Ralph Pennetti entered the US Navy in November 1944 and serced as a member of the seabees in the Pacific.  He maintained sea planes stationed in Okinawa and was assigned to the invasion force meant for Japan.  While walking with a friend across an airbase in the Pacific, Ralph, who is an aviation buff, spotted a B-29 sitting on the tarmac.  Intrigued by the sight of the new plane, he and his friend decided to sneak aboard and explore the cockpit.  Unfortunately, he was got by secruity personnel and was punished.  After his ordeal, he learned that the plane he had boarded was the now famous Enola Gay.  Ralph left the Navy in August 1946.