WATERLOO, Iowa — A solemn reflection on history took place in Japan as a memorial ceremony marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Fifty-five thousand people, including guests from 120 countries, participated in a moment of silence to honor the event.

Iowa holds historical ties to this pivotal moment in World War II. At the Grout Museum in Waterloo, artifacts from that era, such as goggles used in atomic bomb testing and glass formed from desert sand melted by the blast's heat, tell part of the story.

Corbin Roger, a World War II Army veteran from Hampton, shared his perspective on the decision to drop the bomb during a 2023 interview with the museum. "When we left to go to the Pacific, I didn't figure that our chances were much better than fifty percent of ever b

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