[GeneralPaulTibbetswas30yearsoldwhenheflewthisaircraftin1945[1945年，保罗·蒂贝茨(PaulTibbets)将军驾驶这架飞机时年仅30岁。Enola Gay B-29 bombers on a mission to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. As an Air Force public affairs specialist, I had the privilege of hearing the then 84-year-old Tibbetts speak and shake his hand at a 509th Unit reunion in 1999.th Composite Group, Andrews AFB.
Enola Gay and other B-29 bomber crews train for historic mission
Tibbetts conducts 509th [In1945heandhis12-mancrewflewtheEnolaGayfromUchiPointAirportonthePacificislandofTinianDuringthereuniontheAirForcepresentedthegroupwiththeAirForceDistinguishedUnitAward(Valor)TheAirForceAssociationhostedthegathering[1945年，他和他的12名机组人员驾驶EnolaGay从太平洋天宁岛的乌希角机场起飞。团聚期间，空军向该集团颁发了空军杰出单位奖（英勇）。空军协会主办了这次聚会。
Nearly 100 veterans from Unit 509day, The partygoers were all at least 75 years old. Since 1945, the organization has not received a medal or other official recognition for many years. This was due to safety concerns and some permits were eventually revoked. The veterans listened attentively as Tibbetts walked up to the podium and began speaking.
Gen. Paul Tibbets addresses group 54 years after Enola gay mission
I admit I wondered what Tibbetts would have said about the Hiroshima mission and Enola Gay. I wonder how he would have felt 54 years later when he dropped the first atomic bomb used in war.
With pride and determination in his voice, Tibbetts began by praising the way his soldiers carried out their duties in 1945. He said they were extremely professional and focused during their months of training in Utah and Tinian before the mission.
Chapter 509th did what it had to do and ended the war, and although there have been some negative comments over the years about the destructive power of the atomic bomb, no one should criticize them. As Tibbetts finished speaking, his men, some using canes and walkers and some in wheelchairs, stood and cheered their commander.
Other members of 509th Composite Group is proud of the B-29 Enola Gay’s mission
Other members of the Enola Gay cast echoed similar sentiments. Lieutenant Russell Gackenbach serves as the navigator of the Necessary Evil, one of two B-29 reconnaissance aircraft on the mission. In an interview with NPR in 2017, Gackenbach said: “After 73 yearsI don’t regret what we did that day. All wars are hell. The Japanese started a war. It’s our turn to finish it. “
Another airman on the mission was Sgt. Melvin H. Bierman. He served as the Necessary Evil’s tail gunner and had a clear view of the mushroom cloud. According to his son, Mitchell Bierman, his father didn’t talk much about the war but was proud of his service. He was convinced they saved more lives by forcing Japan to surrender, but he regretted the lives lost. “
Mitchell Bierman also said that his father, “I felt it was the right thing to do at that time and place“.
Some regrets combined with a sense of responsibility
One crew member on the mission, Capt. Robert A. Lewis, did express some remorse for the devastation caused by the Hiroshima bomb. Lewis, the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, wrote: “Oh my God, what have we done?He wrote in his diary as the plane left the city.
Nonetheless, Lewis acknowledged the seriousness and even necessity of the mission, saying later: “I’m glad today that the bomb wasn’t used again. I hope it becomes a deterrent and maybe we won’t have so many wars. “
For me, the opportunity to meet General Tibbetts and hear him address his troops was a true honor and a highlight of my Air Force career.
