Veterans relive bombing missions

TINIAN — The place seemed entirely familiar for U.S. Air Force veterans revisiting the Japan Air Raid Shelter area here Friday morning.

They had spent some seven months in this very domain 55 years ago, being members of the 505th Bomb Group, the first and only flying crew to finish all 35 bombing missions against Japanese forces.

Survived by three other crew members, only three of them made it to this year’s memorial dedication ceremony.

Together, the B-29 Empire Express’ Pilot Robert Minto Sr., Navigator Dean Mesnard, Tail Gunner Tom Duff paid homage to the Tinian Northfield, a first for most of them since they left the island to return to the states on July of 1945.

“I feel gratified that at long last we have a monument for our 505th bomb group. It’s wonderful to be back here,” said 76-year-old Mr. Minto Sr., who was accompanied by his son Robert Minto Jr.

The area looked relatively different for Mr. Duff, 79, who vividly remembered the Northfield runway clear from bushes and greenery.

“On the other side of the fields is one runway where our crew took off.

So when they get rolling down the runway in a car, I keep waiting for one car to go lift up,” said Mr. Duff, who said his trip to Tinian was his first in over 40 years.

Empire Express flew 15 straight hours at a time, leaving Tinian during the late at night and dropping bombs at 5:30 a.m.

“All I remember is that we dropped the bombs and we hung on to our seats and we went straight up,” said B-29 navigator Mr. Mesnard.
The plane they flew carried a cluster of bombs which was capable of dropping 1,540 fire bombs.

“Each plane burned a half a mile wide and a mile and a half long and that’s a lot of burning” Mr. Mesnard added.

“We flew quite a number of bombing missions, and they were always very spectacular and they were flown at night and everything down below is in flames. I remember that very well.
They were otherwise uneventful for us. Our crew was never hit, I don’t think we were ever hit in any of those missions, we were only hit on two missions that I can recall,” said the pilot.

The Empire Express was the first B-29 crew in the 313th wing to complete 35 missions and leave the island to go back to the states without casualties.

“After the last mission, of course there was a feeling of great elation. At every mission, the question was always, would we make it?,” he added.

But the entire the 505th bomb group lost a total of 187 men from the series of bombing missions from the original 495 air crew members.

To commemorate all those lives that perished during that period, Mr. Minto and his son spent the last year collaborating with agencies in raising funds to erect a monument enlisting the names of soldiers who died serving their country.

Nancy Samp and Buck Cahall, children of two soldiers who never made it home to the United States took that extra mile to journey to the island for one last farewell to their fathers.

In an emotional address, Mr. Cahall said he regretted never having met his father, Arthur Cahall. But despite this, his father remained his hero and savior.

“I never even got to see him. And I am here today to finally say goodbye,” said Mr. Cahall.

He also recited aloud portions of the very last letters his father wrote to his parents two days before he died 55 years ago.

Expressing his innermost feelings, teary-eyed Mr. Cahall continued that he looked forward to the day he and his father would finally be together.

In closing, Mr. Minto said: “We are all proud to serve our country and the cause of freedom when we flew from Tinian, and we should take satisfaction in the efforts we are all making today in placing here on Tinian a permanent record of what the men of the Bomb group accomplished some 55 years ago.” (MM)