72 years ago day before yesterday, the 6th of August, marks the day the United States used the unthinkable weapon on Japan in 1945 ending the war with Japan. On that day at 8:16 a.m. Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops the world’s first atom bomb, over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout.
U.S. President Harry S. Truman, discouraged by the Japanese response to the Potsdam Conference’s demand for unconditional surrender, made the decision to use the atom bomb to end the war in order to prevent what he predicted would be a much greater loss of life were the United States to invade the Japanese mainland. And so on August 5, while a “conventional” bombing of Japan was underway, “Little Boy,” (the nickname for one of two atom bombs available for use against Japan), was loaded onto Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets’ plane on Tinian Island in the Marianas. Tibbets’ B-29, named the Enola Gay after his mother, left the island at 2:45 a.m. on August 6. Five and a half hours later, “Little Boy” was dropped, exploding 1,900 feet over a hospital and unleashing the equivalent of 12,500 tons of TNT. The bomb had several inscriptions scribbled on its shell, one of which read “Greetings to the Emperor from the men of the Indianapolis” (the ship that transported the bomb to the Marianas).
There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped; only 28,000 remained after the bombing. Of the city’s 200 doctors before the explosion; only 20 were left alive or capable of working. There were 1,780 nurses before-only 150 remained who were able to tend to the sick and dying.
This was awesome destruction from a weapon no one could imagine. Ever since several countries have nuclear weapon capabilities.
The United States, Russia, China, India, Israel, France, North Korea, Pakistan, and The United Kingdom are the only countries that have these capabilities.
The debate about whether the bomb should have used in 1945 has been debated for decades and probably will be for centuries.
I have never ordered men into battle. Often commanders order men to their death even though it meets a certain objective. The estimate of dead, had the war continued, are in the millions. Some say 4 million on the Allied side. Iwo Jima alone had a casualty rate of almost 50,000 from both sides. What would an invasion force face on Japanese soil? They believed their Emperor to be God. How hard would you fight for your God on your home soil? Until the last person? This is only my belief, with my limited knowledge, but I believe in those “million” numbers that have been batted around.
In the Mormon faith we believe the Bible to be the word of God. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God, as a second witness of Christ. In the Book of Mormon, 1st Nephi chapter 4 verses 5 through 18. The prophet Nephi is a young man. He is sent to get records that his people, and future generations, would need to learn what God had for them. An evil King would not give him the records and sought his life, and the lives of his brothers. He also stole property they had offered to buy the records. The evil King Noah was delivered into Nephi’s hands and he was told by the Spirit to kill him. Nephi had never killed anyone and he was afraid. He was told 2 more times to kill the evil king. The last time the Spirit said this to him,
Verse 13 “Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.”
Now I’m not saying that President Roosevelt was moved upon by the Spirit to bomb Japan, but I think the same applies. It is better than a few 100 thousand die, rather than millions of those who are only defending themselves from countries that want to destroy or enslave them.
Why do I bring up this controversial event? Because using lethal force has been talked about as being extreme. Killing another human being is extreme. But I’m not sure letting criminals live, kill or hurt me or my family, go to prison, and possibly get out and do it again is the answer. I am not a man of war or violence. I advocate violence in the face of violence. I do not wish to be a man of blood. In Alma 44 we read:
“1 And it came to pass that they did stop and withdrew a pace from them. And Moroni said unto Zerahemnah: Behold, Zerahemnah, that we do not desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you.
2 Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion.”
I want to be able to defend myself and my family (as Moroni mentioned in the Title of Liberty
Alma 46: 12 “And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.”) and I may have to use lethal force. I’ve been trained to do this, yet I really hope I’ll never get any use out of that training.
I also believe in the traditional family of Mom, Dad, and kids. I know this is not reality all of the time because of death, divorce, and other circumstances. So this next part is not meant to be exclusive to a man or a father but a head of the household. I’m not trying to be politically correct, just reality based.
The LDS Church’s “The Family: A Proclamation To The World” says”:
“By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.”
It also states:
“Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.”
If that isn’t a charge to protect your family then I don’t know what is. I believe that protection entails spiritual, emotional, mental, moral, and physical protection. I focus on the physical. That takes in a roof over their heads. Food for their lives, and actual physical protection. If someone, or something, should threaten your family, you should use everything within your means to protect them. If it is a “bug” or sickness, will you try to provide medical attention, medication, clean water, and food and warmth to “kill” that bug. What if that threat were a wild animal? Would you defend them against that? What if that “animal” is a human? Would you protect your family with lethal force? Do you have the means? Do you have the training?
I hope you will do all that you can. Even if that means using “extreme” weapons to protect you and yours. That’s what this blog is all about. Protection.
Just as an atomic bomb was used because we could not see many innocents dying because of a stubborn ideology, I cannot see my family suffering because someone insists on breaking laws or has lost their minds. I’d love to control them as Moroni tried with the Army of Zarahemna. But short of that control is stopping that threat. If pulling my weapon and a verbal “Stop!” makes the threat withdraw, then I got off without having to use lethal force. The day is good. But if, like Moroni, evil cannot be reasoned with, I will “…spill (evil’s) blood upon the ground, or ye shall submit to the conditions which I have proposed.” Which conditions are to leave in peace and never bother my family again.
Will you be prepared? Will you use extreme weapons in the face of evil to save innocents? I have entered into an oath to protect this country (and my family) from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
A gun is an extreme weapon. It must be used with care and skill. These things cannot just come to you. You must legally purchase a gun and anything else you may need with that. You must seek the training and then practice what you have been taught. Shooting is a perishing skill. If not practiced, you can lose the skill. You must commit to protect your family in any and every way. To do this you must be prepared.
Be safe and train on!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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