One could argue, and many still do, the strategic and moral significance of this one act. He was unapologetic of his role in dropping the atomic bomb and harbored no guilt. He was 24 years old when he served as navigator on the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the first atomic bomb deployed in wartime over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Aug. But he was not afraid to speak his mind, and the troops loved him for this. Sadly, these views spoken openly today would certainly be cause for immediate lynching. He had strong feelings about aspects of our then current military and society, which also delighted us all. The Enola Gay is one of the most famous-some might call it infamous-aircrafts in history. His talk was inspirational, captivating and completely not politically correct, to the extreme delight of my troops and myself. My immediate impression was a decisive, fearless man of unwavering aplomb, not given to small talk, fools or humor. have to be sacrificed in the name of bringing World War II to a close. Not many general officers, even those retired and with no historic weight to their name, would allow such lack of formality. But he insisted on it. Paul Tibbets and the crew of the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb over. He drove up, parked, got out and shook hands. The general’s arrival was inauspicious and informal. In this interview, the veterans discuss their careers after the war, Colonel Paul Tibbets, and the upkeep of the Enola Gay and Bocks Car. He insisted the audience be our team only. He declined press coverage and all offers to expand the audience to the many SEAL teams and larger Navy presence in the San Diego area. Tibbets did visit my command and addressed our troops. From August to October 1942, the crew flew 11 B-17 missions out of. The young sailor thanked me and we parted with me still a little skeptical but sincerely hoping this was sincere. Dutch Van Kirk, the navigator from the B-29 Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped the. I outwardly embraced the idea and told him to bring his uncle in at his earliest convenience. “Yes sir, that’s him,” responded the young sailor rather casually. The Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, is seen on display July 29, 2020, at the Steven F. Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the B-29 Enola Gay who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima?” The name seemed somewhat familiar, and with a half-hearted attempt at humor I asked, “You mean Gen.
#ENOLA GAY CREW NAMES FULL#
Not eager to allow just any "uncle" to occupy our troops’ valuable time, I politely asked his uncle’s name. At approximately 2:45 am on August 6, 1945, Tibbetswho was now a full coloneland a crew of 11 took off from Tinian island carrying a uranium bomb that was known as Little Boy. A decade later, as the commanding officer of a special team in Coronado, California, a young sailor asked me if his uncle could visit and talk to our troops.