Theodore Van Kirk, last crew member of Enola Gay, dies

[Territt16]

Sad to see the last hero from the Enola Gay that ended WW2 pass away, but I guess 93 isn't a bad age to die.

www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/29/enola-gay-atomic-bomb-crew-van-kirk-dies-93

[telsa]

hmmh - The facts, first
On 6 August 1945 an American B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. In a split second 100,000 people ceased to exist. Three days later another B-29 dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, killing another 40,000.

I hold no malice for him, but could one not see this rather as the ushering in the nuclear age, which is not to be celebrated as an heroic act. Sympathies to the Japanese who suffered in this - which was not an act that ended the war - Japan was already in its knees - but an assertion of a new world order.

[Territt16]

Japan had sworn to "fight to the last man" and it was widely believed that they would virtually do it, as I said projected casualties were expected to be as high as 1 million US and 10 million Japanese, surrender was nowhere in sight.

They asked Japan to surrender, Japan swore to fight to the death.
They dropped a nuke and asked again, Japan swore to fight to the death.
They dropped a nuke and asked again, The Japanese parliament agreed by split decision, and only because the emperor personally recommended surrender.

So by dropping two bombs they saved up to a million American lives.

[dawndonnaagain]

WW2 had already finished. The order for the bomb to be dropped was issued whilst Truman was returning from the Potsdam conference. One war finished, another about to.
They were not heroes, the devastation and repurcussions continue until this day. As stated above, I hold no malice.
Sympathies to all.

[Madcatgirl]

Ww2 had finished apart from the pacific theatre. The Japanese would have fought on, only last year a Japanese man was pulled out of the jungle still fighting ww2.

Was he a hero? Possibly, possibly not, but it's very hard to judge his actions from the comfort and safety of today. The Japanese had rampaged over Asia, the alternative was to keep on fighting them.

I wonder what he would say about his role in ushering in the Cold War?

[Onesleeptillwembley]

The Japanese had vowed to go on. And they would have. Therefore I can see the reason the bombs were dropped. However, putting these men on such a high pedestal is inherently distasteful. They did their jobs, flying in those days was brave, but to celebrate this act in this way is wrong.
It's also a strange thing to say 'saved a million American lives'. Do only American lives matter? Not the allies?