[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 168 (Thursday, November 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR OF BRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL W. TIBBETS, JR.

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                           HON. DEBORAH PRYCE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 1, 2007

  Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I 
rise today to honor the life and courage of the pilot of the Enola Gay, 
Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., for his heroism and service to 
our great nation. General Tibbets passed away today at the age of 92 in 
Columbus, Ohio, a city he called home for more than thirty years.
  General Tibbets will forever be known for his role in piloting the 
Enola Gay's historic flight of August 6, 1945. No one can presume to 
understand the pressures Brig. Gen. Tibbets must have felt when 
confronted with the enormity of this mission. Having thoroughly 
distinguished himself by leading the first American Flying Fortress 
raids over occupied Europe, as well as the first bombardment missions 
over North Africa, it was his successful completion of the flight of 
the Enola Gay that would inextricably alter the course of human 
history.
  To fully appreciate General Tibbets' accomplishments, one must 
understand that Paul Tibbets was not simply the pilot of the Enola Gay, 
but that he played a pivotal role in every facet of this critical 
mission, from inception to completion. He organized, selected and 
trained his entire crew. He significantly altered the design of the 
aircraft to allow the plane to fly beyond the range of anti-aircraft 
fire. And, perhaps most importantly, he was one of a select few 
entrusted with the full understanding of the implications and magnitude 
of our mission on August 6th, 1945.
  In the sixty years that have followed, General Tibbets' legacy has 
been unfortunately clouded by political and philosophical debates over 
the consequences of dropping the bomb on Hiroshima, and of the nuclear 
arms race that ensued. As a pilot and patriot, General Tibbets 
dutifully performed his mission without passion or prejudice, and 
irrespective of the destructive cargo his plane stored. While academics 
can debate the numbers, clearly hundreds of thousands of lives--both 
American and Japanese--were spared by the attack on Hiroshima, and a 
devastating world war was ended. General Tibbets' place in history is 
secure, and his mission must never be obfuscated through revisionist 
history--he is, without qualification, an American hero.
  In a rare speech on the subject in 1994, General Tibbets stated, ``I 
am an airman, a pilot. In 1945, I was wearing the uniform of the US 
Army [Air Forces] following the orders of our Commander in Chief. I 
was, to the best of my ability, doing what I could to bring the war to 
a victorious conclusion--just as millions of people were doing here at 
home and around the world. We had a mission. Quite simply, bring about 
the end of World War II. I feel I was fortunate to have been chosen to 
command that organization and to lead them into combat. To my 
knowledge, no other officer has since been accorded the scope of 
responsibilities placed on my shoulders at that time.''
  General Tibbets served out his life as an exemplary American . . . a 
patriot, a veteran, a loving husband of more than 50 years, and a 
national hero whose indelible imprint on history should be forever 
honored and revered.

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