COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: Richard O'Kane..".Killer O'Kane"
Sometimes you get a little sunshine out of dark clouds. After the dust up I encountered on treating the unloading of nuclear ordinance on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a lighthearted,inappropriate way... I got a ton of very interesting e-mail. Aparently our on line exchange found its' way onto some B-29 Association website and a lot of old veteran 29 crew members sent some kind words. One fellow had been a nineteen year old ball turret gunner on the incendiary drops preceding the unloading of Fat Man. He described the view from his belly blister position of the raging fires below and how the fires and the glow of the sky over Tokyo could be seen for twenty minutes after they had cleared the target area. One B-29 navigator became a Baptist minister....he made seven multi target runs before Hiroshima and dumped high explosive on pre-picked industrial targets. Then there was a close friend and shipmate who said "Dex, When then Capt Richard O'Kane, recieved his Medal of Honor at the White House...He leaned over and whispered in President Truman's ear,"Mr President some may condem you for dropping those bombs, buy Sir, I wouldn't be here today if you hadn't" Capt. O'Kane had been held captive in Japan and had become so imaciated and malnourished that he was on the verge of death...There are actual photos taken at the time of his stretcher being loaded into a MIKE boat by a crane. O'Kane looks like a "just about dead" man. I don't want to retrigger any discussions...cow pie flinging, but I do want to thank all the folks who sent me the nice communications you took time to send especially two WWII qualified men and the other post war Qualified men...And especially an old retired Florida fireman. Bless you all. Captain O'Kane was one of four MOH awardees who survived the War...Street, Ramage, O'Kane and the gentleman who just left us, Eugene Fluckey...the other three submarine officers who received their Medals of honor died at sea. Gentlemen we served in a proud service...with a gallant history and heritage. DEX |
Richard O'Kane..".Killer O'Kane"
