The pilot of the Enola Gay — named for his mother — has gone to his reward. I find it sad that he wanted no headstone, fearing that it would give protesters a place to congregate. He was a soldier who dropped out of med school to serve his country; he did so, superbly.
We don’t say "thank you" often enough.
Actually, I think this is about right.
I don’t celebrate the deaths of thousands of innocents, which is what the Enola Gay caused. I’m happy that the war with Japan was brought to closure sooner because of the bomb, but the deaths of others–even those with different colored skin and slanted eyes–is no cause for celebration or honor for me.
Your mileage, of course, may vary.
Made in Oak Ridge, Tested in Japan. Ride with the wind Col. Tibbits!
Col. Tibbets made a major contribution to the end of a war against a cruel and brutal enemy, saving untold thousands of American lives.
A true hero.
My dad took me to meet Col. Tibbets once, and he was a very humble, down to earth man. Like so many from that generation, he didn’t see himself as a hero, but just as an ordinary American who did his part to help his country.
I met a man in the dentist’s office the other day who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. As he talked to me, a complete stranger, about seeing “all of those American boys die”, his eyes filled with tears, even after all of these years.
Sadly, I’ve lost my connection to that generation, and their numbers are decreasing far too rapidly. God Bless and God Speed to them all.
Well said, Angi. General Tibbets is hero and a patriot who, through his actions, SAVED millions of Japanese and American lives.
I recall Dr. James D. Johnson, DDS and his story of the Bridge at Remagen the last bridge over the River Rhine. He was one of the first units to reach that objective. He stated all he could think of about the situation was that war would soon be over if they were successful.
RIP J.D.
Nice post.