Tibbets simply did his duty, his granddaughter said. "It's a horrible weapon, but war is pretty horrible, too." It was a presidential decision, and he was an officer that carried out his duty," Glenn said. John Glenn, a former Marine fighter pilot, said people who criticized Tibbets for piloting the plane that dropped the bomb failed to recognize that an allied invasion of Japan, which the bomb helped avert, would have resulted in the deaths of several million people. "He said, 'What they needed was someone who could do this and not flinch - and that was me,"' said journalist Bob Greene, who wrote the Tibbets biography, "Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War."įormer U.S. The Japanese surrendered a few days later, ending the war. Three days later, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing at least 60,000 people. Tibbets and his crew of 13, flying a bomber named for his mother, dropped the five-ton "Little Boy" bomb over Hiroshima on Aug. What did they did for their country," said Flynn. "It's important to know they sacrificed for this country. As a kid, it always seemed a whole lot bigger," said Flynn.įor the Flynns, the death of Tibbetts and their dear friend have signified the final chapter in an era.
"It was a real kick to see the small quarters he was in. Flynn even had a chance to go through the Enola Gay when it was partially rebuilt and on display in the Smithsonian Museum.
Walter Flynn said that, ever since the war, he has had a fascination with the Enola Gay and planes like it.