Van Kirk agreed, becoming navigator for the Enola Gay-the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, marking the beginning of the atomic age-under Tibbets' command. As Van Kirk later recalled, in an interview with Time: 'He told me, ‘We’re going to do something that I can’t tell you about right now, but if it works, it will end or significantly shorten the war.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, buddy, I’ve heard that before.’ ” He had already retired from combat duty and was working as an instructor in New Orleans when Paul Tibbets, a good friend, approached him and asked if he'd be part of 'a top-secret bombing mission,' the LA Times continues. Van Kirk was involved in 58 World War II combat missions. Captain Theodore 'Dutch' Van Kirk, the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew, died Monday at an assisted living facility in Georgia, the Los Angeles Times reports.
