Hirata

When the bomb hit Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, Hirata was at work at the Mitsubishi shipyards two miles from ground zero.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

Hirata excitedly started describing the frightening white flash he had observed in the sky three days earlier -- when he saw it again through the front window about two miles away so my friend's story was not so far off.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

As one of the world's leading authorities on the effects of the atomic bomb, Hirata was a good man to have around the house.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

As one of the world's leading authorities on the effects of the atomic bomb, Hirata was a good man to have around the house.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

"I felt so dishonored that I had to experience the atomic bomb twice," Hirata said, explaining why he had not talked about this until recently.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

Two atomic weapons have been used in wartime, and Kenshi Hirata, a diminutive, sad-faced accountant, experienced both of them.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

Hirata excitedly started describing the frightening white flash he had observed in the sky three days earlier -- when he saw it again through the front window about two miles away so my friend's story was not so far off.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

"The fact that the symposium I participated in turned out to be just a tool for promoting nuclear power leaves a very bad taste in my mouth," said Yoshinobu Hirata, 49, a part-time rice farmer and former municipal official, who was one of a handful of local residents invited to the government-sponsored event in June.

Scandal Taints Japan Nuclear Sector Chester Dawson 2011

"I felt so dishonored that I had to experience the atomic bomb twice," Hirata said, explaining why he had not talked about this until recently.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011

"The bomb that makes this white flash must be following my every step," Hirata thought afterward, as they cleaned up the broken glass.

Greg Mitchell: Twice Cursed: The Man who Survived the A-Bomb in Hiroshima -- and in Nagasaki Greg Mitchell 2011