Headstone for Tibbets

WorldNetDaily ^ | 11-5-07 | Doug Powers

[WrightOnTarget]

Retired Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, Jr., who piloted the aircraft Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb used in war, died last week at the age of 92. The life story of Tibbets, Jr. ends with a bit of what I consider a tragedy that should never again befall an American hero.

When somebody says "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" these days, they could be referring to Michael Moore and Dennis Kucinich, but 60 years ago, devices sporting those seemingly innocuous monikers caused historically unmatched destruction, and ended a long war.

There are many who believe this makes the United States the bad guy (more than usual). Example: In a special to the Los Angeles Times on the death of Tibbets, the writer could barely wait until the third paragraph before saying this:

The pilot never apologized for unleashing the devastating explosive force and insidious nuclear radiation that leveled more than two-thirds of the buildings in Hiroshima and immediately killed at least 80,000 people.

It's implied almost immediately that Tibbets should have apologized. He never did. He never even came close. Why can't Congress step in to make Enola Gay-bashing a hate crime and start a fund to give those seeking apologies for the war a free plane ticket to Tokyo where they can sit and wait for a post-mortem "I'm sorry" to emanate from the shrine of Tojo?

[dfwgator]

And oh yeah, they violated the Geneva Convention...

As Patrick Swayze said in Red Dawn, "I NEVER HEARD OF IT!"

[Fiji Hill]

When The Atom Bomb Fell

(Harty Davis & Karl Taylor)

Oh it went up so loud, it divided up the clouds,
And the houses did vanish away.
And a great a ball of light filled the Japanese with fright.
They must have thought it was their judgment day.

Smoke and fire it did flow through the land of Tokyo;
There was brimstone and dust everywhere.
When it all cleared away, there the cruel Japs did lay:
The answer to our fighting boys’ prayers,
Yes, Lord, the answer to our fighting boys’ prayers.

There was no atheist in a foxhole,
And men who never prayed before
Lifted tired and bloodshot eyes to heaven
And begged the Lord to end that awful war.

They told Him of their homes and loved ones.
They told Him that they’d like to be there.
I believe the bomb that struck Hiroshima
Was the answer to our fighting boys’ prayers.

Oh it went up so loud, it divided up the clouds,
And the houses did vanish away.
And a great a ball of light filled the Japanese with fright.
They must have thought it was their judgment day.

Smoke and fire it did flow through the land of Tokyo;
There was brimstone and dust everywhere.
When it all cleared away there the cruel Japs did lay:
The answer to our fighting boys’ prayers,
Yes, Lord, the answer to our fighting boys’ prayers.

Karl & Harty,
Columbia Records #36 982-4, 1946

[dfwgator]

Oops, nevermind I misread your post to suggest that the peaceniks said dropping the bomb violated the Geneva Convention.

[Charlespg]

I am reading a book by Richard Franks Called “DOWNFALL”
Its estemates that over 100,000 people died each month under Japanese occupation

[LexBaird]

and assume themoral high ground they don't deserve.

For a second there, I read this as "thermal high ground".

[Thebaddog]

The cable channel shows about him and his crew are really something. I'm going to have to keep on thinking of him in the present tense. Tibbets was chosen for that mission because of his skills and bravery.

And American airmen were kept in the zoo in Tokyo. They knew that they would be killed if there were an invasion. 20,000 sailors and airmen killed in cold blood. Countless Chinese died horribly. I'm with Colonel Tibbets on this one. No apologies.

[Badeye]

‘Tibbets said he doesn’t want a headstone so that protesters can use it as a target.’

Sad, but he was correct.

A warning to the future, never name the crew.

[Unknowing]

BTTT

That’s all.

[Blue State Insurgent]

If he was buried in General Lee’s front yard no one could protest.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Had the full extent of Japanese behavior been known in ‘45,

According to historian Stanley Weintraub, the War Department made a deliberate decision to downplay Japanese attrocities to keep G.I.'s from reciprocating.

Informed people knew the extent of Japanese crimes, but didn't want the G.I.'s to take it on themselves to extract revenge. Americans were already plenty riled up about Pearl Harbor, they didn't need any more reason to hate the "Japs".

[Charlespg]

According to historian Stanley Weintraub, the War Department made a deliberate decision to downplay Japanese attrocities

That was a big mistake,I always felt uneasy about the fact we did not force the Japanese to confront their war crimes like we did to the Germans