World War II United States Army Officer. He served as the Radar Countermeasure Officer aboard the B-29 Superfortress bomber “Enola Gay”, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945, and served the same duty on board the B-29 “Bock’s Car” when it dropped the atomic bomb “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. He was the only man to be part of both aircrews that dropped the first nuclear weapons used in war. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in December 1941 he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, and due to his mechanical engineering background was assigned to the Manhattan Project, the wartime program in the United States to develop nuclear weapons. In December 1944 he was assigned to the 509th Composite Air Group, the unit that trained to drop the newly developed atom bombs. After his part in the missions that dropped the bombs on Japan, he retired from the service with the rank of Lieutenant.
World War II United States Army Officer. He served as the Radar Countermeasure Officer aboard the B-29 Superfortress bomber “Enola Gay”, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945, and served the same duty on board the B-29 “Bock’s Car” when it dropped the atomic bomb “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. He was the only man to be part of both aircrews that dropped the first nuclear weapons used in war. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in December 1941 he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, and due to his mechanical engineering background was assigned to the Manhattan Project, the wartime program in the United States to develop nuclear weapons. In December 1944 he was assigned to the 509th Composite Air Group, the unit that trained to drop the newly developed atom bombs. After his part in the missions that dropped the bombs on Japan, he retired from the service with the rank of Lieutenant.
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