Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets, USAF (1915-2007)

Posted: Friday, November 02, 2007 by Travis Cody in
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Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets, USAF, died yesterday at the age of 92.

As a colonel in August 1945, Tibbets planned and flew the mission to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.



"I'm proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did... I sleep clearly every night". (General Tibbets, 1975)



“If you give me the same circumstances, hell yeah, I'd do it again.” (General Tibbets, 2005)

23 Feb 1915 - 1 Nov 2007

He was an officer who did his job, horrifying as it was. It is very easy to judge the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the clear light of 62 years of history.

I will not judge.

Rest in peace, General Tibbets.

8 comments:

  1. Anndi says:
    02 November, 2007 04:07

    Fitting tribute, well done dear bro. May he rest in Peace.

  1. Schmoop says:
    02 November, 2007 06:31

    He requested not to have a headstone so people could not use it as a place to protest. Sad. Cheers!!

  1. Linda says:
    02 November, 2007 09:06

    It saddens me that people will always condemn those who are following orders and doing their job as instructed.

    General Tibbets was an honorable airman and doing his job as directed by those higher in the Chain of Command than he. For people to place the blame on him or to want to desecrate his tombstone or use it a a place of protest is more than sad.

    This was an excellent tribute, Travis. Thank you!

  1. Joely Sue Burkhart says:
    02 November, 2007 09:13

    Wow, I didn't know the tidbit about no headstone. The man was following orders, of people who believed they were protecting American lives.

  1. Charles Gramlich says:
    02 November, 2007 11:40

    One of the hazards of history not allowing for do overs. We can never tell if such an event actually saved or cost more lives.

  1. katherine. says:
    02 November, 2007 16:49

    He was a brave man - for his entire life. Nice to give him honor.

  1. Travis Cody says:
    02 November, 2007 17:01

    Ann: He deserves that much.

    Matt: It is sad.

    Linda: Once the decision was made, if not him it would have been someone else.

    Joely: Correct.

    Charles: Agreed. I suspect that the opposite decision would be equally debated and perhaps derided as well. But as you say, it happened the way it happened and we'll never know any other outcome.

    Katherine. He was that.

  1. Amazing Gracie says:
    03 November, 2007 00:35

    Very nicely done, Travis. But that's what I've come to expect from you...
    ~~~Blessings~~~

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