Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. (born February 23, 1915, in Quincy, Illinois; † November 1, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio) was a U.S. Air Force pilot. He flew the mission to drop the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Life:
Tibbets was a colonel in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and commander of the 509th Composite Group. On August 6, 1945, he was the pilot of the B-29 bomber Enola Gay, named after his mother, from which the Little Boy atomic bomb was dropped over the Japanese city of Hiroshima at 08:15. The mission killed between 70,000 and 166,000 people, including its late effects. He also held the post of Air Force attaché at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. Paul Tibbets was honored with numerous awards and remained in the Air Force until 1966.
In 1975, he became vice president of Executive Jet Aviation, a Columbus, Ohio-based air taxi company. The U.S. government apologized to Japan in 1976 after Tibbets reenacted the bombing at an air show in Texas. Tibbets said he did not mean to offend Japan.
Funeral Service:
Paul Tibbets decreed that there should be no funeral service or headstone for him. This was to prevent demonstrations and not to create a pilgrimage site for possible opponents of the atomic bombing. His body was cremated, and the ashes scattered over the English Channel according to his wishes.
Awards:
Distinguished Service Cross (USA)
Purple Heart
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal
Army Commendation Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
