Enola Gay revisited...
I had the unique privileged last night of attending a lecture by "Dutch," Van Kirk, the Enola Gay's navigator on her historic mission. Dutch is the last surviving member of the crew and for a man of 87 years he is doing amazing! He is very mobile and extremely well spoken. He talked for 2 hours about his life and experiences, and the necessity of dropping the bomb- this he did without note cards, power point or any modern amenities. Listening to him speak was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I knew that I was truly in the presence of an american hero. During the question and answer session many veterans stood to thank him. Many of them had been prepping for the amphibious invasion of Japan and rightly assumed that the dropping of the bomb saved their lives. It was truly touching. One of the gentlemen sitting in the row in front of me had not served in in the military during WWII but had worked as a machinist out at Los Alamos: He built one of the bombs that ended the war! To make the experience even more amazing the gentlemen sitting to my right showed up in his dress greens!! They still fit after 60 odd years. He was an infantrymen from the 3rd infantry division (the same division i served with in iraq). I greeted him with the traditional 3rd ID greeting "Rock of the Marne Sergeant!!" It was amazing to listen to him tell his story. He had enlisted and come in as an E1 private. He fought with the 3rd division all through Italy, Southern France and Belgium. He was wounded 3 times, and each time patched back up and sent back to the front. By the time the war was ended he was Sergeant First Class acting as platoon leader. We are losing our greatest generation at such a rate that it is very rare where one speak with these true heroes, let alone have so many of them gathered in one place, and willing to speak about their experiences. 17 hours later I am still in awe of the experience.
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Wow!! That was a rare experience!! 0 -
Totally totally beyond cool!!! I would have loved to have been there too. 0 -
I am a History major and my favorite time of history is 1935 - 1965. I would really loved to have been in the audience and heard the man speak. 0 -
What a great experience. Those WWII guys were true HEROES.
As a volunteer at the Spruce Goose Museum ( www.sprucegoose.org ). I have the privilege of working beside roughly 100 WWII Vets, from all the Services. Their stories constantly fascinate me.
Those WWII Vets all around the Country,are dying at the rate of 1,000 per day.
We truly owe these Men a debt that can never be repaid.
Doug0 -
I'm envious. That would definately be a evening to remember. 0 -
For those that do not know, The Enola Gay is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum/ Udvar-Hazy Center at Dullas Airport, Virginia. It is a magnificent place to visit.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/
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I always used to love taking the new students at NNPTC, Charleston over to Patriots Point on Tuesday mornings. All of the WWII and Korean War vets would show up and while the students were doing the film and tour part, we would hang out drinking coffee and those men would tell stories. I was like a starry-eyed little kid every time, even if I had heard the story a hundred times.
My best experience like that was when I was still on the boat and we had a bunch of American and German WWII submariners come on board for a Tiger cruise. Three straight days of stories that made me proud to be a submariner.0 -
quote:Originally posted by ripley16
For those that do not know, The Enola Gay is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum/ Udvar-Hazy Center at Dullas Airport, Virginia. It is a magnificent place to visit.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/
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WHEN DID THEY PUT HER BACK TOGETHER? This is outstanding, i was of of the assumption that the Enola Gay was still on display with just the nose section!0 -
I am privileged to own a Colt Official Police .38 revolver that was issued (by the Defense Production Corp) to the Boeing Aircraft Company, Retton WA in 1944. It was assigned to the Plant Protection Division. That is where the Enola Gay was built in 1945. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by PATBUZZARD
quote:Originally posted by ripley16
For those that do not know, The Enola Gay is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum/ Udvar-Hazy Center at Dullas Airport, Virginia. It is a magnificent place to visit.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/
WHEN DID THEY PUT HER BACK TOGETHER? This is outstanding, i was of of the assumption that the Enola Gay was still on display with just the nose section!
It has taken years and was mainly accomplished at the other Smithsonian location that few people are aware of in Suitland Maryland. This is where the restoration work gets done. A very interesting tour in it's own right. The final restoration was unveiled at the the opening of the UHC a few years ago.
BTW, the above picture shows about 1/3 of the hanger. It's a big place.[:D]0 -
PATBUZZARD -
I think you are a little mixed up. The Enola Gay's nose wasn't on display at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in downtown DC, that was the B-26 "Flak Bait", whose foward fuselage is still on display in the A&S, although there was a notation that it was the be diplayed fully assembled at Udvar/Hazy at some time in the future.
The Enola Gay was stored at Silver Hill, MD., where the Smithsonian was doing their restorations. IIRC the future restorations will be done at U/H...when I was there in the spring they has a Super Connie outside being worked on...coolest looking airliner ever IMHO.
COL (at the time) Paul Tibbets just passed away recently, another one of that great generation to pass into the twilight...0 -
Congrats Pat, I envy you. I live in a little hick town so things like this never happen. I would take advantage if it did. There is nothing you can say about the WWII generation that is good enough. All I can say is, I love 'em, wish I was one of 'em. 0 -
I spent every day for 3 weeks in the Air and Space years ago (1996?). I'm sure they had the cabin section of the Enola Gay on display along with one engine and the prop on the wall with a blacked out 26 foot circle swept out by the prop. When no one was looking I leaned over the rail and put my hand on the tail fin. They had a little sitting area there where I would rest and watch the Japannese tourest. Very interesting. The sign explained that the plane was too big to display and the other parts were being rebuilt. In Boise 1992 or so I was out side and heard the roar of a round motor (I grew up with the PW R-985). Looking up I saw a big plane I never saw before, close by was a twin tail that I could reconize as a B-24, and deduced the larger one was a B-29. The 24 was Elenor Roosevelt's Transport, don't remember the 29 story. Thank God for the Confederate Air Force 0 -
quote:I spent every day for 3 weeks in the Air and Space years ago (1996?). I'm sure they had the cabin section of the Enola Gay
charliemeyer007,
Perhaps you are remembering the B26. Check this link to exhibits at Smithsonian.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal205/index.cfm0 -
They also had 2 of the four red safety plugs from the bomb that they found in the plane's bombbay. I don't they ever carried a nuke in a B26. My film got lost from that trip, I was sad because it had one of me next to the V2. I'm sure they claimed it was EG parts on display. The Hamilton adjustable prop was specificed by Tibbits or so the sign said. The tears in the eyes of folks that lost family in that mission were unforgetable. 0 -
Bockscar (the one that dropped the second bomb) is on display in Dayton OH at the air and space museum-its a cool place as well 0 -
Bochscar.
I saw the nose of the Enola Gay on display.
Doug0 -
I also saw the separated nose on display. The fuselage may have been at the Garber Restoration Facility.
If you're into aviation history, that's a tour worth taking.0
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