On August 6, 1945, stunning news swept through Lawson General Hospital, where Phil was recovering from his leg amputation. He and every wounded patient gathered around radios to listen to the startling news that the U.S. military had dropped the first atomic bomb in history, leveling the city of Hiroshima.[1]

The reports noted that Japanese residents had been warned—via dropped leaflets—to flee in the days leading up to the bombing.

The reaction from the servicemen? A roar of approval from most, while others broke down and cried with relief and joy. All were in favor of doing anything that would end the war. They were well aware that an invasion of Japan promised to be the bloodiest seaborne attack of all time, with estimates that a prolonged offensive would cost two to four million American casualties, including 400,000 to 800,000 fatalities, and five to ten million Japanese deaths.

Also, Japanese forces were causing the deaths of between 100,000 and 250,000 noncombatants each month. On top of this, thousands of Allied and Asian prisoners of war were dying daily throughout the still-occupied Japanese Empire and would do so as long as Japan could pursue the war. Dropping the atomic bomb would end all that.[2]

The devastating power of these exotic new weapons was instantly apparent around the world, and nowhere was awareness higher than among the troops: “A roar went up when we heard about the bomb,” Hugh Chance of E Company recalled. “It saved a lot of lives all over the world. I was glad they used it. I’m still glad.”[3]

There was no soul-searching then about the ethics of these incredible new weapons among the GIs, and little now. The nearly universal attitude is the one expressed by Chance. The bombs were viewed as saviors by these veteran infantrymen whose division had already suffered 4,150 casualties, and who knew the Japanese were a far more dangerous foe than the Germans.[3]

Paul Fussel, an F Company platoon leader, wrote an essay a few years ago called Thank God for the Atom Bomb. Cuttingly, he singles out for special attack the critics of the American nuclear strategy who were either unborn at the time or spent the war in safe noncombat assignments.[4]

“When the atom bombs were dropped … when we [combat infantrymen] learned to our astonishment that we would not be obliged in a few months to rush up the beaches near Toyko assault-firing while being machine gunned, mortared, and shelled … we broke down and cried with relief and joy. We were going to live. We were going to grow to adulthood after all.”[5] … “I still believe we should have dropped it. Doing what we did saved thousands of ves on both sides. It took a lot of Japanese lives, but what the hell? They were the instigators.”[6]

“7he greatest thing that happened was Truman deciding to drop the atomic bomb,” said Bob Brennan an E Company sergeant. “I’m sure he saved a lot of lives on both sides. It  would have been a real bloodbath for both the Japanese and the Americans. I’d tell ’em to drop it again if it came to that.” … Lester (Doc) Duckett, F Company medic, said, “I don’t know why they didn’t drop it sooner.” … Clyde Rucker, G Company platoon leader, professional soldier: … “We had to drop it. It was a terrible thing to do, but it made Japan surrender.”[7]

Three days later, Phil and the men on his floor gathered around the radio again to listen to the news of a second atomic bomb destroying the city of Nagasaki.[2] There was both a somber sadness and a deep exuberance and excitement. The war was over.

~~~~~

[1] Larimore, At First Light, 281.

[2] Larimore, Ibid.

[3] Stannard, 289.

[4] Paul Fussel, Thank God for the Atom Bomb (New York: Ballantine Books, 1988).

[5] Stannard, 289-290.

[6] Syd Fierman. F Company private. Quoted in: Stannard, 291.

[7] Stannard, 289-29.1

Learn more about my book about my father’s heroics and exploits at Amazon’s First Light page here. You can also read more of my WWII blogs here as well!

© Copyright WLL, INC. 2025.