This guy died; I didn't know he lived in my city. PAUL W. TIBBETS JR.1915-2007 Pilot didn't regret A-bomb
Friday, November 2, 2007 3:34 AM By Mike Harden FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCHPaul W. Tibbets Jr. flew the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Tibbets, who moved to Columbus in 1970, died yesterday in his East Side home.
Paul W. Tibbets Jr. met Hiroshima survivor Sister Nobuko at a French TV show in 1981. The bombing of Hiroshima, and Nagasaki three days later, led to the Japanese surrender and saved thousands of American and Japanese lives, historians say.
Tibbets named his B-29 superfortress Enola Gay after his mother. Tibbets, who fell in love with flying as a boy, said, "I want my ashes scattered over water where I loved to fly."
Tibbets, center, with the Enola Gay's bombardier, Tomas W. Ferebee, left, and navigator Theodore J. Van Kirk.