Robert A. Lewis (c. 1918-June 18, 1983) was a United States Air Force Officer serving in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO was the World War II military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it a geographic scope World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
Lewis grew up in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey and attended Ridgefield Park High School there, graduating in 1937. Ridgefield Park is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Ridgefield Park High School is a six-year comprehensive Public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Ridgefield Park, in Bergen [1]
Lewis had lived in Smithfield, Virginia for two years before his death of a heart attack at a hospital in Newport News, Virginia. Smithfield is an Incorporated town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River [2]
The Hiroshima Bombing
On 6 August 1945 Captain Lewis was the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress bomber which dropped the atomic bomb Little Boy on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar In Commercial aviation, the first officer is the second pilot (sometimes referred to as the "co-pilot" of an Aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Little Boy was the Codename of the Atomic bomb, developed via the "Manhattan Project" which was dropped on Hiroshima, on August 6 1945 by the The Japanese city of ( is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest of Japan 's Normally the aircraft commander assigned to the Enola Gay, for this important mission he acted as co-pilot, assisting Enola Gay's new aircraft commander Colonel Paul Tibbets. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr ( February 23, 1915 &ndash November 1, 2007) was a Brigadier general in the United States Air Force
In 1990, an item described as the log from the Hiroshima mission was offered for auction by Christie's by Lewis' widow. Christie's is a leading art business and a fine arts Auction house The validity of the log could not be confirmed, as there were alternate claims for an authentic version of the Enola Gay's log. [3] The log was bought at auction in 1971 for $37,000, and then purchased in 1978 by Malcolm Forbes for $85,000, for what was then a record price for an American autographed document. Malcolm Stevenson Forbes ( August 19, 1919 – February 24, 1990) was Publisher of Forbes magazine, founded by [2]
Guest Appearance
On May 11, 1955 Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Japanese minister who had been living in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing and survived the explosion of 6 August 1945, was the subject of an episode of the American show of 'This Is Your Life. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) This Is Your Life was a television documentary series hosted by its producer Ralph Edwards. ' After meeting various friends, family members and former colleagues and parishioners, Reverend Tanimoto's special guest at the end of the night was Captain Lewis, by now retired, representing the crew of the aircraft that had so dramatically changed his life. [4]
By now Robert Lewis was working as a personnel manager for Henry Heide, a confectionary company. Lewis described Enola Gay's flight and the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima. When asked if he remembered his reaction on that fateful day, he remarked:
(In the official log) "I wrote down the words, 'My God, what have we done?'"
References
- ^ Fosdick, George. History of Ridgefield Park High School, Ridgefield Park Jr. / Sr. High School Alumni Association. Accessed February 12, 2008. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common "Bud Lewis �37 was the co-pilot of the Enola Gay Aircraft which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, leading to the end of World War II, a war in which over 1,000 RPHS graduates served. Many years later, when questioned about his role in WWII, Lewis commented, 'I would rather be remembered for being a member of RPHS Championship Football Team than for being the co-pilot of that plane. '"
- ^ a b Grusin, Lindsey. "ROBERT A. LEWIS, 65, CO-PILOT ON MISSION OVER HIROSHIMA", The New York Times, June 20, 1983. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Accessed February 12, 2008. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ "Enola Gay Log at Christie's Is Disputed", The New York Times, December 7, 1990. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Accessed February 12, 2008. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Rakoff, David. "THEATER; Hiroshima Bomber and Victims: This Is Your (Puppet's) Life", The New York Times, January 11, 2004. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Accessed February 12, 2008. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic