He grew up in Montgomery, Alabama,[1] and was inspired to join the United States Air Force (USAF) not by his famous grandfather but by his father, Paul W. Tibbets III, a pharmacist and hospital administrator who served in the United States Army Reserve, retiring as a colonel. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born on February 23, 1915, in Quincy, Illinois. Brig. In February 1956, he returned to the U.S. and took command of the 308th Bombardment Wing in Georgias Hunter Air Force Base. He started commanding the 6th Air Division at the MacDill Air Force Base in Florida from January 1958 and was elevated to the position of brigadier general the following year. On June 19, 1938, Tibbets quietly married a department store clerk named Lucy Frances Wingate in a Roman Catholic seminary in Holy Trinity, Alabama, without the knowledge of his family and commanding officer. According to the orders received in December 1941, Tibbets joined the 29th Bombardment Group at MacDill Field, Florida, and took training on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.. [92], In 1976, the United States government apologized to Japan after Tibbets re-enacted the bombingcomplete with a mushroom cloudin a restored B-29 at an air show in Texas. Wiki Biography & Celebrity Profiles as wikipedia. Tibbets was convinced that the bombers of the future would be jet aircraft and thus became involved in the Boeing B-47 Stratojet program. With the end of the war in 1945, Tibbets organization was transferred to what is now Walker Air Force Base, Roswell, N.M., and remained there until August 1946. [71], After his retirement from the Air Force, Tibbets worked for Executive Jet Aviation (EJA), an air taxi company based in Columbus, Ohio, and now called NetJets. [91] Tibbets figured largely in the 2000 book Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man Who Won the War by Bob Greene of the Chicago Tribune. President Harry S. Truman invited him to visit the White House. Later, in 1999, the 509th Composite Group received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award., Following the war, Tibbets served as a technical advisor in the 1946 Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon tests held at Bikini Atoll. [8][76] Tibbets had asked for no funeral or headstone, because he feared that opponents of the bombing might use it as a place of protest or destruction. Listen to Paul Tibbets's Oral History on Voices of the Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project Spotlight: Paul Tibbets. Birth xx xxx1936 Arkansas, USA No publicly available family members 9860People12Records12Sources Contact Tree Owner Jason Barton Tibbettsfound in 3 treesView all Tibbets recalled that the city was covered with a tall mushroom cloud after the bomb was dropped. On August 5 the same year, he formally named his Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber Enola Gay, in his mothers honor. Spouse and Children. He is best known as the pilot who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.. He did not once apologise for the horrendous act of bombing the Japanese city of Hiroshima that shocked the world on 6 August 1945. He then attended the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia in 2009, and the NATO Defense College in Rome in 2010. On June 26, 1940, young pilot Lt. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., was summoned to aid Col. Samuel R. Hopkins, whose wife and son were in a terrible automobile accident near Elmira. Robert A. Lewis. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. But then he thought back to a lesson he had learned during his time at medical school from his roommate who was a doctor. With his large number of social media fans, he often posts many personal photos and videos to interact with his huge fan base on social media platforms. Paul Warfield Tibbets III was born November 19, 1940 in Columbus, Georgia and he passed away peacefully at the Stoneybrook Memory Care Home in West Monroe, Louisiana, on October 20, 2016 following a courageous battle with Alzheimer's. Bonsai worked at the 100-F Area at Hanford during the Manhattan Project. Tibbets initially wanted to become an abdominal surgeon. Just after 8.15am Japanese time, on August 6 1945, six miles above Hiroshima, a Boeing B29 bomber, the Enola Gay, commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets, who has died aged 92, carried out the. Hiroshima Bomber Paul Tibbets did not once repent the heinous action Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He was the pilot of the B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay", which dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. "[27], Tibbets did not get along well with Norstad, or with Doolittle's chief of staff, Brigadier General Hoyt Vandenberg. [1], Because he went to a military school, attended some college, and had some flight experience, Tibbets qualified for the Aviation Cadet Training Program. The story of Colonel Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, the bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Me and Paul Tibbets, 89 years old, brigadier-general retired, in his home town of Columbus, Ohio, where he has lived for many years. Why the pilot who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima doesn't have a grave See, I'm 90. They divorced because of alcoholism problems and infidelity in the marriage. For Tibbets, the war in North Africa introduced him to the realities of aerial