A man that I know said that he was training for that invasion, and he, along with everyone training with him, knew that they were training to die. When is the same thing going to happen to Japan?Īllied forces were getting closer to the Japanese mainland, and Truman’s advisers were telling him that an invasion could lead to a million casualties. As the war in the Pacific went on, the American people were getting restless. It was then that he learned of the Manhattan Project and the weapons that it had created. He had become president a few months before and around the same time Germany had surrendered. The man who had given the order was President Harry Truman. In August of 1945, the orders came through to complete the mission. It was a war that every side tried to win at all costs.Īt some point, Van Kirk found himself training in the Pacific and being told that the mission being planned could end this war – a war that had cost millions of lives and people wanted to bring to an end. It was a war where the killing of civilians became military practice for all sides. What does all of this mean? By 1945, Van Kirk had spent 25% of his life with the world fighting the largest war in history. That is more than were killed at Hiroshima. Dresden was bombed into oblivion, and over 100,000 people were killed. I have no idea of his targets, but I know that the Allies bombed German cities. Undoubtedly, these were harrowing missions. Did he volunteer? Did he get drafted? I do not know, but I know he was trained as a navigator for bombers.ĭuring his time in uniform, Van Kirk flew 25 bombing missions over Europe and North Africa. It was an attack of the island of Oahu, which probably killed civilians. In 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor, but it was not only an attack of the naval base. He could not have known about the Holocaust. He may also been reading about the Japanese advances in Asia and their killing of civilians. He probably heard news reports of the war in Europe where Germany was bombarding London, invading Russia and killing civilians. World War II began in 1939 when he was 18 years old. When I read the Twitter responses, I tried to put myself in the place of Van Kirk. Take away 70 years of hindsight and make a decision. Then, I ask them to put themselves in the places of the people involved. Undoubtedly, they say that they would not have done it. At some point, I ask them what they would have done if they were part of the decision-making process. During this discussion, we talk about the bombings of Japan and their aftermath.
We sit outside of a museum housed in one of the original buildings and discuss the Manhattan Project. However, I was taken aback by the hatred aimed at “Dutch” Van Kirk, who was a 24-year old navigator following orders.Įach May, a few other teachers and I lead a field trip class to New Mexico and, as part of the trip, visit Los Alamos, the place where the atomic bombs were built. It was a momentous event in history and, obviously, was not humanity’s finest hour. People lived under the shadow of the bomb, and little kids learned to “Duck and Cover” at school. In the years that followed, more destructive weapons were developed, and two Super Powers pointed them at each other during the Cold War. Tens of thousands of people died instantly and more died from the radioactive effects. Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk was the last surviving crew member of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and introduced the world to nuclear weapons. What could lead to such hatred toward an elderly man who had just passed away? However, something told me that I needed to read these. Everyone has opinions about the news of the world, and Twitter provides a platform for sharing. When the news of his death came over the Associated Press Twitter feed, I read the article and read the replies by people in the Twitterverse. The widower was retired from the DuPont Corporation and left behind a loving family.
A few days ago, a 93-year old man passed away in Georgia.