They're not going to stand up to this thing. After I saw what I saw I was more convinced that they're gonna quit. That's the only way I could do it,'' he told Morning Edition. