[ RadSafe ] COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A spokesman in Columbus said the U.S. pilot whose B-29 dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, has died.

[Ken R Nichter]

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A spokesman in Columbus said the U.S. pilot whose B-29
dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, has died.

Paul Tibbets Junior was 92. Long-time friend Gerry Newhouse said the
commander of the Enola Gay died Thursday at his home on the city's east
side after a two-month decline from a variety of health problems.

According to his official biography, Tibbets grew up in Florida after
being born in Illinois on Feb. 23, 1915. He took his first plane ride at
age 12, when he threw Baby Ruth candy bars with paper parachutes from a
biplane flying over a crowd at the Hialeah track near Miami. 
 
He studied Medicine at the University of Florida and Cincinnati, but
became a cadet in the Army Air Corps in 1937 at Ft. Thomas, Ky.

By 1942, Tibbets was a squadron commander. He flew 25 missions in
B-17s, including the first American flying fortress raid against
occupied Europe.

The next year, he became a B-29 test pilot. His biography reports that
Tibbets was briefed on The Manhattan Project in September, 1944 –
making him one of first Americans to know about the development of the
atomic bomb.

He personally supervised the modifications necessary to make the B-29
capable of delivering nuclear weapons. He requisitioned 15 new B-29s
with very little armor plating, extra range, and more altitude than
anti-aircraft fire could reach. They were also made to carry a single
10,000 pound bomb.

Tibbets’ air group moved to Tinian Island, in the Marianas Islands.
On Aug. 5, 1945, President Harry Truman authorized nuclear force against
Japan. The B-29 called the “Enola Gay,” with Tibbets in command,
delivered its nuclear payload onto Hiroshima on Aug. 6 at 2:45 a.m. The
ensuing blast killed more than 100,000 people according to official
estimates.

For his service to his country, Tibbets received several honors
including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying
Cross and the Purple Heart. Tibbets was a Brigadier General by the time
he retired.

Newhouse said Tibbets has requested no funeral or headstone, fearing
that either would provide his critics with a place to protest.

Grammar Lesson: Always and never are two words you should always
remember never to use

KEN NICHTER, WSO-CHMS
Senior Hazardous Materials Technician
University of Louisville
Radiation Safety Office (502) 852-5231
My Desk  (502) 852-7138
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