The Boy Standing by the Crematory

The Boy Standing by the Crematory (alternatively The Standing Boy of Nagasaki) is a historic photograph taken in Nagasaki, Japan, in October of 1945, shortly after the atomic bombing of that city on August 9, 1945. The photograph is of a barefoot boy of about 10 years old with his dead baby brother strapped to his back, waiting for his turn at the crematorium. The photograph was taken by Joe O'Donnell, then working for the United States Marine Corps. I saw a boy about ten years old walking by. He was carrying a baby on his back. In those days in Japan, we often saw children playing with their little brothers or sisters on their backs, but this boy was clearly different. I could see that he had come to this place for a serious reason. He was wearing no shoes. His face was hard. The little head was tipped back as if the baby were fast asleep. The boy stood there for five or ten...