their quest to kill everything that moves, but maybe it will inspire the rest of us, we, the people, the loving members of species Homo sapiens, to rise up in defense of all that is beautiful and sacred and write these hateful bastards out of the script. I know my reaction sounds quixotic, but that's where my mind goes when I see images like this.
I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds…
Yes, the world changed forever.
I'm 3/4s through Going Downtown, TC. That war changed my world forever
and while I applaud your
attention to the detail in the
evolution of the Vietnam War,
the evolution of air combat
especially and the men who
flew, it's a hard read for me.
Only because of the political
and inbred military
incompetence that cost so
many lives. You're a hell of
a writer Thomas.
Thank you!
Just minutes ago, I wondered where TC was. When did we last hear from you?
Then, POW!
It was 78 years ago, when the first atomic bomb was tested; right on the mark, you posted a photograph of it, tonight.
It changed the world forever.
I’m sorry Janice and I empathize with you. My dad was absent in my life by his choosing, although as a child thought it was my fault. I also went through counseling and was finally able to understand and accept that he was the flawed one, not me. I’m glad you had such a good relationship with your father-in-law. My Mom was wonderful and still is at 94. So I feel blessed for having her.
My father-in-law turned 5 years old that day. Today I mourn his passing as he was like my second father to me, after my family of origin disowned me. All day I have kept busy but tonight I feel the heartbreaking grief of losing my second dad, and of the lost opportunities with my own dad, who I last saw in 1997 on Father's Day. A week from today will be his passing a month later that year. I really wish he could have had a few more years to have met my children. Two weeks from today my mother will turn 96, and I have barely seen her in the 20-something years since my dad passed away. After years of counseling/therapy one learns that it is impossible to develop any sort of healthy parent-child relationship with a narcissist.
It sounds like you and I have dealt with the same problem, Janice. I was talking yesterday with a good friend who also dealt with that problem. She said we had to believe in ourselves and know it wasn't our fault. We were "great kids." They were the ones who couldn't see that, couldn't see though their own shit. From what I know of you here, you've done a good job of going from "great kid" to "great mom," and a "great contributor" here. So you've been doing it right. The fact she has acted as she has is her loss. Not to know you.
My father of blessed memory was scheduled to be plucked from the European Theater of Operations, to be one of the Pathfinders for the Allied invasion of Japan.
Given what I know of his service in Europe, it is more likely than not that, absent the Manhattan Project, I never would have existed.
Actually, it is more likely that absent the Red Army you would never have existed, 78 years of Official Mythology to the contrary.
The day the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, there was no mention of it in the minutes of the Supreme War Council. They were intently focused on the entry of the USSR into the war, with the Red Army slicing 110 miles into Manchuria in the first 24 hours, due to the fact that there were no good troops left in the Kwantung Army; they'd all been transferred to Kyushu to meet the US invasion. The Japanese saw that the Russians would be in position by the end of August to invade Hokkaido, where there were no defenses (everything being in Kyushu). The Red Army would have been in Tokyo by October, a month before Operation Olympic, the US invasion, since there were no defenses in northern Japan. Knowing what the Soviets had done in Germany in the previous 90 days, the Japanese surrendered to us and told us "yassuh buss, that bomb done did it." The bombs did nothing. The Japanese had already had 78 cities over 500,00 in population wrecked by firebombing - more people were killed in Tokyo the night of March 9-10 than at both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
We have spent the last 80 years basing our foreign policy on bullshit. And in that time, depending on "the bomb" as the ultimate threat, we have fought four wars we didn't win.
I'm grateful for the life I've had the privilege of leading.
You should be!
Tom, thanks for the information on the Japanese viewpoint. It seems possible they realized that the war was lost and they decided that they would probanly get better treatment by surrendering to the Americans than to the Soviets. I think that VonBraun and other German scientists made a similar calculation near the end of the European campaign.
Your image of the A-Bomb blast reminds me of how Stewart Brand's use of the famous NASA photo of the planet from space featured on the cover of the Whole Earth Catalog altered our collective perception of Pacha Mama. Alas, the event wasn't sufficient to motivate us to take serious enough action to save our precious Spaceship Earth from ecological disaster, and I doubt that the prospect of nuclear war triggered by the mind-blowing shot you posted will deter the war mongers in their quest to kill everything that moves, but maybe it will inspire the rest of us, we, the people, the loving members of species Homo sapiens, to rise up in defense of all that is beautiful and sacred and write these hateful bastards out of the script. I know my reaction sounds quixotic, but that's where my mind goes when I see images like this.
Every tool can be a weapon. It's a choice. Truman saw it as a tool to end the war and send a message to Stalin.
That's all it was, and it hasn't been very effective since.
Hi TC, I hope some day you'll be able to comment on this video, which covers Finland vis-a-vis Russia.
I have only a general knowledge of geopolitical power issues, but I find the info in RealLifeLore's YouTube channel to be intriguing.
I love his eagle's-eye animated maps.
https://youtu.be/si9Phc9ArpU
One thousand candles, a thousand cranes
Everyday I will remember
http://www.smallpotatoesmusic.com/waltzs/1000c.html
"We'll meet again..."