Monday saw the passing of the last surviving member of the crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, ending World War II.
Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk died Monday of natural causes at the age of 93 at the retirement home where he lived in Stone Mountain, Georgia, according to Fox News. While Van Kirk flew almost 60 missions, none were as historic as his participation in the navigation of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb deployed over the city of Hiroshima in Japan on Aug. 6, 1945.
He was 24 years old when he served in the mission, which he said went perfectly in an interview with The Associated Press in 2005. He added that he guided the bomb through the sky only 15 seconds behind schedule, and that once it was dropped, he and his crewmates wanted to escape for their lives. They weren't sure if the bomb was going to work or, if it did, whether the shockwave would take the plane down, along with everyone in it.
The explosion killed 140,000 in Hiroshima, and was followed three days later by a second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, which killed 80,000 people, The Associated Press reported. The second drop was followed six days later by Japan's surrender.
Van Kirk said in the 2005 interview that he believed the atomic bomb saved lives in the long run, and that most of the lives saved were Japanese.
However, the experience made him less supportive of war, Fox News reported.
"The whole World War II experience shows that wars don't settle anything. And atomic weapons don't settle anything," he said. "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, I want to have one more than my enemy," he added.
Tom Van Kirk, Theodore's son, said he and his siblings treasured having such an incredible father, who stayed active until his passing, USA Today reported.
"I know he was recognized as a war hero, but we just knew him as a great father," he said.
The 2012 book "My True Course", written by Suzanne Dietz, discusses Van Kirk's military career. Dietz described him in the book as energetic, extremely bright and having a great sense of humor, Fox News reported.
She added in an interview about the book that "was like sitting with your father at the kitchen table listening to him tell stories."
A funeral service for Van Kirk has been scheduled for Aug. 5th in Northumberland, Penn., his hometown. He will be buried next to his wife, who died in 1975, and the burial will be private.
