The Men Who Brought the Dawn: Dawn, The World Forever Changed & Lonely Flight to Destiny

Dawn, The World Forever Changed: In this work, the "Enola Gay" is portrayed against a backdrop of a Pacific dawn. The rising sun, of course, is the symbol of Japan, but, in this case, it is a whole new dawn - for the world and also for the United States. This is at the point when the "Enola Gay" crew executed a 360-degree turn over broken clouds above Iwo Jima. The time is 5:55 a.m. and, at an altitude of 9,300 feet, the aircraft that were in trail were allowed to close formation with "Enola Gay." The airplane is coming towards the viewer and a new era is aviation is dawning. Things would never be the same again.

Countersigners: Paul Tibbets, Thomas W. Ferebee, Theodore VanKirk, George R. Caron, Richard H. Nelson

Lonely Flight to Destiny: "'Bock's Car' took off at 3:45 in the morning in pitch black and returned to base at 3:00 in the afternoon. It was basically hazy mid-morning when they were over their target, so the only really good time to picture it, to artistically create a strong print, would be at sunrise. I had originally painted the plane already at altitude, the other way around, with the sun on it and a lot of clouds in the background, but it didn't have the weight I wanted. "Sunrise was also a good time to set the image because I could identify with the crew in a way; having myself flown all-nighters many times - missions that start in the evening and end up overseas as the sun is rising - I really had a feeling for the mental state the air crew was in at the time. I know it was a strenuous and tenuous time for them. That's why I wanted to show the airplane laboring under the weight of its payload and the crew laboring under the weight of its responsibility. That's why I called it 'Lonely Flight to Destiny.'"

Countersigned: Charles D. Albury, Fred J. Olivi, James F. Van Pelt, Jr., John D. Kuharek and Raymond C. Gallagher