We were on a tour of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. All manner of aircraft are on display there. But one plane in particular sent a chill through me. It was the Enola Gay. THE Enola Gay. This was the actual plane that, on August 6, 1945, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion carried the power of 15,000 tons of TNT. Estimates range as high as 140,000 people on the ground were killed instantly by a fireball 840 feet in diameter, packing a temperature of more than one million degrees Centigrade.
Nine days later, Japan surrendered, ending the pacific theater of World War II. As I stared in awe at the historic aircraft, I focused on the cockpit. I pictured Captain Paul Tibbets sitting in there. The 30 year-old Illinois native was the pilot who gave the order to release the bomb. I wondered what was going through his mind. He was following orders of course. But he must have had some pause at the massive destruction of many innocent human lives he was about to initiate.
The enemy was also trying to develop the bomb. They would surely have used it on us if they had completed it first. Freedom is not free. Its cost has been beyond tragic.
For both sides.
I am on a WWII reading/learning binge at present. It is so true about the tragic cost. Our generation is probably the last to have any direct connections to those who fought that war. It is so hard for me to comprehend just how large and far reaching that war was. It really did affect almost everyone on the planet in some way. The loss of life was staggering.
So true Michael.
My wife and I were chaperones on my daughter‘s trip to Washington DC over 25 years ago. I had never been before and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had. Seeing history up close made quite an impression on me. I think I embarrassed my daughter because I’m enough of a nerd to ask questions about everything. Hope y’all enjoyed your trip.
I’m the same way Bill.