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Army, the crew of the Enola Gay is debriefed in Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands after returning from their atomic bombing mission over Hiroshima, Japan. 6, 1945 file photo made available by the U.S. (AP Photo) HOPD Show More Show Less 5 of5 FILE - In this Aug. Tom Van Kirk says his 93-year-old father, the last surviving member of a crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Stone Mountain, Ga. At foreground left, seated at the corner of the table, is Capt. Army, the crew of the Enola Gay is debriefed in Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands after returning from their mission over Hiroshima, Japan. (AP Photo/Max Desfor) Max Desfor/STF Show More Show Less 4 of5 FILE - In this Aug. Tom VanKirk says his 93-year-old father, the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew, died in Stone Mountain, Ga. atomic bombing mission against the Japanese city of Hiroshima. 6, 1945 file photo, the "Enola Gay" Boeing B-29 Superfortress lands at Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands after the U.S. Max Desfor/STF Show More Show Less 3 of5 FILE - In this Aug. (AP Photo/The Macon Telegraph, Beau Cabell, File) Beau Cabell/MBO Show More Show Less 2 of5 Theodore VanKirk guided the "Enola Gay" Boeing B-29 Superfortress to Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands, after the U.S.
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He was the last surviving member of a crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Tom Van Kirk says his 93-year-old father died in Stone Mountain, Ga. The navigator for the Enola Gay spoke about his experience guiding the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb. "To me they're like family.1 of5 FILE - In this file photo, Theodore "Dutch'' Van Kirk visits a veteran's group at the Golden Corral in Macon, Ga. "This was a labor of love," Robert Krauss said of escorting Van Kirk to signing sessions around the country. Krauss, of Buchanan, Mich., editors of "The 509th Remembered," which was being autographed by Van Kirk yesterday, have been acquainted with unit members since a reunion in 1990. Army Air Forces as a major in 1946 and worked 35 years for the Dupont Chemical Co. "I think anybody who has ever seen an atomic bomb explode would tell you we shouldn't have them. Though he fully appreciates the role that first bomb played in ending the war, Van Kirk said nuclear weapons should be a thing of the past. In spite of such concerns, Van Kirk said, "My only real concern was that the bomb might be a dud." "We didn't know if it would blow up the airplane or not," Van Kirk said, explaining that project scientists warned crewmen the plane would need to be at least nine miles from the blast to survive it. Handling the world's first nuclear weapon included a lot of uncertainly, he said. However, he added, "If you had any brains, you knew you were working on the atomic bomb." Van Kirk, 86, who now lives in Stone Mountain, Ga., said that while the 509th was training in Wendover, Utah, no one in the know ever said anything about an atomic bomb. Pilot Paul Tibbets, who recruited Van Kirk for the Enola Gay, died Nov. Of the nine crewmen, only Van Kirk survives. Morris Jeppson, of Las Vegas, Nev., one of three non-crewmen aboard the Enola Gay attached to the Manhattan Project, and responsible for arming the bomb. "There's only two left, and they ended the war for us," said event promoter Martin Fasack, referring to Van Kirk and Lt. An estimated 70,000 people lost their lives in the attack on Hiroshima, but many thousands more died of the effects of radiation in the years that followed.
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Drake, 62, of Bolton, Conn., referring to the 509th Composite Group, a unit formed to deliver the atomic bomb.ĭrake, who lost an uncle he never knew during the invasion of Leyte Island in January 1945, credited the dropping of the atomic bomb with ending the war quicker and with less loss of life. "This man right here, and what he did as part of that 509th Group, saved so many lives it's unbelievable," said Ike J.
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That's exactly what it is, and there never would've been an end (to World War II) if we hadn't done this." Air Force captain who flew transport planes during the Vietnam War, said, "War is hell. "I'm convinced that what they did was a selfless act that ended up saving more lives than it took," said Earl F. "Dutch" Van Kirk had nothing but praise for the plane's navigator and his role in helping bring hostilities to an end. 6, and Nagasaki three days later to end World War II, attendees at the show who sought autographs and photos from Theodore J. In spite of the historical controversy surrounding the destruction of Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, drew a crowd today at the Gun & Knife Show at the Big E's Better Living Center. By DAVID SPRINGFIELD - The last surviving crew member of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Aug.