doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT, Paul Tibbets has died at age 92

I'll bet many here don't recognize that name, but some of the old farts like me will. General Paul Tibbets was the pilot of the Enola Gay, remember now? He said he never lost a night's sleep because of it. He married a girl from my city while stationed at Fort Benning and lived here several years after the war ended, but died in Columbus, Ohio.

He was a great gentleman. I had the privilege of meeting him and talking with him at Maxwell AFB a number of years ago, and he made a lasting impression on me!

Roy

I saw the news tribute and past interviews. The man was a soldier and was doing his duty and no one should ever have questioned what he did.

Yes, I know who he was and what he did for us. A hero passes!

What I admire about the guy is that like millions of others he saw his duty and did it, and made no apologies for it. Historians and others do question the morality of the operation, and that's fine with me, too. But within the context of those times---so different from our own---he was assigned a job and did it in no different way than an infantryman pulling a trigger, a submariner releasing a torpedo, and a haberdasher from Missouri giving the order. "We" dropped the bomb.

I had the privilege to meet him in the early 70's at a TWA event at MCI. I was a Jr Exec and used as a gofor at things like this. Although he was one of the guests of honor he wouldn't sit on the dais. It was my job to get the VIP's to the right place and I tried to insist ..... he asked me if I had been in the service and my rank ..... When I told him SP5 ..... he smiled and said with a smile that he outranked me and picked his own table. Time passes.

bouvier

Yes, as another old fart, I certainly know who he was and the brave job he did. That action saved possibly millions of Japanese civilians and soldiers, and many thousands of ours. Absolutely the RIGHT decision. Half the kids nowadays don't even know who we were at war with, in WWII. This, thanks to our schools so full(mainly) of idiot, liberal teachers.
God bless him and may he rest in peace.

Met him at the Dayton air show several years ago. First class gentleman. Had it not been for his actions I might not be here today. He did what he did to end the war quicker and saved thousands of lives by his actions. He is a hero in my book.

My father went in December 8, joined the marines, and went across the Pacific, island by islands. Twice wounded and managed to return to duty. He and many others were preparing to invade the homeland islands of Japan. Resistance would have been dogged and the loss of another million plus Japanese and at least 200,000 GI's was expected. The government ordered the body bags for what the expected in GI losses and we used them for 40 years.

I am ashamed that he felt he had to choose not to have a grave site so others against his actions could not have a place to rally. He should be in Arlington. He is a hero in my book and should be accorded the honor he deserves. Not as a rally point for people who would be speaking German or some other language had not several million men like him done their duty and sacrificed their time, blood and bodies for our benefit. Thanks to all the WWII GI's thanks to a great American.

We can all be thankful that the pilot who dropped the first A-bomb was named Paul, and not Ivan.

General Tibbets was also a life member of the National Skeet Shooting Association. (NSSA #95263) May all his scores be 100 straights.