warfare. He was the pilot of the B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay", which dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. [70] He retired from the United States Air Force (USAF) on 31 August 1966. Paul Tibbets net worth is $15 Million Paul Tibbets Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. (February 23, 1915 - November 1, 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, best known as the pilot of the Enola Gay - named for his mother - the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in the history of warfare. General Paul Tibbets - Reflections on Hiroshima - YouTube When he was eight, his family moved to Hialeah, Florida, to escape from harsh midwestern winters. Elmira's connection with Paul Tibbets Jr. and the Enola Gay When Paul Warfield Tibbets III was born on 19 November 1940, in Columbus, Muscogee, Georgia, United States, his father, Brigadier General Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr, was 25 and his mother, Lucy Frances Wingate, was 26. . January 1968 (78) Orlando, Orange County, Florida, United States. Above and Beyond (1952) - Plot Summary - IMDb But my one driving interest was to do the best job I could so that we could end the killing as quickly as possible. He is best known as the pilot who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.. Tibbets enlisted in the United States Army in 1937 and . He became director of staff of the 509th Bomb Wing there in June 2005, and in April 2006 assumed command of the 393d Bomb Squadron,[3] a unit that had once formed part of the 509th Composite Group that his grandfather had commanded in the Pacific during World War II. Spouse/Ex-: Andrea Quattrehomme, Lucy Wingate, children: Gene Tibbets, James Tibbets, Paul III Tibbets, place of death: Columbus, Ohio, United States, Founder/Co-Founder: 509th Composite Group, education: Western Military Academy, University of Florida, University of Cincinnati, awards: Distinguished Flying Cross Legionnaire of Legion of Merit Purple Heart, Air Medal Legion of Merit National Aviation Hall of Fame, See the events in life of Paul Tibbets in Chronological Order. In 1959, Col. Tibbets was promoted to Brigadier General. As the University of Florida had no medical school at that time, Tibbets completed his second year from the university and then took a transfer to the University of Cincinnati to finish his pre-med studies. Tibbets did not inform his family or his commanding officer, and the couple arranged for the notice to be kept out of the local newspaper. [46] An advance party of the air echelon flew by C-54 to North Field, Tinian, between 15 and 22 May,[47] where it was joined by the ground echelon on 29 May 1945. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_W._Tibbets.JPG, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Tibbets_2003.jpg. He was one of the founding board members and attempted to extend the company's operations to Europe, but was unsuccessful. He has a full head of silver hair. One day his mother agreed to pay one dollar to get him into an airplane at the local carnival. Still no regrets for frail Enola Gay pilot (Col. Paul Tibbets) He was seen as one of the most successful United States Air Force pilot of all times. Its role was to transition pilots to the B-29. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (23 February 1915 - 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. In late May 1945, the 509th was transferred to Tinian Island in the South Pacific to await final orders. After he graduated in June 1955, he became Director of War Plans at the Allied Air Forces in Central Europe Headquarters at Fontainebleau, France. On August 31, 1966, he retired from the USAF. He then worked for the air taxi company Executive Jet Aviation. He served as a founding board member of the company and remained its president from April 21, 1976, till 1986. Born on 1 November 2007, the United States Air Force pilot Paul Tibbets was arguably the worlds most influential social media star. Copyright 2022 by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Studs Terkel: I know. He has a pure loving kind heart personality. 'One hell of a big bang' | Japan | The Guardian [23] A few weeks later Tibbets flew the Supreme Allied Commander, Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, there. In his later years, he. 1915 Paul Tibbets was born on February 23, 1915 in Quincy, Illinois, USA as Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. At one point, Tibbets found that Lucy had co-opted a scientist to unplug a drain. The following year, he was formally inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.. Paul Tibbets IV was promoted to brigadier general in 2014, and became Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations at the Global Operations Directorate of the United States Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Ambassador John Roos is an act of contrition that his late father would never have approved. At the time, he thought to himself, "People are getting killed down there that don't have any business getting killed. Instead, he decided to enlist in the United States Army and become a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps. Skip to comments. Gene Tibbets, son of Brig. Paul Tibbets: Hey, you've got to correct that. He also became the deputy director of the National Military Command System in June 1963. In simulated combat engagements against a P-47 fighter at the B-29's cruising altitude of 30,000 feet (9,100m), he discovered that the B-29 had a smaller turning radius than the P-47, and could avoid it by turning away. Morality, there is no such thing in warfare. When Paul Tibbets died in January 2007, he had been retired from the Air Force since 1966. When challenged by Norstad, Tibbets said he would lead the mission himself at 6,000 feet if Norstad would fly as his co-pilot. When Paul Tibbets was born on 26 June 1705, in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, British Colonial America, his father, Henry Tibbetts, was 30 and his mother, Joyce N. Otis, was 33. