I have a very great respect for the men who flew those two missions. It must have been fearsome to fly into the skies over Japan carrying a weapon on its first use, not knowing what the result or effect would be once deployed. They weren't even sure they themselves would be victims of the blast. Consider, also, how fearsome it must have been to carry in the minds the awesome and horrible devastation unleashed by them on those two cities...
His passing also serves as a further reminder of the rapidly dwindling numbers of those veterans who served in WW2. To Van Kirk and the members of those two crews, rest in peace, and thank you for service above and beyond...
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