An Americon icon has died. Gen. Paul Tibbits died Thursday in Colunbus ,Ohio.

Gen. Tibbits commanded the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima , Japan on August 6, 1945, leading to the surrender of Japan and the end of WW2 about a week later.

As pilot of one of the most famous flights of WW II, which brought about a quicker surrender from the enemy and a reduction in the loss of Allied lives, and for his leadership and skill with both airplanes and people in times of stress, Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. is enshrined with honor into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

Gen. Tibbets held the following medals and awards:

Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal
Purple Heart
Legion of Merit
European Campaign Medal
Joint Staff Commendation Medal
American Defense Service Medal
W.W.II Victory Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
American Campaign Medal

Historical revisionists have tried to make Gen. Tibbits out to be the ultimate war criminal, but in the hearts of anyone that truly knows history, he should be revered as someone that saved at least a million lives. Because of the ongoing controversy over the use of the atomic bomb over sixty years later; Gen. Tibbits requested that there be no public funeral, and no headstone placed over his grave, as he did not wish to give detractors of his service a focal point on which to focus their activities upon.
Another example of his selflessness, even in death. This man should have received a state funeral and a monument in tribute to his service and his life; instead he was quietly laid to rest with no fanfare in an unmarked grave.

We have lost a hero and we are all diminished by that loss.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:40 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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