Thomas F. Costa was awarded his Bombardier wings and commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant at San Angelo, Texas, on June 10, 1944. After graduation I was ordered to Fairmont, Nebraska for combat training in B-29's with the 393rd Bomb Squadron. At training's end we prepared to go overseas, but instead the squadron was ordered to Wendover, Utah to train as the 509th Composite Group (Atomic). Training at Wendover involved the accurate dropping of a 5 1/2 ton single bomb and working with the scientists to determine the necessary ballistic values. In June, 1945 our squadron flew to our combat base on Tinian Island. There we flew "training" missions dropping 5 1/2 ton Pumpkin "Fat Man" bombs on industrial Jap targets plus twenty 500 lb. bombs on Jap island strongholds. (Truk & j Marcus). Our crew flew eight missions in preparation for follow-up Atomic missions. On August 14, 1945, our mission was to strike the arsenal at Nagoya. We made the successful drop at 15:55 that day. Halfway home to base, we received word that Japan had surrendered. This was one of the last bombs of WW II