Arthur Olson
By Jaime Onofrey
By Jaime Onofrey
 Arhur and Annette Olson |
Introduction Arthur Olson, my grandfather, grew up in Torrington, a small town in Connecticut, where he met his wife, Annette, and raised his two daughters, Joan and Joyce. After having completed eighth grade, Arthur dropped out of school to be an apprentice for his grandfather at J.H Rosenbeck, where he learned how to be a tool and dye maker. Later, he worked for Pratt and Whitney making parts for engines until he enlisted after the start of World War II. World War II brought with it a sense of change and support, but for Arthur Olson, the war meant separation and loss. Although he hated leaving his wife, Arthur dutifully enlisted. He was shipped off to an island in the Pacific known as Tinian Island, where he and other trained mechanics repaired B-29s that were used during air raids. |
| Capturing Tinian Island Tinian Island was captured in 1944, and was used as an air base to house the new B-29s. The United States began the invasion of Tinian on July 24, 1944. U.S troops encountered 9,162 Japanese Army and Navy determined to defend the island. Although the U.S troops were significantly outnumbered, the U.S. military forces were able to successfully launch a surprise attack against the Japanese forces. 328 Marines died and 1,571 were wounded. Because the Japanese soldiers who had survived did not want to be caught by the American troops, they committed suicide by jumping off the rocky cliffs surrounding the island. Bt the time Arthur had completed his training at Fort Hood in Kansas and was shipped off to Tinian Island, the island had become a secured air base. The island was considered to be the largest airfield in the world with six runways, each 8,500 meters long.  Runways on Tinian |
 Map of Tinian Island |
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Life of the Island After Tinian had successfully and officially been secured in August of 1944, soldiers began to arrive on the island. Tinian soon became a sort of home away from home as the soldiers began to set up hospitals, cafeterias, warehouses, and chapels throughout the island and gave the roads such names as 42nd street and Broadway. The beautiful beaches around the island and the crystal clear water provided much entertainment for the weary soldiers during their free time. Arthur also remembers that many soldiers passed their free time by writing letters to their friends and family members. Arthur recalls that he had tried to give his wife clues as to where he had been stationed through the letters that he wrote to her. He would ask her such questions as “how is your sister Maria?” or “what is your cousin Tina up to?” but unfortunately much of the letters that were sent had to be censored so that locations would not be given away. Although the scenery of the island was quite beautiful, Arthur recalls that life on the island was rough at most times. Pacific storms would blow in without warning and heavy downpours would last only a matter of minutes before the skies would clear up and the soldiers could have time to prepare for the next round of storms. |
 Arhur (left) and George |
Memories... The strongest memory that Arthur has of the island is one that brings back painful images and emotions. Arthur remembers walking through a field of beautiful red tropical flowers, but this image of beauty was soon lost to Arthur after he bent over to examine the flowers closer only to uncover the decaying body of a fallen Japanese soldier. Arthur admitted, “that image has haunted me in my dreams”. Although this memory has proved to be painful, Arthur also recalls happier memories from his stay on Tinian. Arthur’s youngest brother, Roger, arrived on the island after being sent over on a supply ship. Later, the middle brother, George arrived with his team, called the Seabees, who were responsible for maintaining the airfields. This “reunion” is said to have been a rare event, rare enough, even, for their story to be published in newspapers. |
 Arthur's brother, Roger  |
"Little Boy" and "Fat Man"
As part of Arthur’s training, he was required to work with bomb parts in order to get a sense for what he was to be working with on the island. Even though he knew that he would be required to handle bombs, Arthur was unaware that Tinian was being used as the base for the famous atomic bomb “Little Boy”, which was dropped on Hiroshima and “Fat Man”, which was dropped on Nagasaki. Hiroshima was a prime target because of its large population. Hiroshima was also chosen as a target because it served as a base for the Japanese army and was an industrial center. Arthur remembers that the soldiers stationed on Tinian were not told of the importance of the mission, but that they all knew that “something big was about to happen”. Arthur remembers that the men on island made up a verse about the mysterious 509th:
Into the air, the secret rose,
Where they’re going nobody knows;
Tomorrow they’ll return again,
But we’ll never know where they’ve
Been
Don’t ask about results or such
Unless you want to get in Dutch;
But take it from one who is sure of the
Score
The 590th is winning the war.
Where they’re going nobody knows;
Tomorrow they’ll return again,
But we’ll never know where they’ve
Been
Don’t ask about results or such
Unless you want to get in Dutch;
But take it from one who is sure of the
Score
The 590th is winning the war.
 |
Ending World War II
 Atomic Bomb "Fat Man" |
Because the Japanese did not surrender after the bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki was bombed on August 9th an in effort to force a surrender, but the expected surrender did not come. Hundreds of B-29s departed from Tinian towards Japan. However, the Japanese emperor, who was devastated by the effects of the atomic bombings, surrendered. On September 1945, military leaders and representatives of the Allied Powers assembled aboard the American battleship, Missouri, in order to make peace agreements, finally ending the war. |
For the next several months, the men stationed on Tinian remained on the island to clean and pack up. After two years of service and 16 months in the Pacific, Arthur was discharged. He had been promoted to sergeant and was awarded three campaign stars for his Asiatic-Pacific ribbon, as well as the Philippines Liberation ribbon with two stars and the American theater and Victory ribbons. Upon return home, Arthur went back to work at his grandfather’s business, Rosenbeck, as a tool and dye maker until he retired at the age of 62.
Conclusion
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Although my grandfather never experienced any real combat during his service, he, and the other mechanics serving on Tinian, sacrificed much to help America defeat the Japanese. Through his stories I have gained a higher respect for the soldiers who were willing to risk their lives in order to defend their country, and I have a gained a higher understanding of my family’s history. |
Bibliography:
| All images taken from Arthur Olson's personal diary created during his service on Tinian Enola Gay and the bombing of Hiroshima in World War II . Mid Coast Marketing. 24 Jan. 2008 <http://www.theenolagay.com/index.html>. Path: The Plane. Gurney, Gene. B-29 Sotry: The Plane That Won the War. Greenwhich, CT: Fawcett Publications, 1963. 100-108. Olson, Arthur. Personal interview. 29 Dec. 2007. Pike, John. "Tinian." GlobalSecurity.org. 26 May 2005. 8 Nov. 2007 <http://www.globalsecurity.org/ index.html>. "Victory." Los Alamos National Laboratory. 2006. Los Alamos National Security. 8 Nov. 2007 <http://www.lanl.gov>. Path: history; project y; building the atomic bomb; victory. |