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV, the former deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, made inappropriate comments in public about a female junior airman under his command and a woman at a. [7][8], While Tibbets was stationed at Fort Benning, he was promoted to first lieutenant[9] and served as a personal pilot for Brigadier General George S. Patton, Jr., in 1940 and 1941. Nov. 1, 2007, 8:12 AM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. Paul Tibbets was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. Furthermore, two representatives from Washington, D.C. were present on the island:[44] the deputy director of the Manhattan Project, Brigadier General Thomas Farrell, and Rear Admiral William R. Purnell of the Military Policy Committee. Paul Tibbets (Pilot) - Overview, Biography - Celeb Networth Post [82] Above and Beyond (1952) depicted the World War II events that involved Tibbets; Robert Taylor starred as Tibbets and Eleanor Parker played the role of his first wife Lucy. Sundlun lured Tibbets back to EJA that year. Colonel (later General) Paul Tibbets was the pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Employing the new Joint Direct Attack Munition, Captain Tibbets successfully targeted 16 separate impact points and destroyed critical military production facilities including the Smederevo Petroleum Product Storage near Belgrade, a radio relay facility, and an arms production plant in Kragujevac. [13] It was initially based at MacDill, and then Sarasota Army Airfield, Florida, before moving to Godfrey Army Airfield in Bangor, Maine. This was not Tibbets's regular aircraft, Red Gremlin, nor his regular crew, which included bombardier Thomas Ferebee and navigator Theodore Van Kirk, who later flew with him in Enola Gay. He flew the lead plane in the first American daylight heavy bomber mission against Occupied Europe on 17 August 1942, and the first American raid of more than 100 bombers in Europe on 9 October 1942. In July 1942, the 97th became the first heavy bombardment group to be deployed as part of the Eighth Air Force, and Tibbets became deputy group commander. Bien qu'ignorant le plein potentiel de cette nouvelle arme, il sait qu'elle peut faire normment plus de dgts que n'importe quelle autre arme utilise auparavant, et que le nombre de morts rsultant d'elle sera norme. Tibbets developed an interest in flying in his childhood. A rigorous candidate selection process was used to recruit personnel, reportedly with an 80% rejection rate. The son of a prosperous businessman, Paul Warfield Tibbets was born at Quincy, Illinois, on February 23 1915. . [4] On 25 February 1937, he enlisted in the army at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and was sent to Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, for primary and basic flight instruction. During 19401941, he worked as the personal pilot of Brigadier General George S. Patton, Jr. After flying 43 combat missions, he became the assistant for bomber operations on the staff of the Twelfth Air Force. Of course, Paul was the pilot of the Enola Gay B-29 Superfortress on it's secret mission during. The Army Air Forces received the B-29-45-MO with the serial number 44-86292 on May 18 and the 509th assigned it to crew B-9 commanded by Capt. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born in Quincy, Illinois, on 23 February 1915, the son of Paul Warfield Tibbets Sr. and his wife, Enola Gay Tibbets. The atomic bomb Little Boy was dropped over the city of Hiroshima, resulting in an almost complete destruction of the city. 1944 Sep 1st Selected to lead the 509th Composite Group. To watch his first-person account of the Hiroshima mission, click here. However, he attended for only a year and a half as he changed his mind about wanting to become a doctor. He was the man who dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat against an enemy city. It was during this period that the Operation Crossroads took place, with Tibbets participating as technical adviser to the Air Force commander. EDUCATION. Thereafter, he served as the director of management analysis on a tour of duty at the Pentagon.. Personal touch and engage with his followers. The reason why they had failed the program was because "they had too much sympathy for their patients", which "destroyed their ability to render the medical necessities". wikipedia.en/Paul_Tibbets.md at main chinapedia/wikipedia.en There, he served as an engineering officer and flew the A-20 Havoc. He was elevated to the position of captain later. He attended the United States College of Naval Command and Staff at Newport, Rhode Island, from April 2002 to June 2003, from which he obtained a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (1915-2007) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree When he was five years old, his family moved to Davenport, Iowa