Moorhead Middle School student shares his ties with American history

Moorhead, MN (WDAY TV) - A project for a 6th grade social studies class in Moorhead has turned up some real-life American and family history for one middle school boy.

At Horizon Middle School, Simeon Smith was doing research on Paul Tibbits, the man who piloted the Enola Gay in World War Two. The B-29 Bomber dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.

It turns out Simeon's great-grandfather, Tom Van Brunt of Bemidji, was an electrician and mechanic for the Enola Gay. He was part of Tibbits' team that prepared the plane for launch. When the plane returned from bombing Japan, Simeon's great grandfather posed in front of the Enola Gay, a story he shared with very few - including his family - until now.

Simeon Smith – Great Grandfather Worked on Enola Gay: “That my great grandpa had so much to do with the war and the effort they put in.”

Simeon's project about his great grandfather and the Enola Gay was selected as one of the top five in his class.

Tags: k-12 education, news, moorhead, military, updates