BOWLING GREEN, Mo. — Friday (March 5) marks the passing of a Pike County Missouri man who played a critical role in developing the atomic bomb.

Navy Rear Admiral William Purnell was part of the military team that oversaw the Manhattan Project. The top-secret effort was responsible for creating America’s atomic weapons during World War II.

The Bowling Green native’s specific duties were to recruit experts, carry out orders for the transport of bomb parts and to make sure the Navy’s top brass knew as little as possible.

There’s a military tradition of inscribing messages on bombs before they’re dropped, and Purnell participated. Just before the plane left for the attack on Nagasaki, he pulled out a marker and addressed the Japanese emperor by writing the words “A second kiss for Hirohito.”

Purnell knew how to keep quiet. It wasn’t until after the war that he admitted he didn’t even tell his wife about the Manhattan Project. He also was no apologist for dropping the atomic bombs, saying the decision by President Harry Truman saved countless lives of American soldiers and Japanese civilians.

The commander died at age 68 on March 5, 1955, and is buried in California. A portrait honoring him can be found along the north wall on the first floor of the Pike County Courthouse in Bowling Green.