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Last living crew member of Enola Gay dies in Georgia at age 93
Fox News ^
| July 29, 2014
| N/A
Posted on 07/30/2014 4:22:58 AM PDT by Freeport
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Thank you sir.
1
posted on
07/30/2014 4:22:58 AM PDT
by
Freeport
To: Freeport
Godspeed sir.
May God rest his immortal soul, and bring comfort to his family.
2
posted on
07/30/2014 4:25:37 AM PDT
by
thesearethetimes...
(Had I brought Christ with me, the outcome would have been different. Dr.Eric Cunningham)
To: Freeport
God rest ‘Dutch’ VanKirk’s soul. And thank him for his service.
3
posted on
07/30/2014 4:51:19 AM PDT
by
Rummyfan
(Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
To: Freeport
I remember some lib teacher in high school telling us that all of the crew commit suicide or became drunks from guilt.
4
posted on
07/30/2014 4:54:58 AM PDT
by
CrazyIvan
(I lost my phased plasma rifle in a tragic hovercraft accident.)
To: Freeport
RIP Sir.
You helped end more bloodshed in that most horrible war of all time.
Though many revisionists today try to paint the use of the bomb as an evil manifestation of US Industrial military might, those of us who studied History well know that what you did throughout WWII and on August 6th were absolutely necessary and saved millions of additional lives.
Thank you for making our post-war world a safe, stable and prosperous one.
5
posted on
07/30/2014 4:57:02 AM PDT
by
Netz
To: CrazyIvan
They probably saved the Japanese race from being wiped from the face of the earth. In 1945, the Japanese were so despised, and Bull Halsey said that the only place Japanese would be spoken "was in hell". They would've fanatically defended their island, the same way they defended Tarawa, Okinawa, and IwoJima.
The A-Bomb got their attention. Also, it prevented the USSR from turning Japan into "North Japan/South Japan".
To: Netz
You are right, and people forget the small detail that Nagasaki was necessary because the Japanese refused to even consider surrender, after having several days to see the damage wrought by the first bomb on Hiroshima.
Such was the fanaticism and dedication of the Japanese.
It is not hyperbole to say that avoiding a land invasion of Japan saved a million lives.
7
posted on
07/30/2014 5:17:16 AM PDT
by
caddie
To: Freeport
Cannot believe these guys - those still with us - are this old now.
8
posted on
07/30/2014 5:26:36 AM PDT
by
skeeter
To: caddie
It is not hyperbole to say that avoiding a land invasion of Japan saved a million lives.That's just on the American/Allies side. I've read estimates that a land invasion would have caused upwards of 5 million Japanese civilian casualties.
In advance of a planned invasion, the War Department placed an order for 500,000 Purple Hearts. After nearly 70 years, that inventory has yet to be exhausted.
9
posted on
07/30/2014 5:35:25 AM PDT
by
Night Hides Not
(Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Mississippi!)
To: caddie
Looks like today's Japanese style fanaticism is manifested in Islam, no? What will it take to stop their current Jihad all over the planet? Where are the Curtis LeMay’s, Patton's and Paul Tibbets’? Where is our backbone and need to survive?
10
posted on
07/30/2014 6:16:40 AM PDT
by
Netz
To: Freeport
"I personally think there shouldn't be any atomic bombs in the world -- I'd like to see them all abolished."
"But if anyone has one," he added, "I want to have one more than my enemy."
Sound like a good philosophy on the subject...
To: CrazyIvan
My father mentored one of those depressed and suicidal men. Americans do not bomb innocents.
12
posted on
07/30/2014 6:48:29 AM PDT
by
amihow
To: amihow
What do you mean “suicidal”? This hero lived to 93. RIP. Thanks.
13
posted on
07/30/2014 6:57:31 AM PDT
by
ogen hal
(First amendment or reeducation camp)
To: Night Hides Not
My late father was on a yard mine sweeper headed toward Tokyo in August 1945, when, for unexplained reasons, his group was ordered back to Okinawa. He did not expect to survive the pending invasion of the Japanese mainland.
He told me once that his ship shot down a kamikaze while they were stationed off Okinawa. The plane hit the water, broke into pieces, and the cockpit section wound up on deck. Fortunately, no one on board was hurt. When they put out the fire, they looked at the body of the pilot, who they figured was no more than sixteen, and wondered what kind of people would send their kids out to kill themselves in this way....
14
posted on
07/30/2014 7:00:18 AM PDT
by
DickBrannigan
(When did logic become reversed, and right became wrong, and wrong became right?)
To: amihow
“Americans do not bomb innocents.”
A week prior to the atom bombing of Hiroshima the U.S. firebombed Tokyo killing an estimated 50-70,000 people. The difference was that Hiroshima took only one bomber and one bomb to kill roughly same number of people that several hundred bombers and thousands of bombs had done a week earlier. Furthermore, in a war like WWII who is to say is innocent? The Japanese Imperial Army and Navy, supported by the people back home, killed some thirty million people, mostly Asians, during that war. There no need to add several hundred thousand more people, American soldiers, to that total when it could be avoided.
15
posted on
07/30/2014 7:09:49 AM PDT
by
Jay Redhawk
("Good beer is proof that God loves us." Ben Franklin)
To: Freeport
A real hero. He may have saved thousands and thousands of lives; American and Japanese.
16
posted on
07/30/2014 10:09:36 AM PDT
by
Tolkien
(Grace is the Essence of the Gospel; Gratitude is the Essence of Ethics.)
To: Night Hides Not
That's just on the American/Allies side. I've read estimates that a land invasion would have caused upwards of 5 million Japanese civilian casualties. It also saved Japan from being divided into Soviet and American zones, with most likely a civil war resulting, just like Korea.
17
posted on
07/30/2014 10:12:40 AM PDT
by
dfwgator
To: Jay Redhawk
Their blood is on Tojo’s hands.
18
posted on
07/30/2014 10:14:12 AM PDT
by
dfwgator
To: MuttTheHoople
The sheer magnitude of the invasion of japan under the name “Olympic” was going to make D-Day look tiny.
over a THOUSAND ships.
over 1 million tons in supplies
and the alies casualties were anticipated to be high.
You are correct. It would have been to the death for both sides. It would be no touchy feely introspective hollyweird BS.
19
posted on
07/30/2014 10:19:24 AM PDT
by
longtermmemmory
(VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
To: Jay Redhawk
There were thousands of children.. if ppeople cannot see that is an unjust way to defend in war, we have lost American virtue.
20
posted on
07/30/2014 12:50:42 PM PDT
by
amihow
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