A seismic blast formed a mushroom cloud over the Port of Beirut this week. It might have rocked the world, but the world was preoccupied with its own problems. A deadly pandemic, economic collapse, death, and despair.
This was the third strongest blast in history. Still, it felt like just one more thing added to the collective loss, pain, and confusion that have become 2020.
Caused by human failings rather than war, the Beirut explosion killed at least 135, injured thousands and has left a staggering 300,000 people homeless. It happened 75 years almost to the day that two other mushroom clouds darkened the sky.
The world was at war then. On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber released the world’s first atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, another A-bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
There was vast devastation; 40,000 died. The bomb named Fat Man had done its job, and Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.
Mitsubishi plant, a prime target
This anniversary has special significance for me because my dad was one of the 2nd Marine Division troops to hit the shores of Nagasaki on Sept. 23, 1945. They did so in full combat kit with fixed bayonets and full magazines. There was little or no resistance.
My dad didn’t talk much about the war, but he recalled his time in Nagasaki with some fondness. I think part of the appeal was that for the first time in many months he ate well and slept in decent quarters. But he also appreciated the people that he encountered as he procured provisions. He wanted to return some day but never got the chance.
Children teach a Marine the language
The Japanese had been fierce fighters during the war. Yet, during this occupation, Brigadier General Joseph L. Stewart later recalled, “Not once did I see any Japanese who acted or looked with disrespect toward occupation forces. . . . We were overwhelmingly surprised by the cooperative reception we had from the Japanese.”
As we remember history, let’s not forget those suffering today. One way to be the hands and feet of Jesus is to contribute to Horizon International. Horizon exists to communicate and demonstrate the love of Jesus so that the world, particularly the Muslim world, would be transformed by God’s love and forgiveness.
You also could donate to:
The Lebanese Red Cross
The World Food Program USA
UNICEF Support for Beirut Catastrophe
Doctors Without Borders
SMALL MOMENTS FULL OF GRACE 