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Contact Info
Home Town Miami, Florida
Last Address Orlando, Florida
Date of Passing May 23, 2009
Location of Interment Miami Memorial Park - Miami, Florida
He was the co-pilot of Bockscar when it dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki Aug 9, 1945. Three days earlier he had flown as co-pilot on The Great Artiste which was a support aircraft on the Hiroshima A-bomb mission, thus being a witness to both bomb blasts. He was the normal aircraft commander of The Great Artiste but relinguished that position on the Aug 6 mission to his 393rd Bomb Gp. CO, Maj. Charles Sweeney, who was also his pilot on Aug 9.
WWII - Pacific Theater of Operations/Western Pacific Campaign (1944-45)
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Description (Western Pacific Campaign 15 June 1944 to 2 September 1945) Attacks on Truk, where the Japanese had a major base, continued as preparations were made for the invasion of the Marianas. The American troops that landed on Saipan on 15 June 1944 met bitter opposition; but, after a desperate Japanese counterattack on 7 July, organized resistance soon terminated. Tinian, invaded on 25 July, was won by I August. Guam, which had been seized by the Japanese on 10 December 1941, was invaded on 20 July and regained after 20 days of fighting. With the conquest of the Marianas, the United States gained valuable bases for an aerial offensive against Japan itself. To provide bases for operations against the Philipgines, the Palaus were invaded in mid-September. Later, aerial attacks were made on Formosa to support the invasion of the Philippines and Okinawa.