and later to Des Moines. At age 5, he relocated with his family to Iowa, where his father worked as a confections wholesaler. Paul Tibbets: A Rendezvous With History (part 1) In February 1942, he became the commanding officer of the 340th Bombardment Squadron of the 97th Bombardment Group, which was equipped with the Boeing B-17. [62] Colonel William H. Blanchard replaced Tibbets as group commander on 22 January 1946, and also became the first commander of the 509th Bombardment Wing, the successor to the 509th Composite Group. Explore historical records and family tree profiles about Lucy Tibbets on MyHeritage, the world's family history network. So I got you beat by three years. He died on November 1, 2007, at his home in Columbus, Ohio, at 92. Tibbets met a divorcee named Andrea Quattrehomme while he was posted in France. That was the thing that I was going to do the best of my ability. The result of this attack was tremendous damage to the city of Hiroshima, contributing materially to the effectiveness of our strikes against the enemy. Fired Air Force one-star made inappropriate comments about women [55], Tibbets was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Spaatz immediately after landing on Tinian. After his undergraduate work, Tibbets had planned on becoming an abdominal surgeon. I was told that it wasn't because of who I was, but because it was the best fit."[2]. Paul Tibbets | Military Wiki | Fandom Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr., the Army Air Forces pilot whose bombing run over Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 introduced nuclear war, died Thursday at his home in Columbus, Ohio. He transferred to the University of Cincinnati after his second year to complete his pre-med studies there, because the University of Florida had no medical school at the time. He retired from the company in 1968, and returned to Miami, Florida, where he had spent part of his childhood. When he was eight, his family moved to Hialeah, Florida, to escape from harsh midwestern winters. He was made the commander of the 509th Composite Group in September 1944. By extraordinary flying skill, gallant leadership, and successful performance of the flight despite considerable danger, Colonel Tibbets thereby rendered outstanding, distinguished and valorous service to our Nation. 87 Paul Tibbets Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images EDITORIAL All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 87 paul tibbets stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. Paul James Tibbetsfound in 17 treesView all Paul James Tibbetsfrom tree Hallam Family Tree(Private) Record information. He was vice Commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in southwest Asia from June 2010 to July 2011, flying missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Flying the 1,500 miles of open water to the coast of Japan, he guided his plane over the island of Shikoku and the Inland Sea, threatened with the constant danger of anti-aircraft. To supporters, Tibbets became known as a national hero who ended the war with Japan; to his detractors, he was a war criminal responsible for the deaths of many thousands of Japanese civilians. He does look like an old man, but not a 90-year-old man. Updated January 04, 2023 10:44:57. Poor bombing accuracy resulted in numerous civilian casualties and less damage to the rail installations than hoped, but the mission was hailed an overall success because it reached its target against heavy and constant fighter attack. You can find out how much net worth Paul has this year and how he spent his expenses. Paul Tibbets Biography, Life, Interesting Facts - Famous Birthdays By Special to The Times. He commanded the 308th Bombardment Wing and 6th Air Division in the late 1950s, and was military attach in India from 1964 to 1966. Brig. Paul Tibbets - Ancestry.com [63] Tibbets was a technical advisor to the 1946 Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, but he and his Enola Gay crew were not chosen to drop another atomic bomb. Lucy Tibbets - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage On hand for this. Tibbets was promoted to colonel in January 1945[39] and brought his wife and family along with him to Wendover. My father said 'You seem to be very interested in serving what do you want to do with your life?' Major American newspapers published interviews and pictures of his wife and children. [24] "By reputation", historian Stephen Ambrose wrote, Tibbets was "the best flier in the Army Air Force. Paul Tibbets Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Later, he commanded the Proof Test Division at the Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida. Robert Taylor, who had earned a flying license before the war and went into naval aviation as an instructor, played Paul Tibbets; Eleanor Parker played his wife, Lucy. [3], Tibbets was denied promotion to major general, following an investigation into allegations of his misconduct during his command of the 509th Bomb Wing that included making inappropriate comments regarding women, failure to report suicide attempts under his watch, and inappropriate use of a military vehicle. [2], From October 2007 to August 2009, Tibbets was stationed at NATO headquarters in Brussels. deRussy. Grandson of legendary Air Force pilot reflects family legacy Tinian was approximately 2,000 miles (3,200km) away from Japan, so it took six hours to reach Hiroshima. Tibbets