Peace begins with us

Thank you, President Obama, for taking the historic step of visiting Hiroshima. Thank you for continuing your journey toward achieving world peace. It is a long and arduous journey that may take years to complete, but every journey begins with just one step. The United States introduced nuclear weapons to the world, and it is now our responsibility to lead the way towards nuclear disarmament.

Every person in this world should visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to learn more about what happened nearly 71 years ago. It is a moving experience that can only be felt by being there. It is an eye-opening lesson about war, peace, survival and perseverance. It is emotional. It is educational. But most of all, it is motivational.

When you lay that wreath at the Cenotaph in Peace Park, please think about the 297,684 names that are sealed inside the crypt. Each of them is an innocent victim of a weapon of mass destruction. Every year on Aug. 6, more names of people who were affected by the atomic bomb and died are added during the commemoration ceremony.

Look around you at all the buildings, the trees and the beauty of Hiroshima. That is the strength of the people of Hiroshima. From nothing, they have built a vibrant city centered around peace and remembrance.

Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It is filled with information and exhibits you cannot find in textbooks. Look at the display of the people walking with their arms outstretched like zombies. Those are not shreds of clothes hanging from their arms, that is their melted skin dripping from their bodies.