A-bomb survivor and historian embraced by President Obama appeals for peace to American high school students
Jun. 28, 2016
by Yumie Kubo, Staff Writer
On June 27, Shigeaki Mori, 79, an A-bomb survivor and a local historian who lives in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, spoke to 17 American high school students from Massachusetts. The students are visiting Hiroshima to learn about peace. Mr. Mori explained about the American soldiers who were held in Hiroshima as prisoners of war (POWs) and died in the atomic bombing. He has long investigated the lives and fates of these soldiers on his own. He also shared his experience meeting U.S. President Barack Obama at the end of May, when the president paid a visit to Hiroshima, and he conveyed his wish for a peaceful world to the American students.
Speaking at the Hiroshima City Bunka Koryu Kaikan in Naka Ward, Mr. Mori told the story of one young man, 19 years old, who was among the 12 U.S. soldiers who lost their lives as a result of the atomic bombing. He also touched on the feelings of the soldiers’ families, who were not given information about the fate of their loved ones for many years because the U.S. government was controlling information related to the atomic bombings.
About President Obama, who embraced him after they exchanged words at the Peace Memorial Park on May 27, Mr. Mori said, “You have a great leader who is continuously thinking about the abolition of nuclear weapons and peace in the world.”
After his presentation, Mr. Mori and the students visited the Peace Memorial Museum. At the museum, he introduced a picture made by an A-bomb survivor which shows an American soldier, after the bombing, on Aioi Bridge, his hands bound together.
Robert Arman Celado, 19, said that he hadn’t known about the American soldiers who perished in the atomic bombing, and that, after listening to Mr. Mori, who has devoted himself to comforting the souls of the A-bomb victims regardless of nationality, he believes that nuclear weapons should never again be used.
(Originally published on June 28, 2016)
On June 27, Shigeaki Mori, 79, an A-bomb survivor and a local historian who lives in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, spoke to 17 American high school students from Massachusetts. The students are visiting Hiroshima to learn about peace. Mr. Mori explained about the American soldiers who were held in Hiroshima as prisoners of war (POWs) and died in the atomic bombing. He has long investigated the lives and fates of these soldiers on his own. He also shared his experience meeting U.S. President Barack Obama at the end of May, when the president paid a visit to Hiroshima, and he conveyed his wish for a peaceful world to the American students.
Speaking at the Hiroshima City Bunka Koryu Kaikan in Naka Ward, Mr. Mori told the story of one young man, 19 years old, who was among the 12 U.S. soldiers who lost their lives as a result of the atomic bombing. He also touched on the feelings of the soldiers’ families, who were not given information about the fate of their loved ones for many years because the U.S. government was controlling information related to the atomic bombings.
About President Obama, who embraced him after they exchanged words at the Peace Memorial Park on May 27, Mr. Mori said, “You have a great leader who is continuously thinking about the abolition of nuclear weapons and peace in the world.”
After his presentation, Mr. Mori and the students visited the Peace Memorial Museum. At the museum, he introduced a picture made by an A-bomb survivor which shows an American soldier, after the bombing, on Aioi Bridge, his hands bound together.
Robert Arman Celado, 19, said that he hadn’t known about the American soldiers who perished in the atomic bombing, and that, after listening to Mr. Mori, who has devoted himself to comforting the souls of the A-bomb victims regardless of nationality, he believes that nuclear weapons should never again be used.
(Originally published on June 28, 2016)
