Last Enola Gay crewman dies

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Captain Seafort
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Last Enola Gay crewman dies

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Beeb
The last surviving member of the US air crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima has died in Georgia aged 93.

Theodore Van Kirk, also known as "Dutch", was 24 when he became the navigator of the Enola Gay, the aircraft which dropped the bomb.

The attack on Japan on 6 August 1945 killed an estimated 140,000 people.

Van Kirk said he had "no regrets" about the mission and defended its morality, saying it helped to end the Second World War.

His son, Tom Van Kirk, paid tribute to his father, who he said remained active until the end of his life.

"I know he was recognized as a war hero, but we just knew him as a great father", he told AP.

Mr Van Kirk died of natural causes at the retirement home where he lived, his son said.

He had been the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew since 2010 when Morris Jeppson, the assistant weaponeer, died.

His funeral is expected to take place next week in Pennsylvania.

The bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy", was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare.

The only other instance came three days later when the crew of the Bockscar dropped the "Fat Man" bomb on another Japanese city, Nagasaki, killing an estimated 80,000.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

*Salutes*
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by Tsukiyumi »

Off to Valhalla. RIP.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by Teaos »

Worked the rest of his career as a middle manager for Du'pont. Interesting water cooler talk at that office I guess.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by McAvoy »

Always found the WW2 vets having mundane jobs th at we all would be amazed at. Then again, their office peers would have done something just as amazing.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by Mikey »

McAvoy wrote:Always found the WW2 vets having mundane jobs th at we all would be amazed at. Then again, their office peers would have done something just as amazing.
What did you think these guys were doing after their tours?
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

Yeah, that's a good point. Most of them probably just wanted to settle down, get back into civilian life and on with their lives.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by Mikey »

It's not even that... there was no GI bill, and their service was considered one or two tours. These guys had to got to waork in order to earn a living. You know that up until the early 1960's, MLB baseball players usually had to get jobs in the off-season?
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

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Mikey wrote:It's not even that... there was no GI bill, and their service was considered one or two tours. These guys had to got to waork in order to earn a living. You know that up until the early 1960's, MLB baseball players usually had to get jobs in the off-season?
I was aware of that fact, but not that it was until the 60's. To be honest, I wish it was still like that for them.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by Teaos »

Most sport players held actually jobs until professional sports became a thing gradually from the 60's onwards.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by Mikey »

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:
Mikey wrote:It's not even that... there was no GI bill, and their service was considered one or two tours. These guys had to got to waork in order to earn a living. You know that up until the early 1960's, MLB baseball players usually had to get jobs in the off-season?
I was aware of that fact, but not that it was until the 60's. To be honest, I wish it was still like that for them.
I've heard that guys like Joltin' Joe D. used to strive for the World Series every year, not just for pride and honor, but because they needed the bonus money. Then cam Curt Flood, and everything went aaaaah! in the other direction.
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Re: Last Enola Gay crewman dies

Post by McAvoy »

Mikey wrote:It's not even that... there was no GI bill, and their service was considered one or two tours. These guys had to got to waork in order to earn a living. You know that up until the early 1960's, MLB baseball players usually had to get jobs in the off-season?
Actually WW2 vets did have the GI Bill. Of course back then college was cheaper than it is now, proportionally.
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