Hiroshima/Nagasaki memorial vigil

On Monday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 7 p.m., Warwick Women in Black will hold a silent vigil to mourn lives lost and threatened by nuclear power.

The vigil will take place at Lewis Park in the Village of Warwick, on the corner where Main Street, South Street and High Street converge.

Aug. 6 marks the 67th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States, followed on Aug. 9, 1945, by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date. In both cities, most of the dead were civilians.

This year - 2012 - is also the first anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami (March 11, 2011) that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

Looking closer to home, Indian Point Nuclear Plant is 35 miles from Warwick. According to the New York Times (3/27/2012), the Indian Point plant “has encountered a string of accidents and mishaps since its beginnings, and has appeared on the federal list of the nation’s worst nuclear power plants.”

The plant sits on two seismic faults. The licenses for the two nuclear reactors at Indian Point are due to expire in 2014 and 2016; a 20-year renewal is being sought.

While the vigil seeks to increase awareness of current nuclear threats (“No Nukes for War; No Nukes for Peace”), the main emphasis is on the silent vigil to mourn the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

We will dress in black and carry flowers.

All are welcome to join us and to invite others.

Mary Makofske, Warwick Patricia DeBruhl, Warwick

Emily Boardman, Chester