Dropping the Bomb

I believe that the decision to drop the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki what difficult, but that it was a necessary one. President Harry S. Truman gave the final orders to drop the bomb and by doing so, showed the world the power to kill at such a devastating level. Though, by dropping the bomb, we have seen its consequences and in a way there is some good that can come out from it. The world has realized that these weapons should never be used ever again and to never allow such devastation to happen again by a nuclear weapon. Many lives were also saved from a possible invasion or blockade. The use of these weapons on a populated area has left the world with the thought of never wanting to use such power.

Nuclear Weapons Today

So I was curious to see how many countries possess nuclear weapons today and it resulted with eight countries and a ninth suspected of having them. There are five countries under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

1. United States of America
2. Russia
3. Great Britain
4. France
5. China

India, Pakistan and North Korea are among the other countries who have nuclear arms. Israel is suspected of having them too. There are approximately over 23,000 nuclear weapons out in the world today. It's mind blowing that people have the capability of destroying the planet several times over...

Allies vs Japanese fighting tactics

From the results of what happened in Operation Cartwheel, America and it's allies where smart about the decisions they made. The Japanese use tactics like waiting a really long time to intimidate the enemy and poisoned the water supplies so the American marines would dehydrate. American troops worked closely together and supported each other quite well.

Operation Cartwheel Game

It was a fun game to play on Monday. Our group learned a lot and quickly since we wanted to move on to the next round. It was also fun because we won =D, but still we managed to learn so much because of the game method. It was interesting to know about the island hopping and other strategies the Allies used to ensure victory  and get closer to the attack on the Japanese mainland. Deceiving the enemy into thinking Allied troops might attack somewhere they really weren't was really clever to be able to capture Rabaul. This game made my learning experience a whole lot better.

Valkyrie

Valkyrie was a pretty good movie in my opinion; I'd seen it once before when it came out in theaters. I honestly thought the Hitler character could have been more "ruthless". I heard from a few people that they thought Tom Cruise's performance in that movie could have been better, but was decent. I mentioned it during gym today and the people who had seen the movie wished for some battle scenes, overall more action and less talk. The movie is about one of the most significant assassination attempts on Hitler within his allies in Germany. I really admired how these people recognized the wrong their regime was doing and attempted to grind it to a halt. These officers understood the consequences of siding with Hitler and decided to defy him regardless of the punishments. Overall it was good seeing it again and even better having to eat some Munchos and popcorn while watching.

The German Eugenics Programs

The German eugenics programs were intended to eradicate what the Nazi's viewed as imperfections getting in the way of establishing a master race. A wide range of people were targeted for extermination and was fairly common to see such propaganda to support such programs. This one shows the Nazi example of a pure German having to take on the weight of supporting the disabled. I cant believe the Nazis actually went through all of this and successfully murdered several million people. I would have conversations with my family and discussed the horrors millions suffered. I think everyone can agree that it's disgusting the fact that these killings took place in such an organized and planned manner. This propaganda poster says that it would take 50,000 marks over the next sixty years to care for the disabled. These posters show the ignorance and the length the Nazi government went through to carry out such crimes.

My Family During WWII

Mexican migrant workers

My family for the most part was living in Mexico by the time World War II came along. With the United States entering the war, labor was scarce due to the enlistment of farm workers. My great grandfather and several others took advantage of the labor shortage and under a government program, were able to work in the U.S. I don't remember the name of the program. Eventually several years later in the fifties, my grandpa was of age to work in the U.S after marrying my grandma. Anyway, thats the kind of thing my family was up to during that time period. It was a good thing I had these long conversations with my grandpa this summer or else I wouldn't know.

World War III with the Koreas, not gonna happen

With the recent tension on the Korean peninsula growing after the exchange of artillery fire from both Koreas, one has to wonder if this could potentially escalate and start a world war. The United States has a military alliance with South Korea in which it will aid the country if it were to be involved in war with the North. China is North Korea's greatest trade partner and also its ally. To make matters worse, just days from the incident, the U.S has sent over the USS George Washington (aircraft carrier) to conduct military drills with South Korea on its west coast. This definitely looks as if the situation could get out of hand and World War III could break out. In my opinion, the possibility for a war to break out is unlikely since it is in the Chinese and American's best interest to not let it get so bad. Both countries have made many attempts in the past to stop any provocation that would otherwise cause much suffering. I'm sure the future world wars class wont be discussing World War in Asia any time soon.

My Thoughts regarding Guadalcanal

In response to what young marines teach each other, I believe that they for the most part teach each other to be strong and survive. Although they might be stealing the supplies from the army, they manage to aquire much needed or desired supplies to be able to get through staying on the island. By joking around and making hysterical commentary, the marines have a sense of normality during a though and exhausting campaign on Guadalcanal. So they teach each other to have some sanity, and watching over one another can create some comfort. For the month that they're on Guadalcanal they all become experienced in the Japanese's tactics, and together these young marines find the strength to overcome the many battles to come.

By Vicasum | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon