That same year Shostakovich composed his string quartet no. 8 in c minor, op. 110, “to the memory of the victims of fascism and war”. He was in Dresden working on a film and the city was still in a ravaged state, fifteen years later. The scenes reminded him of the siege of Leningrad which he had experienced firsthand as a volunteer firefighter. In a fit of inspiration, he composed the quartet in three days. It’s easily the best known of his quartets.

Manaen (#5) reminded us of Elder McConkie’s warning of coming atomic holocausts.

Where are the dangers? How should we react? What can we do? What have we learned from the past?

I am thinking of the abuse of women on the eastern front. One more reason to avoid war.

Please ponder: “The logic of war has always fed on generalizations in representing the enemy, extending the misdeeds of some to all. If those feelings are passed on to the next generation, the cycle can start again.”

The Soviet troops did rape their way across Germany. It was partly in revenge for the horrors that the Germans had committed in their invasion of the Soviet Union. Its well documentated. Its not an accusation. Its like saying the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Its important to point out the horrors of war so they do not occur again. The horrific abuse of women was a part of the war on the eastern front in Europe. Its important not to be so sensitive that we ignore what war can do and be afraid to discuss it in a fit of political correctness.

Ill feelings and misconceptions are perpetuated when we tend to imply a whole population, like “the Japanese”, “the Germans”, “the Soviets”, and all their troops. The logic of war has always fed on generalizations in representing the enemy, extending the misdeeds of some to all. If those feelings are passed on to the next generation, the cycle can start again. We must learn to be extremely careful in what we say about others. This is not to deny that specific people have been responsible for horrific acts, on all sides, but when we commemorate and try to build a different future, let the accusations rest.

This is correct. My grandpa is still scarred by the shooting of his first German soldier from behind as the German cowered behind a bush and the results of losing 90% of his unit when they tried to surrender to a German Pillbox. This is the result of war. He also speaks of protecting German civilian women with force from the Soviet troops as the Soviet troops raped their way across Germany in May of 1945. He shot at a group of Soviet soldiers as they attempted to catch a 14 year old german girl who was fleeing on a bicycle. The large scale abuse of women is also part of the horror of war.

The results of war is always carnage, rape, and death. One a side note he was back in the states when the bomb was dropped traing to invade Japan. He says he is grateful for the bomb (despite the carnage) and glad he did not have to participate in the invasion of Japan.

Hiroshima was a human tragedy like the firebombings of other Japanese cities or the “rape on Nanking” War is horrible even if it is justified. My grandfather fought in the battle of the bulge and he is still scarred from the experience 60 years later.

Modern war brought carnage and bloodshed to the civilian population much more than previous time periods. War is always a tragedy.