Sixty First Anniversary of Hiroshima

tabs · 08-07-2006, 07:44 AM

Yesterday 8/6/06 was the 61st anniversary of the USA dropping the Atomic Bomb on Japan. Mankind has not been the same since the event took place. It was truly a watershed event in that for the first time man could make himself extinct.

What marked yesterdays anniversary for me was that I was able to meet General Paul Tibbets, the man who was the pilot of the Enola Gay. In other words the man who dropped the bomb.

At 91 he is still very alert, even though a bit deaf. I asked him if he had regrets about the lives that were lost. His response was that he was doing the job he was ordered to do. That once the bomb was released he felt relief that he put it on target without fumbling the ball so to speak. Yet Gen Tibbets feels a "sense of Shame for the whole Human race for accepting bloodshed as a means of settling disputes."

Further, "Only a fool speaks of human warfare. There is no such thing as General Sherman and other competent witnesses have testified. It has the smell of hypocrisy when self proclaimed humanitarians draw a distinction between an acceptable and an intolerable brand of human crulety...."

The feeling that I got from Gen Tibbets is that he felt that he wasn't a hero but rather he was just doing his job.

Another fact that I didn't know was that the orginal planning was for a bomb to be dropped on both Germany and Japan simitanously. However Germany had surrendered before the operational planning could even begin.

Howard Agency · 08-07-2006, 08:16 AM

What an honor to meet the man, Tabs. I envy you. Looking at the Enola Gay at Air and Space, I always felt he must be one of the most tormented men alive.

His action may have saved lives by ending the war sooner, but I sure wouldn't want to live with that. And please, guys, no politics.

Jeff Higgins · 08-07-2006, 08:17 AM

Unfortunately, I believe we are approaching the time when such weapons will once again be used in anger.

Overpaid Slacker · 08-07-2006, 08:39 AM

I was in Hiroshima for the 51st, as the guest of the City. Went with the Nuclear Studies Institute, and placed flowers at the memorial during the commemoration ceremony.

Spoke privately with a number of Hibakusha (survivors of the bomb), and it was very moving. One in particular was 5 or 6 at the time, and her story moved me to tears.

JP

Jims5543 · 08-07-2006, 08:48 AM

That an interesting person to meet especially on the anniversary of the day.

I stumbled across this quote a long time ago and found it again after reading your post Tabs.

Quote:

"My God, what have we done?" - Robert Lewis, the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb.

I cannot imagine what went through these guys minds as they flew away. His comments are very interesting and yes, I agree with Howard thats quite a priveledge meeting such a man. I cannot even begin to imagine what its like to be him, and I have no agenda when I say this.

As a kid growing up these bombs fascinated me and I could not tread enough about them especially the actual explosion and the damage. As an adult I find it even more fascinating what kind of emotional impact it had on survivors and those involved in the decision and deployment.

Howard Agency · 08-07-2006, 08:50 AM

We took the Coast Guard skiff to the Arizona Memorial about 25 years ago with the kids, and ended up with a Japanese tour group. Very uncomfortable stares until one of the women patted my kids' heads and hugged my wife. Then everyone cried.

Jeff, I fear you are right but pray you are wrong.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
Yet Gen Tibbets feels a "sense of Shame for the whole Human race for accepting bloodshed as a means of settling disputes."

Further, "Only a fool speaks of human warfare. There is no such thing as General Sherman and other competent witnesses have testified. It has the smell of hypocrisy when self proclaimed humanitarians draw a distinction between an acceptable and an intolerable brand of human crulety...."

The feeling that I got from Gen Tibbets is that he felt that he wasn't a hero but rather he was just doing his job.

He's a good man. But the burden of snuffing out 79,000 lives in an instant... mind boggling.

Moneyguy1 · 08-07-2006, 09:29 AM

Did anyone see the "Prophets of Science Fiction"? THey highlighted H.G. Welles who, in the early 20th century wrote a book in which he used the phrase "atomic bomb", and described a basically air war between GB and France on one side and Germany/Austria on the other for the middle of the century. He cautioned about the technology outstripping morality.

In light of today's world, a very chilling and accurate view.

According to the narrator, he wanted this as his epethet(sp):

"Damn you all...I told you so." (He died in 1946, so he saw his vision come true)

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Moneyguy1
Did anyone see the "Prophets of Science Fiction"? THey highlighted H.G. Welles who, in the early 20th century wrote a book in which he used the phrase "atomic bomb", and described a basically air war between GB and France on one side and Germany/Austria on the other for the middle of the century. He cautioned about the technology outstripping morality.

