TVSquad

An HBO documentary about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will air this evening at 7:30 p.m.

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, occurring on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, ended the second World War. In an era when many of the people who fought in --and were affected by the war-- are disappearing, expect to see more documentaries about WW II as filmmakers attempt to record survivors recollections for posterity.

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki includes interviews with both survivors of the bombings and the American soldiers who carried out the missions. Looking over HBO's Web section for the documentary, what strikes me most is how young everyone was, especially the Americans, who were all in their early twenties. At the age of thirty, it's impossible for me to fathom that kind of responsibility, and equally as difficult to stomach what it must have been like for those on the ground who contributed to this documentary, who at the time ranged in age from six to thirteen.

Steven Okazaki, who won an Oscar in 1991 for his film Days of Waiting: The Life and Art of Estelle Ishigo, directed the documentary.