Rah Rah Sis Bomb Bah

Kimberly miller hill has sent us a photo taken, she writes, “… on or shortly after V-J Day, showing a uniquely American depiction of confidence and might. The ‘quarterback’ holds aloft a symbol of destruction, which in subsequent years caused controversy riddled with complexity. But on this day in August of 1945 it seems to have been simple: My grandfather, Maynard Miller (front row, fourth from left), who was a mechanical engineer with the DuPont Company, takes the classic football stance along with his co-workers at the government plant in Hanford, Washington. These men were among the engineers who manufactured the plutonium used for the A-bomb, which devastated Nagasaki and brought an end to the Second World War.

“My grandfather was no stranger to football; he started as an offensive lineman for the Case University football team in 1935 and ’36. He was a strong, hardworking man who stayed with the company for his entire career. In 1986 he died of bladder cancer; the workers at the Hanford plant have had a much higher incidence of cancer.

“He rarely spoke of this time in his life or his part in the war. It was his job, and on this day, he knew that he had done it well.”

We continue to ask our readers to send unusual and unpublished old photographs to Carla Davidson at American Heritage, 90 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011. Please send a copy of any irreplaceable materials, include return postage, and do not mail glass negatives. We will pay two hundred dollars for each one that is run.