From the August 28, 2010, Atlanta Journal Constitution "Stone Mountain residents were major players at WWII's end" by Bill Torpy.
Both Theordore "Dutch" Vankirk and Jim Starnes, both in their 90s, live at Park Springs Retirement Home near Stone Mountain.
Vankirk was the navigator on the B-29 bomber Enola Gay August 6, 1945 when it dropped "Little Boy" on Hiroshima. Morris Jeppson of Michigan died in March so Vankirk is the only remaining member of the crew of 12.
Four weeks later, on September 2, 1945, Starnes was officer of the deck on the USS Missouri and greeted the Japanese officials at the surrender.
Said Starnes, "I like to say Dutch ended the war, and I made it official--got them to sign on the dotted line.
However, the two didn't meet until 2005.
How They Met. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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