Reid Dennis was among the first American's to set foot in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombing. These are the pictures he brought back from his experience.

1. Reid Dennis (pictured right) was
among some of the first service men
to witness, first hand, the destruc-
tion in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He
has generously shared these photos
from his personal collection.

2. October 1945, roughly two months
after the bombing. Few buildings
were left standing. The now famous
Genbaku dome can be seen in the
background.

3. Today, the dome still stands as it
did in 1945 as a reminder of the
devastation brought by use of
nuclear weapons.
Rog01/Flickr

4. Hiroshima City Hall was another
building that survived the blast with
heavy damage that was exacerbated
by fire.

5. It is estimated that between 90,000
to 166,000 people were killed by
the blasts immediate effects. More
suffered the long-term effects of
radioactive fallout.

6. The Children’s Peace Monument at
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
is inspired by Sadako Sasaki who,
at age two, survived the blast but
contracted leukemia ten years later
as a result of radiation exposure.
The crane she holds has become a
symbol for peace and disarmament.
Jonathan Moreau

7. Late 1945, Mr. Dennis also traveled
to Nagasaki.

8. The Nagasaki Hypocenter marks
point on the ground below the
epicenter of the Nagasaki bomb.
JoshBerglund19/flickr

9. It is estimated that 60,000 to 80,000
people were killed by the initial
effects of the bombing.

11. Help us fold 1,000 paper
cranes and send a message
that this kind of destruction
can never happen again.
Download our crane instructions and
watch our video folding guide. Post your
crane for everyone to see.
ploughshares.org
A very special thank you to Mr. Dennis for sharing these photos.