Morris Jeppson - Memeber of Flight Crew

Morris Jeppson was one of the two surviving members of the flight crew of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima that helped bring the end to World War II.

Mr Jeppson, 87, died on March 30, 2010 at a hospital in Las Vegas after being stricken with a severe headache. His role in the flight crew was very significant as he was the one charged with arming the bomb after the plane took off on its flight to Hiroshima on August 6,1945. The bomb was placed in a safe mode upon takeoff to avoid a disastrous accidental detonation.

The flight from the small island of Tinian in the South pacific took six hours to the final destination. After the flight's first 30 minutes, he armed the bomb's electrical system. The bomb was dropped with devastating results, killing or wounding more than 100,000 people.

The flight crew returned to a hero's welcome. Eight days later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki resulting in a Japanese surrender. He received the Silver Star for his exploits.

After the war, he spent his career in the field of electronics and applied radiation. He always maintained that he had no regrets about participating in the mission.