Paul W. Tibbits Jr. died yesterday. He was 92. Tibbits lived 62 years and nearly three months longer than the 140,000 Japanese he helped murder when he piloted the Enola Gay, the American B-29 Superfortress from which the first atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
12 comments:
Tibbets said that all his life, he did not regret dropping the bomb. I wonder if he regrets it now.
That would be a rather small consolation to all those he immolated, wouldn't it?
At least this Man had the balls to do what he had to for is country. Gen Tibbits is a great man and a true Patriot. We all breathe freely today because of men like him. Those who lambaste the General and men like him are the epitome of serf-serving hypocrisy. Show some respect.
"At least this Man had the balls to do what he had to for is country."
Just like Custer and the guards at Auschwitz. No respect due, none given.
You call that balls? Vaporizing children and other innocents from the sky? Balls would have meant defying that evil order.
Yes Balls. Imagine having to make the decision to carry out such a task, all the while knowing the terrible implications. He knew that it was the lesser of two evils. The alternative was a costly and protracted battle for the Japanese homeland. History has shown that the decision to carry out the bombing saved lives in the end- both American and Japanese. The world is not a comfortable place for idealists, sir, and sometimes what must be done is not the ideal.
Gotta take the good with the bad, Sheldon. That's the price of blogging these days. Mike is certainly entitled to his opinion, as ill-informed and utilitarian as it may be.
As for me and my piddling dos centavos, as an atheist I sincerely hope that God has mercy on Mr. Tibbett's soul. I really really do.
Mike:
The Japanese had been suing for peace for months. You can look it up. All they asked was that they keep the emperor, which Truman eventually allowed. You and I have a very notion of "balls."
I had an uncle who was a Marine in some of the later battles against the empire of Japan.
He always said that the bombs saved a lot more people than they killed. He was in one of the first Marine units entering Nagasaki, and he said they already had the invasion beaches staked out for mortar fire, and had issued grenades to all the women and children to meet the Marines on the beach.
I think the people on this forum who think he did wrong have never served their country in the military. They are the few among us content with others protecting their sorry asses. The freedom we enjoy today may very well be a direct result of Tibbitts dedication and precision as a military officer.
I could not agree more with the anonymous comment. Dont question the way in which the military protects you when you need to be protected. Dont shit where you eat. If you dont like the freedom that the military provides you, feel free to leave the country
He also lived sixty-six years and some months longer than his fellow soldiers/sailors/civilians that were killed in the brutal surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. If you decry the actions of Gen. Tibbets, you should also decry even more the acts of the Japanese Empire in 1941. If you do not, you are honorless cowards.
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