PFC Sylvest worked the midnight shift during his five months on Iwo Jima. Through these months, Iwo Jima served as a vital air base for bombers and fighters engaged in battles to end the war with Japan.
One of the stories he tells involves the dropping of the A-Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29 Superfortress, The Big Stink, Victor 90, was the backup plane for the Enola Gay. Once the Hiroshima flight group got to Iwo Jima on its way to Japan, The Big Stink landed at Iwo Jima, having completed its role. The grunts on the island generated interesting speculations about what the bomber was up to.
Once the bomb was dropped, the residents of Iwo Jima eventually learned about the mission.
Enjoy the video. Contact me at tomsylvestjr@gmail.com
Tom Sylvest, Jr.
March 2024
Time Marks for Text Labels (hh:mm:ss:frames)
00:00:45:01 Clarification about George H. W. Bush Rescue
00:01:36:17 Chi Chi Jima Story
00:04:23:01 B-29 Distress Story
00:07:36:13 Shooting Down Distressed Planes
00:09:36:26 The Big Stink Story
00:10:08:29 ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/ahf/key...
00:13:51:22 Rumors and Speculations
00:17:17:09 Learning about the A-Bomb
00:21:39:08 End of Part 7
00:21:44:07 Filmed in Fall 2022, Production by Tom Sylvest, Jr.