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I live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee - home of the nuclear bomb. X-10, Y-12, and K-25 were built specifically to produce the weapons grade material and build the first atomic bombs. I drive through K-25 every morning on my way to work.

The church my parents attend was one of the first ones in town, first organized during the war. Several members of their church were deeply involved in the production - but because of the compartmentalization of information, they didn't realize what it was they were building. They knew it was a bomb, they knew that hopes were high that it would end the war quickly - but they had no idea of the magnitude of the device. I've had some in-depth conversations with quite a few of them, and every single one of them says that they have no regrets whatsoever over what they worked on.

I've worked with with Dr. Alvin Weinberg on a few occasions. Dr. Weinberg was head of the X-10 (now ORNL) Physics Division during the war. Dr. Weinberg explained to me one time that at first, he urged that the atomic bomb not be dropped on a populated area, but rather just demonstrated. He says that he thinks differently now. He believes that it did end World War II earlier, and saved lives on both sides of the fighting.

Regrets? Here in Oak Ridge? Only from those that come here to protest that had nothing to do with the war - and they don't count for sh_t.

>He believes that it did end World War II earlier, and saved lives on both sides of the fighting.

Okay. Not arguing the merits of dropping or not dropping it, one (and that *one* may be a country) reaps what he/she/it sows...multiplied, pressed down, shaken together...and Hiroshima was a whale of a lot of sowing.

Recommendation: All should walk humbly (versus proudly) before God less reaping come quickly. Da 12:10.

My grandfather (also the grandfather of singer Ricky Skaggs) packed his family into a covered wagon and migrated from eastern Kentucky to Oak Ridge Tenn. during WWII. He and his brothers were pipe fitters in the oil fields of eastern Ky. and helped build those facilities at Oak Ridge. My grandfather made enough money during that time to return to Ky. and purchase a 100+ acre farm with cash. That family included Ricky's father, my father and another brother (named Okle) that was killed his first day approaching a beach in the Phillipines.

I know someone who lives on the same street as Mr. Tibbets (here in Columbus Ohio) and he refers to him as a very quiet and polite gentleman. On the other hand, I've seen him on tv during interviews and he is not at all shy about defending their mission.