For the Hub City Times

Neillsville – A full-scale replica of “Little Boy,” the atomic bomb that was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, will be on permanent display at The Highground Museum in Neillsville.

The replica was commissioned by museum curator Theresa Hebert in preparation for the upcoming “WWII – Pacific Theater” exhibition, open Dec. 4-March 6. Combat Parts, Inc. of Abbotsford created the scale model in five weeks. Hebert said having the replica at the museum fulfills several areas of the museum’s mission statement.

“Having the full-scale replica where visitors can see the actual size of the bomb that inflicted such immense devastation and touch it will put the reality of war – the human cost of war – front and center,” said Hebert. “This will help show visitors how decisions made during war have incredible consequences, sometimes no matter which action is taken. This important item will force visitors to think about these issues in a way that no small black and white photo from a history book can.”

“Our hope,” she continued, “is that ‘Little Boy’ will start conversations about our history, help people think more deeply about WWII, and wars in general, and also to understand that the decisions like the ones made at the end of WWII could come into play again in this current age and with monumental consequences.”

Dale Hammel, owner of Combat Parts, said working the Highground each year has been special for the employees.

“Every year the work we do on projects are interesting, but this year’s project was something very special to be part of,” Hammel said. “I could tell there was a lot of enthusiasm in the shop working on this one. As the “Little Boy” was taking shape it seemed even more incredible. We tried to get every detail of this to be like the original one was from the pictures provided. I think the shop did an incredible job duplicating the size and features. We are honored to be a part of this.”

An open house for the WWII – Pacific Theater exhibit will take place beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4 at the museum. For more information, visit thehighground.us.