Reid Dennis (pictured right) was among some of the first service men to witness, first hand, the destruc-tion in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He has generously shared these photos from his personal collection.

October 1945, roughly two months after the bombing. Few buildings were left standing. The now famous Genbaku dome can be seen in the background.

Today, the dome still stands as it did in 1945 as a reminder of the devastation brought by use of nuclear weapons.

Rog01/Flickr

Hiroshima City Hall was another building that survived the blast with heavy damage that was exacerbated by fire.

It is estimated that between 90,000 to 166,000 people were killed by the blasts immediate effects. More suffered the long-term effects of radioactive fallout.

The Children’s Peace Monument at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is inspired by Sadako Sasaki who, at age two, survived the blast but contracted leukemia ten years later as a result of radiation exposure. The crane she holds has become a symbol for peace and disarmament.

Jonathan Moreau

Late 1945, Mr. Dennis also traveled to Nagasaki.

The Nagasaki Hypocenter marks point on the ground below the epicenter of the Nagasaki bomb.

JoshBerglund19/flickr

It is estimated that 60,000 to 80,000 people were killed by the initial effects of the bombing.

A very special thank you to Mr. Dennis for sharing these photos.

Help us fold 1,000 paper cranes and send a message that this kind of destruction can never happen again.

Download our crane instructions and watch our video folding guide. Post your crane for everyone to see.

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