This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses. From 2010 to his death in 2014, Van Kirk was the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew. The bomber, which was named after pilot Paul. After the war, Van Kirk completed degrees in chemical engineering at Bucknell University and held various technical and managerial positions in research and marketing at DuPont for the next thirty-five years. NILES The Enola Gay was the first B-29 bomber that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. In August 1945, he served as the navigator of the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, when it dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Late in 1944, he reunited with Tibbets and Ferebee at Wendover Air Force Base, Utah, as part of the 509th Composite Group. After flying 58 missions in Europe, Van Kirk returned to the United States in 1943 as an instructor navigator.
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Theodore Dutch Van Kirk was the navigator on this historic. There he met pilot Paul Tibbets and bombardier Tom Ferebee. On 6 August 1945 the crew of the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. In 1942, he transferred to the 97th Bomb Group, which flew B-17 Flying Fortresses out of England. Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk (1921-2014) was born in Pennsylvania and joined the Army Air Force Aviation Program in October 1941.
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These orders transferred Captain Van Kirk from the Instructional School to Wendover Field, Utah, where he would be part of the “Silver Plate Project,” the code name for the pilot and crew training program for the atomic bomb missions. 277, October 3, 1944, assigning Van Kirk to “Silver Plate Project” at Wendover Field, Utah, signed in margin by Van Kirk as “Dutch Van Kirk / Navigator – Enola Gay / 6 Aug. Navigator Theodore Dutch Van Kirk, bombardier Thomas Ferebee and radio operator Richard H. Only one is alive.He was the navigator on the Enola gay.
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Enola Gay Navigator Dutch Van Kirk Assigned to “Silver Plate Project” THEODORE “DUTCH” VAN KIRK. Enola Gay's crew on 6 August 1945 consisted of 12 men: Colonel Paul W.