Stonewalk Japan 2005 - Press Article

Tomorrow marks the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In Japan, surviving relatives of some of the U.S. victims of Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are joining the commemorations.

Thus, the 20th and 21st centuries' defining moments are joined, at least in retrospect.

There are numerous ways to interpret the bombings of Hiroshima and, three days later, Nagasaki. World War II ended promptly afterward. The atomic arms race ensued, still threatening mass destruction. So far, humans have taken enough lessons from the deaths, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, to avoid a similar nuclear attack. Yet, as al-Qaida brutally demonstrated nearly four years ago, some human beings still find the deaths of innocent people gratifying.

In recent weeks, some 9/11 relatives took part in a procession to move a granite memorial from Nagasaki to Hiroshima, where it was due to arrive yesterday. The memorial honors all "unknown civilians killed in war."

Like soldiers, the civilians who die in warfare are sons, daughters, fathers, brothers, mothers and sisters. One of the "Stonewalk" participants is Andrea LeBlanc, whose husband, Robert LeBlanc, a University of New Hampshire professor emeritus, died aboard hijacked United Flight 175 when it was flown into the World Trade Center's south tower. In a statement distributed by the D.C.-based Institute for Public Accuracy, she said the survivors of the atomic bombings and other Japanese quickly extended "the hand of compassion to those of us who chose not to seek vengeance for the lives of our loved ones after Sept. 11. A very special bond of understanding has developed among us."

In a letter to organizers of the Green Lake event, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba wrote, "Our planet still bristles with vast arsenals of nuclear weapons, and the danger that such weapons will be used is actually increasing." Akiba has worked extensively with mayors from around the world, including Seattle's, on efforts to reduce or eliminate nuclear weapons.

However one assesses the numerous steps, calculations and decisions behind the atomic bombings of 60 years ago, one result was incalculable suffering for civilians and their families, loved ones and friends. That is a tragedy to mourn, as many will do at Seattle's Green Lake tomorrow evening and around the world. Remembering can help avoid similar horrors to innocent people here or anywhere in the future.