Paul Tibbets and the Bomb

This is a somewhat belated comment on the death of Paul Tibbets, Jr., on November 1. As probably everybody knows, Paul Tibbets piloted the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Tibbets’ death gave people yet another chance to talk about the appropriateness of the United States’ decision to drop the bomb. (Normally, the question comes up on August 6 each year, but this year we get a second chance.)

The discussions were about the same as usual, though perhaps a little more restrained than what sometimes happens in August, perhaps out of respect for the fact Tibbets had just died.

Actually, I have a fairly firm opinion on whether we did the right thing in dropping the bomb on Japan. I think it was the right decision, and I am glad we did it. But then I have a conflict of interest.

In August of 1945 my dad was in the Philippines. If there was going to be an invasion of Japan, he was going to be in it. Now, he was in the artillery, so he might have been in a little better position than those in the infantry. I don’t know. But it still would have been tough. Given what happened at Iwo Jima and all those other places, who knows if he would have made it home.

Like I said, when it comes to Hiroshima, I have a conflict of interest. If we hadn’t dropped the bomb, my dad might not have come home – and I wouldn’t be here.