Sorry

A friend posted this on her Facebook post and this is what I shared:

“Obama says sorry… Again.”

I’ve lived in Japan for about 10 years before I came to the US. Such a beautiful country. I went to a school honoring the Sullivans Brothers who dedicated their lives in fighting for America. A mother lost all her 5 boys. While living in Japan, we had lots of field trips and visited the shrines, and enjoyed the culture. But most importantly, we visited Hiroshima. We were told of the tragedies of the War. Many people died. And yes, the attack of Pearl Harbor is devastating. The Japanese military attacked what they took as a strategic move – the military personnel and their ships. It was a smart move in military tactical sense. Unfortunately, war means death and people were mad, people were angry, and when we are angry and want revenge, we choose to make decisions that can do more harm than good. Two areas were attacked in Japan – Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Over 500,000 people died in a matter of weeks from injuries to radiation. The bombing didn’t just attack military personnel but innocent lives of women and children who were thousands of miles away from the actual war. Even after the bombing, the people who did survive, were stricken with radiation and causing cancer and bearing children who are deformed or born with other illnesses. Was it a fair choice for the US to use such force against Japan? Personally, no, it wasn’t fair. It hurt the innocent, and most Americans saw this happen to a country other than they’re own. They saw the faces of the children, the families, and they knew deep in their hearts that they made the worst decision in history – it was an abomination of life itself. 
Most of America is sorry, except for a few who are unforgiving without truly understanding the cause and effect of how a nuclear bomb can effect the lives of generations to come. 
500,000 lives and perhaps more, but less than 1 mill were lost in this war. In comparison to the current war we have the Middle East, deaths have already reached 500,000 and counting in a 10-15 year span!
… And we’re not even close to ending the current fight we’re in. I bet we can throw down another nuclear bomb right now just to end it, but because of the impact of what it did in Japan, it’s going to be the last resource our country will choose again to make. 
We can’t take history back and we can’t take away or erase the trauma and the pain that our veterans have gone through. All we can do is be human and stand up for what we believe in with humility and respect and with the kind of love that can benefit all of man kind. Many will sacrifice and some will not, but unless you know you will sacrifice your own life for another for something you believe in strongly, and although a pen can be mightier than a sword, the words we speak must match the way we walk. The US President represents America (whether it is Obama or not), and your friend is right, the decisions we make today is what makes tomorrow our future for the next generations to come. 
-Michelle.