War is hell indeed, and the pain inflicted on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was no greater than that suffered by countless millions during the six years from 1939 to 1945. However, these persons would do well to remember Sherman’s words. All 12 men who flew aboard the Enola Gay that morning are now gone. The Enola Gay was back in the news last week with the passing of its last-living crew member, navigator Theodore Dutch Van Kirk, at the age of 93. The 9,000lb uranium-235 bomb exploded 1,900 feet above ground, killing between 60,000 and 80,000 people instantly. My God, what have we done The words of Captain Robert Lewis record the horror and awe of the Enola Gays crew as they witnessed the birth of the atomic. 6, 1945, died Monday of natural causes at the Park Springs Retirement Community in Stone Mountain, Ga. Theodore Van Kirk, who served as the navigator aboard the Enola Gay on Aug. To this day, some critics condemn President Truman’s decision to use nuclear weapons. Another 60,000 would die of radiation poisoning within months. The flight crew of the Enola Gay before setting off to drop the Atomic Bomb. The last surviving crew member of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan near the end of World War II, has died. Today the Enola Gay is on display in a hangar at Washington Dulles international Airport. Officials did put the aircraft’s fuselage on display in 1995 several protesters were later arrested for throwing red paint, ash, and blood on the display.ĭespite the controversy, the planes restoration continued. Enola Gay Crew, Autographed Photo Enola Gay Crew. Controversy led to the event’s cancellation. Home Museum Library Radiation Basics Search this site Search. However, both the American Legion and the Air Force Association objected to elements of the planned exhibit, saying that they focused too much attention on the death and damage caused by the bombing. The next interviewee is Commander Frederick Ashworth, who was part of the crew that dropped the second atom bomb on Nagasaki.
The Colonel then describes his experiences in a very calm way. In 1995, the Smithsonian planned to display the aircraft in observance of the 50th anniversary of World War II’s end. The clip opens with an interview with Colonel Paul Tebbits, the officer in charge of the bomb group that dropped the Hiroshima Bomb. Restoration of the Enola Gay began on December 5, 1984. His aircraft was transferred to an airbase in Roswell, New Mexico.Īfter the war, it was sent to Davis-Moncton Air Force Base in Arizona, and from there to various locations until 1961, when the Smithsonian took possession of its dismantled components. Colonel Tibbets landed his plane on a base at Tinian after a total of 12 hours and 13 minutes in flight, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross soon thereafter. The Enola Gay and its two companion aircraft returned safely from their mission.