LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The first two atomic bombs to ever be used were dropped on Japan by the United States over 78 years ago.
The "Little Boy" atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Three days later on August 9, 1945, the "Fat Man" atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.
In total, the two bombs killed over 300,000 people — and counting.
The most affected groups were women, children, and the elderly. However, the radioactive fallout from the bombings impacted soldiers who served overseas and those who survived and grew up in the rubble.
One such person was Kumiko Noriega, a Las Vegas resident who grew up in Hiroshima after the bombings. Noriega tours schools across the country, sharing her story and the stories of other survivors.
"Whoever survived... sometimes they’d say they were better off dead," she told Channel 13. "They were suffering so, so much."
Noriega says that her aunt was 13 years old when the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and her scalp melted during the blast.
"Somehow, she survived. She walked all night to get home," Noriega said. "But I don't know how she got home. She was blinded."
Her aunt made it all the way home, just to die in Noriega's grandmother's arms.
"And that was a blessing," she said. "Some people couldn't find their children, but she found her."
Two of Noriega's older aunts were in high school in 1945, and they ran late the day the bomb dropped. The building would later collapse on the students during the explosion, but her aunts would be spared since they were in the back of the classroom. All their fellow students would be trapped under boulders and debris from the building.
"As they were walking home, they’d see so many people dragging something [behind them]," Noriega said. "When they looked [closer], they realized it was skin."
Jeffery "Tyge" O'Donnell says his father was also present in Nagasaki after the bomb dropped, though he never really talked about it.
"He went into the military as a photographer," O'Donnell said. "He understood what he was witnessing was something historically important."
He continued, "Sumitro Tamaguchi was 12 when the bomb went off. My dad photographed him when he was a boy in the hospital, laying on his stomach with burns on his back."
O'Donnell says his father felt he was exploiting the victims by taking their photos but also realized the importance of documenting the atrocity.
While Noriega and O'Donnell have never met, their stories of the bombings are eerily similar.
"I was born and raised in Hiroshima. Since I was a little girl, I've heard all about the scars left in Hiroshima, and I even witnessed it growing up," Noriega said. "To me, it's very painful to experience, and it's personal. I never want to see it happen again."
O'Donnell echoed a similar sentiment. "[My father] was there for six months, and he went in a few weeks after the bombs were dropped. He went all over Japan but mostly Nagasaki."
He adds, "There is still controversy about whether it was justified to drop the bombs. My dad was adamantly for the peaceful resolve to the war — and against using the bombs."
Kevin Kamps, a radioactive waste specialist, sat down with Channel 13 to give us more insight into the impact that building the bomb had on not only those who created it but those that were left in the wake of the destruction.
"These were tests," he said. "The uranium bomb in Hiroshima and the plutonium bomb at Nagasaki were listed by the U.S. Department of Energy and Nuclear Weapons as 'tests' at one point."
He said, "A colleague just put it to me that the reason Oppenheimer was excommunicated from the 'nuclear priesthood' is because he was insufficiently enthusiastic about the bomb. He already had remorse about atomic weapons."
MORE: 'Oppenheimer' sparks discussion on legacy of the atomic bomb
O'Donnell adds, "You can’t cap how many victims in Japan died from the atomic bomb because they’re still dying today."
"The difference between this bomb and others is the radiation," Noriega said.
Noriega says 15 percent of people suffered a radiation effect after the bomb dropped and jumped into nearby bodies of water to seek relief from their burns.
"They blew up like balloons and died," she said.
O'Donnell's father would also come home after being exposed to radiation, affecting his health for years later.
"It softened his bones, and he had tumors and lesions on his face," he said.
Joseph Roger O'Donnell would eventually pass away in 2007. His work is still displayed in Washington D.C., Japan, and many other states around the country.
While the horror of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would forever affect the mind, hearts, and bodies of those who survived, hope still blossomed out of the rubble.
"They started to rebuild almost immediately," O'Donnell said.
"Right after the war, American researchers came and built a research center to try and help all the victims," Noriega adds. "People were so happy — they thought nothing would grow for 100 years."
She continued, "But when the Oleander started blooming, they said, 'Oh my goodness, we finally have life.'"
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