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Charles SweeneyUS Air Force pilot
Date of Birth: 27.12.1919
Country:  USA |
Content:
Charles Sweeney: A Life Devoted to Advocating for Atomic Bombings
Charles Sweeney, a former US Air Force pilot, dedicated his entire life to vehemently defending the necessity of atomic bombings in Japan before American college and university students. He actively participated in both atomic bombings of Japan in 1945, serving as an observer in the aircraft during the Hiroshima mission and as the commander of the B-29 "Bockscar" bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. According to Japanese records, the bombing resulted in the death of approximately 74,000 people. This was the first bomb that Sweeney ever dropped on an enemy target, and he was only 25 years old at the time. The combat mission was carried out from the Pacific island of Tinian. The atomic bomb, codenamed "Fat Man," dropped by Sweeney, utilized plutonium-239. Initially, the assigned target was the city of Kokura, but due to heavy cloud cover, the pilot had to redirect the aircraft to the alternative target – Nagasaki.
A Memoir and Retirement
Throughout his life, Sweeney vigorously advocated for the necessity of atomic bombings in Japan, especially when speaking to students at American colleges and universities. In collaboration with Marion Antonucci, he published a memoir titled "War’s End: An Eyewitness Account of America’s Last Atomic Mission."
Sweeney retired from the military in 1976 with the rank of Major General. He passed away on July 15, 2004, at the age of 84.
