MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Commanders from 1st Marine Air Wing visited the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park in Hiroshima, Japan as part of a professional military education event during a commanders’ conference held at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Jan. 26.
The purpose of the conference and the PME visit was to discuss how the 1st MAW commanders can improve troop readiness and understand the ramifications their actions can have when carried out and the difficulties which come with their decisions. The detonation of the first nuclear device over Hiroshima was a clear example of what can happen when leaders have to make serious decisions with dire consequences.
“It was an opportunity to visit a historic site which is important to the Marine Corps and has a big impact on our current relationship with our Japanese host country,” said Maj. Gen. William F. Beydler, 1st MAW commanding general.
Much of the afternoon was spent visiting the various sections of the park. The commanders toured several displays of the museum, including lifelike post-nuclear detonation mannequins, audiodevastated city in the bomb’s aftermath.
Hiroshima is one of only two cities where nuclear weapons have been used in a time of war. Japan was the focal point of the Pacific Campaign during WWII, and on Aug. 6, 1945, the first offensive nuclear device was detonated.
The images of the bomb’s victims and how much devastation it caused would hopefully get other service members to visit the memorial. Service members visiting the museum can contemplate the roles leaders had in shaping events and how their actions can affect not just those under their command but others as well.
“One of the things is to encourage Marines to come to the Peace Park and look at the consequences of war and on the people involved in it,” said Beydler.
Some Marines had previously visited the memorial. Beydler had visited once before when he was part of a Unit Deployment Program squadron in 1987. The symbol the Peace Park is still relevant even into the new era of the Marine Corps.
“It’s a place that cannot be forgotten,” said Beydler. “This is a place to get Marines together to see something that is pertinent to the Marine Corps. It’s a fitting place to have a PME and learn about our past and look forward to the future.”