In light of today's world, a very chilling and accurate view.

According to the narrator, he wanted this as his epethet(sp):

"Damn you all...I told you so." (He died in 1946, so he saw his vision come true)

He wrote a book called "The Shape of Things to Come" which was also made into a movie. It foretold WWII, only had each side battering the other back to barbarian subsistence living. The movie is worth watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028358/

Moneyguy1 · 08-07-2006, 09:37 AM

The movie of which you speak (ignoring the primitive special effects) at least has some ray of hope at the end:

"Which shall it be.....Which shall it be...."

Howard Agency · 08-07-2006, 10:34 AM

I don't think we have anything to fear

Here are two recent OT posts. How can you argue with logic like this?

1. F lebanon and everyone in it. They deserve what they are getting and no crap about how peace loving they are will change my opinion. They started a war, they support a war and a war is what they will get. Tell your relatives to get the f out of the rat hole until they join the modern world.

2. No, I'd be in contact with my muslim brothers in Pakistan to arrange for a real WMD, and then put it right down Omert's throat in Tel Aviv. Might as well start the big one, since the world's standing by while your family gets wiped out by that quirky european country located in the mideast, Israel.

hytem · 08-07-2006, 10:34 AM

Those WWII veterans fought for a noble cause, and we owe them everything.

I believe using the atom bomb in WWII may have saved the World--at a great sacrifice. It demonstrated these weapons could not be used again without destroying civilization. Without that demonstration, they would have probably been used later on a much greater scale, and we would all be toast floating around the Sun.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Hytem, you have much more faith in humankind than I do. We learned nothing in any of the wars we have fought, other than to be better at it.

8-1-06 was the 40th anniversary of the Texas Tower incident with Charles Whitman, crazy former Marine who killed a bunch of folks with high powered rifle, end of innocence for America, in the minds of many.

charleskieffner · 08-07-2006, 12:53 PM

my dad survived the war because of COL.TIBBETS and his brave crew.. dad was slated and gearing up for invasion of japanese homeland, when bombs dropped. he said he never in his entire life had so much weight taken off of his shoulders on the day they found out about the atomic bombs.

84porsche · 84porsche's Garage

I am with you guys. The deaths of hundreds of thousands should have taught the world a lesson but still we have people that believe in violence and terrorism as the only means to communicate. I personally am tired of seeing people killed in the name of anything from religion to property. I have been to Pearl Harbor (1989) and Arlington National Cemetary(1992) both in my childhood and all I can picture is the incredible losses of life and what those lives meant for my freedom and I think about that everytime I want to complain about something. Some days we complain about the weather while people on the other side of the world starve and only dream of the freedoms that we have.

Seahawk · 08-07-2006, 02:18 PM

Perspective is everything: a departed friend of mines father, a Korean, was a slave to the Japanese during WWII...captured and made to work for his life, he was a miner in the hills far outside Hiroshima when Col. Tibbetts flew.

The bomb saved his life. He shed no tears for the perished.

My best hope echoes hytems post...

tabs · 08-07-2006, 02:18 PM

Whitman had a Brain Tumor.

That was the question I asked Tibbets, if dropping the Bomb and all those lives being lost made him feel guilty. The answer was NO, it wasn't his decision to make, he was only the instrument of its delivery. Harry Truman told him that he needn't feel guilty for the above stated reason.

To sum Tibbets up he is a very modest man, who was doing the job asigned to him.

Jim Bremner · 08-07-2006, 08:53 PM

a few years ago I met a pilot who flew sorties over Hiroshima for a week dropping leaflets saying to the to get out of town.

Yes, it's sad that people perished.

they would have done it to us, had they had a chance.

I grew up with the son of a man who fought the japenese
He told us plenty. and yes he felt that the A-bomb saved his ass.

rumor has it that the purple hearts and body bags in our inventory are from surplus from our planned assault on japan.

charleskieffner · 08-08-2006, 04:31 AM

read any of the history books about the front line army and marines that had been island hopping. NONE OF THEM wanted to attack mainland japan. they had already experienced the suicide attacks and the determined mindset that they would never surrender. if you had to choose which theater of war was more humane, it really would be equal. the germans and the concentration camps, the japanese and the deplorable way they treated POW's. IMHO both deserved to be nuked. the only reason germany wasnt was because of the allies rapid advance from the west and the east in april of '45.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

That is some rumor