was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Major General Carl Spaatz immediately after landing on Tinian. Children James Tibbets, Gene Tibbets, Paul III Tibbets Spouse Andrea Quattrehomme (m. 1956-2007), Lucy Wingate (m. 1938-1955) Books Return of the Enola Gay, The Tibbets story, Tibbets Story Mission Hiroshim Atomic Bombings - Paul Tibbets (Pilot, Enola Gay) - 9/11 Reckoning In 1933, he graduated from the Western Military Academy. Following this, he studied at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Jones Construction Company. He said that he had not intended for the re-enactment to insult the Japanese people. [3] On 5 June 2015, he assumed command of the 509th Bomb Wing. Tibbets passed away on November 1, 2007. [13] Crews were reluctant to embrace the troublesome B-29, and to overcome crew anxiety, Tibbets taught and certified two Women Airforce Service Pilots, Dora Dougherty and Dorothea (Didi) Moorman, to fly the B-29 as demonstration pilots,[33] and the crews' attitude changed. This Is Why Paul Tibbets Doesn't Have a Grave | SOFREP We have estimated General Tibbets is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours. C. E. Centerworked for theUnion Carbide & Carbon Corporation. Colonel (later General) Paul Tibbets was the pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. He was made the deputy director for operations to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in July 1962. Delegated as a second lieutenant, Tibbets earned his pilot rating at Kelly Field in San Antonio in 1938. When news of the successful mission appeared in American newspapers the next day, Tibbets and his family became instant celebrities. At 02:45 the next day, Tibbets and his flight crew aboard the Enola Gay departed North Field for Hiroshima. I was instructed to perform a military mission to drop the bomb. Paul Tibbets's Timeline 1915 Feb 23rd Born in Quincy, Illinois. Famously known by the Family name Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr., was a great United States Air Force pilot. Paul entered the career as United States Air Force pilot In his early life after completing his formal education.. On 1 November 2007, Paul Tibbets died of non-communicable disease. . His citation read: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Paul W. Tibbets IV, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a B-2 Mission Commander, at or near Yugoslavia, on 8 April 1999. [49][50], On 5 August 1945, Tibbets formally named his B-29 Enola Gay after his mother. Paul III was born in 1940, in Columbus, Georgia, and graduated from Huntingdon College and Auburn University. [8][76] He was survived by his French-born wife, Andrea,[77] and two sons from his first marriage, Paul III and Gene as well as his son, James, from his second marriage. In . Col. Paul W. Tibbets IV, the Air Force Inspection Agency commander, is the grandson of retired Brig. He boarded an airplane in 1927. Paul Tibbets was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. Parents and Siblings. Courtesy of the Joseph Papalia Collection. . [57] The 509th Composite Group was awarded an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1999. [15] It had been hastily assembled to meet demands for an early deployment, and arrived without any training in the basics of high altitude daylight bombing. Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV is a former SpongeBob SquarePants crew member. An interview of Paul Tibbets can be seen in the 1982 movie Atomic Cafe. You have got to leave the moral issue out of it. Courtesy of the Joseph Papalia Collection. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (23 February 1915 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. [13] Tibbets had recently been given a battlefield promotion to colonel, but did not receive it, as such promotions had to be confirmed by a panel of officers. Courtesy of the Joseph Papalia Collection. In January 1943, Tibbets, who had now flown 43 combat missions,[26] was assigned as the assistant for bomber operations to Colonel Lauris Norstad, Assistant Chief of Staff of Operations (A-3) of the Twelfth Air Force. with Robert Taylor starring as Tibbets and Eleanor Parker as his first wife, Lucy. [74], Tibbets died in his Columbus, Ohio, home on 1 November 2007, at the age of 92. The couple divorced in 1955. "[61], The 509th Composite Group returned to the United States on 6 November 1945, and was stationed at Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico. From August to November 1995, Tibbets was trained as T-38 pilot instructor at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and then served as a T-38 instructor with the 394th Combat Training Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. [13] and was promoted to brigadier general in 1959. Nov. 2, 2007 12 AM PT. Tibbets commenced terminal leave on 19 October 2018,[7][8][9] and he retired on 1 December 2018.[3]. Rather than taking his. Son of Pilot Who Dropped A-Bomb Opposes Plan to Send U.S - Fox News Frederick Ashworth and Paul Tibbets prior to takeoff. [53] The regularly assigned aircraft commander, Robert A. Lewis, was unhappy to be displaced by Tibbets for this important mission, and became furious when he arrived at the airfield on the morning of 6 August to see the aircraft he considered his painted with the now-famous nose art. In June 2015, he assumed command of the 509th Bomb Wing. Lewis would fly the mission as Tibbets's co-pilot. 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