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Last crewman of U.S. plane that dropped A-bomb on Hiroshima dies at 93
While I do not minimize Robin Williams death by suicide, many times we morn people who are entertainers when real life hero's die in anonymity.
Such is apparently the case with Mr. Van Kirk who flew 25 or so missions during WWII
So here is a guy who served his country in a fight between good and evil, and was part of a mission that helped bring WWII to an end, thereby saving many American and allied lives. By all accounts he lived a productive life (i.e. taxpayer) without drug/alcohol addiction, skirmishes with the law, etc., but few seem to know or care.
It will be interesting to see how many pages of posts he receives compared to Williams suicide thread, now over 20. Any bets on this one even reaching double digits?
Last crewman of U.S. plane that dropped A-bomb on Hiroshima dies at 93
While I do not minimize Robin Williams death by suicide, many times we morn people who are entertainers when real life hero's die in anonymity.
Such is apparently the case with Mr. Van Kirk who flew 25 or so missions during WWII
So here is a guy who served his country in a fight between good and evil, and was part of a mission that helped bring WWII to an end, thereby saving many American and allied lives. By all accounts he lived a productive life (i.e. taxpayer) without drug/alcohol addiction, skirmishes with the law, etc., but few seem to know or care.
It will be interesting to see how many pages of posts he receives compared to Williams suicide thread, now over 20. Any bets on this one even reaching double digits?
Great man, but in comparing him with Robin Williams is in poor taste, and context. I'll bet being on the Enola Gays nuclear run got him a lot of free drinks! RIP Mr Van Kirk.
Great man, but in comparing him with Robin Williams is in poor taste, and context. I'll bet being on the Enola Gays nuclear run got him a lot of free drinks! RIP Mr Van Kirk.
I may have tried to make my point in a different manner, and frankly it has little to do with Williams. Rather it is more how our society seems to glorify entertainers, and make them out to be hero's. In the mean time real hero's who have contributed much more than entertainment to our society pass on in anonymity, without anyone but their immediate family to mourn them.
...our society seems to glorify entertainers, and make them out to be hero's. In the mean time real hero's who have contributed much more than entertainment to our society pass on in anonymity, without anyone but their immediate family to mourn them.
'Twas ever thus. Not really a "modern" thing and I don't begrudge people mourning an entertainer who by all accounts was a good man, and who incidentally entertained our troops overseas with the USO. I don't think remembering and mourning Robin Williams is the same as "glorifying" or "making him out to be a hero".
My father was a mechanic with a B-29 crew who served with the 20th AF in India, China, and Tinian. He didn't drop the A-bomb on Japan or make any movies but he did his duty to his country. He passed away in December 2012.
Great man, but in comparing him with Robin Williams is in poor taste, and context. I'll bet being on the Enola Gays nuclear run got him a lot of free drinks! RIP Mr Van Kirk.
Or maybe he didn't mention it, given how some people viewed that crew.............but he probably did.
Got a question though. With current affairs in mind, how does one remember Norman Fell, Walter Matthau, and Don Adams? Answer simply, let's not take too much away from Major Van Kirk.
What's wrong with mourning an entertainer more than a soldier? Everyone has their own opinions, personal and political.... and it shouldn't be hard to understand why some folks feel more comfortable celebrating the life's work of a comedian over that of a warrior.
What's wrong with mourning an entertainer more than a soldier? Everyone has their own opinions, personal and political.... and it shouldn't be hard to understand why some folks feel more comfortable celebrating the life's work of a comedian over that of a warrior.
I by no means have the right to say who should be mourned more than someone else. Yet it seems to be media driven more than anything else. For instance several posters mentioned other entertainers who get little press even though they were just as popular in their day. Lauran Bacall for instance, but the younger generation has little knowledge of her. Yet if Kim Kardashian(sp?) were to drop dead or kill herself, the mourning would be worthy of pushing the button and starting over.
Personally, I found Williams funny at times, but the recent death of Harold Ramis was just as sad, and I found him to be much more humorous. He also didn't take his own life, which personally I find despicable.
Still neither of them contributed to society as much as many people who die every day in anonymity.
That is why I felt compelled to start this thread, so that at least a few more people would be aware of Mr. Van Kirk's passing and contribution to our society.
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