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Van Kirk's sacrifice will never be forgotten, especially by me. front of the restored Enola Gay, shaking hands and receiving the high regard of visitors. Some students even called it World War eleven.įor that hour, at the Greenwood Lake airshow, this quite unassuming patriot shared his stories of self-less service and sacrifice so that thousands of warfighters would be spared the casualties certain to result from a grinding and costly invasion of Japan. He said that he spent his retirement years speaking at schools and was frustrated with our education system because our children have no idea of what World War II was about. The crew of the Enola Gay pose in front of the aircraft. What I will never forget his last words before we parted. On Aughe was the co-pilot of Enola Gay which left Tinian island in the Pacific at 2.35am to fly north to Japan. He became a chemical engineer for DuPont, raised his children, and went on with his life, stating that his military service was simply his duty. Like so many of his generation, he got married and went to college on the G.I. It has been estimated that the government placed an order for a staggering 500,000 Purple Heart medals, all in anticipation of the invasion of Japan.ĭutch, who was only 24 years old at the time, had no hesitation about his part in dropping the first atomic bomb because "they (Japanese) would not give up."ĭutch left the service as a major in 1946 with a Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in the mission. Yet, these members of the greatest generation gambled their lives, hoping their mission would be successful so that thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines would not have to die attempting to invade Japan. Their chances of surviving this mission was slim.
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But what left me in awe was what Dutch was told by Tibbets. He recounted the real-life story of the crew, as well as the senior leaders, who planned and organized the mission. Any infraction would mean harsh discipline and a transfer to the Aleutians islands. He told me about the solemn secrecy of the mission. "I had flown missions with him in Europe and when we returned home he told me, 'You are volunteering to fly with me again,'" he remembered. "I volunteered to fly with Paul," recalled Dutch. I greeted him and, for about an hour, we spoke about that mission as though it has occurred yesterday. No one recognized the source of his fame, though there was a sign with his name. The last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew, Van Kirk died on July 27, 2014.ĭutch was nearing 90 when I met him as he sat in a hangar, selling a book titled, "The 509th Remembered, A History of the 509th Composite Group as told by the Veterans Themselves At A Recent Reunion." We met at the Greenwood Lake airshow a few years ago. My connection with the Enola Gay was meeting the navigator on that mission, Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk.
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The anniversary garnered some media interest, mostly about the survivors and how the city rebuilt itself from the ashes after the first use of the atomic bomb.īut there was little mention of the crew of the B-29, hastily named the Enola Gay after the mother of the pilot, Col. The Enola Gay is a B-29 Superfortress, which pilot Paul Tibbets named after his mother, and which had been stripped of everything but the necessities, so as to be thousands of pounds lighter than. Sweeney and his Bock's Car crew dropped the second atomic bomb, 'Fat Man,' on Nagasaki. Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb, 'Little Boy,' was dropped at 8:15 a.m. This past August 6 was the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, which hastened the Japanese surrender during World War II. In the early-morning hours, the cloud cover was minimal over Hiroshima, the primary target. Osmond, Radio Operator.PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. Paul Tibbets, Jr., Pilot Major Theodore J. It was flown by the pilot, Paul Tibbets who named the plane after his mother. Just how many Japs did we kill I honestly have the feeling or groping for words to explain this or I might. The Enola Gay is a B-29 bomber that was used in the bombing of Japan. That unprovoked attack united this nation as nothing had before. Paul Tibbets Jr., the pilot of the Enola Gay, has refrained from publicly getting involved in the debate over the airplane, named. Please see the Ordering & Use page at for additional information.ĭescription Enola Gay crew, commanded by Col. Hiroshima, By Robert Lewis, Co Pilot Of Enola Gay. As Enola Gays pilot, Tibbets said Pearl Harbor was the animating force for his mission. Since the controversy began about a year ago, retired Brig. Images available for reproduction and use. Title Enola Gay crew Alternative Title Security Pacific National Bank Photo CollectionĬollection Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection