She witnessed his humanity, realizing that the war itself was what she truly hated, not necessarily this man who was expressing his regret for the orders he had carried out. Seeing the emotional testament of Captain Lewis helped Koko Kondo forgive him. Kiyoshi Tanimoto shaked Captain Lewis’ hand on “This is Your Life” with host Ralph Edwards. Tanimoto who eagerly received his handshake. Edwards, I wrote down later…”, Captain Lewis stopped again as his voice quivered and he wiped the sweat from his forehead before saying, “…my God, what have we done.” Captain Lewis then offered his hand to Rev.
#WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY TV#
The TV host Ralph Edwards intervened saying, “And you entered something in your log at that time…” Captain Lewis continued, “As I said before, Mr. Koko Kondo stopped her approach when she saw the tears forming in the eyes of Captain Lewis. Shortly after, we had turned back to see what had happened, and there in front of our eyes, the city of Hiroshima disappeared.” Captain Lewis was visibly upset and was silent for several moments. And then the two concussion waves hit the ship. We turned fast to get away from the deadly radiation and bomb effects. Captain Lewis said, “At 8:15 promptly, the bomb was dropped. His voice was shaky, as if he were trying to complete the mission of retelling history without breaking down in tears. Koko Kondo began to walk towards him, intending to confront him for all the pain that he had caused. Lewis of the Enola Gay crew that dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima.Ĭaptain Lewis now entered the stage to retell his recollection of the day of the Hiroshima bombing. Koko Kondo glared at Captain Lewis with intense hatred. She asked her mother, “who is that man?” Her mother told her that he was the captain on the B-29 bomber that was responsible for the Hiroshima blast. The 10 year old Koko Kondo was also waiting backstage when she saw Captain Lewis. Tanimoto’s wife and children to America to surprise him on live TV. Lewis, the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, who then waited backstage while Edwards began the next segment. Desination: Hiroshima.” It was the voice of Captain Robert A. “At zero six hundred, on the morning of August the 6 th, 1945, I was in a B-29 flying over the Pacific. In the background, the eerie sound of an air raid siren goes off, followed by the voice of a mystery man behind a privacy screen. Tanimoto to share his story of surviving the atomic bomb and about his work helping the Hiroshima Maidens, the women who were disfigured from the bomb blast. Tanimoto was the special guest on the American TV show “This is Your Life”. Minister, he devoted his life to peacemaking and establishing the Hiroshima Peace Center. Included her siblings and her father, Rev. Miraculously, her whole family survived the atomic bomb,
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Kondo’s house was leveled by the blast, but somehow she and her mother both survived. The bomb, nicknamed “Littleīoy”, delivered an explosion equivalent to 12-15,000 tons of dynamite. Gay had just detonated the first atomic bomb ever used in combat over the city A flash of light that Van Kirk likened to a photographer's flashbulb engulfed the cabin.Koko Kondo (nea Tanimoto) was 8 months old when she wasīuried in rubble, trapped in her mother’s arms. Tibbets executed a diving turn to avoid the blast effects, but the Enola Gay was buffeted by a pair of shock waves. His navigating skills had brought the Enola Gay to its target only a few seconds behind schedule at the conclusion of a 6½-hour flight.įerebee released the bomb, known as Little Boy, and 43 seconds later, at 1890 feet above ground zero, it exploded in a nuclear inferno, leaving tens of thousands dead or dying and turning Hiroshima into scorched devastation. Van Kirk, who had also familiarised himself with Hiroshima's landmarks, leaned over Ferebee's shoulder and confirmed he was correct.
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The bombardier, Major Thomas Ferebee, said, "I got it," announcing that the Enola Gay was over his aiming point, the T-shaped Aioi Bridge. At 8.15 am Japan time, it reached Hiroshima, a city of 250,000 and the site of an important army headquarters. When the Enola Gay reached Iwo Jima as the sun rose, it began an ascent to 31,000 feet. Theodore Van Kirk, navigator of the Enola Gay, pictured here in 2010.