Last Crew Member Of Enola Gay Dies
- Thread starter tbradsim1
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They were brave men, who did what had to be done, they took many thousands of lives....but they also saved many millions of lives, both American and Japanese.
"Thank God we had men like him in WWII..."
Too true, Bradley.
I'm glad you had the opportunity to meet him and I know you shook his hand and said, "Thank you."
Good looking grandson, pal.
Fnord
Too true, Bradley.
I'm glad you had the opportunity to meet him and I know you shook his hand and said, "Thank you."
Good looking grandson, pal.
Fnord
That couldn't have been an easy job. I wonder if the historical significance of their role crossed their mind during the flight. A lot of people had to be a part of creating and developing the bombs, but only a handful could actually say they took it there and dropped it. They became a direct player in one of the biggest moments in human history.
HUMAN history, not just American history. That is some real heavy shit to carry with you for a lifetime.
HUMAN history, not just American history. That is some real heavy shit to carry with you for a lifetime.
We owe so much to guys like this....... Its easy for us to forget how much HELL they went through to protect our freedoms, which sadly, most of us take for granted. R.I.P. Mr. Van Kirk, and THANK YOU!! :worship:
RIP Mr. Van Kirk, and thank you. Is it just me, or does the grandson in the photo look like he gets it?
Miserable decision, but between thousands or millions...
Miserable decision, but between thousands or millions...
Sim he knows his Great Grandfather, Grand Father, Father served in War time, loves history, had a lot of conversations with him about what Freedom costs, yes he gets it. Thanks for the observation.
That's good news. I wish we had more young men like him.
My uncle was a bomb-aimer/navigator in a Wellington, my oapa a medic at Tobruk. My mom was little, she just got bombed in Manchester. Lived down the street from the 'secret' Fairey factory everybody knew about. The Germans tried many times, but as far as she remembers, never hit it. Not sure if that actually helped or hurt the Allies - Faireys were crap! Maybe except for that one fortunate torpedo...
My uncle was a bomb-aimer/navigator in a Wellington, my oapa a medic at Tobruk. My mom was little, she just got bombed in Manchester. Lived down the street from the 'secret' Fairey factory everybody knew about. The Germans tried many times, but as far as she remembers, never hit it. Not sure if that actually helped or hurt the Allies - Faireys were crap! Maybe except for that one fortunate torpedo...
The crew were fully briefed on their mission, didn't know if they would survive, and undertook it anyway. The meaning of heroism.
Rsuninv:
There's also a wonderful B-29 memorial at the airport in Great Bend, Kansas. So many crews trained there during WWII and Paul Tibbets was there with the Enola Gay crew for over a year.
http://b29memorial.com/
SW Kansas is chockablock full of small, one traffic light towns with aging, now unusable 10,000 foot runways to accommodate all of the four engine heavies built in Wichita during the war. (Quality control pilots had to land somewhere when things went sideways.)
Fnord
There's also a wonderful B-29 memorial at the airport in Great Bend, Kansas. So many crews trained there during WWII and Paul Tibbets was there with the Enola Gay crew for over a year.
http://b29memorial.com/
SW Kansas is chockablock full of small, one traffic light towns with aging, now unusable 10,000 foot runways to accommodate all of the four engine heavies built in Wichita during the war. (Quality control pilots had to land somewhere when things went sideways.)
Fnord
My grandfather was a Marine in WWII and never talked a lot about his service, but I remember him telling me that he saw the Enola Gay take off on it's infamous mission. At that time, most people on the island had no idea what was happening or what the mission was until the deed had been done. Just thinking of that gives me the chills. May Theo rest in peace, along with all of the other brave souls who have defended our country and our freedoms.
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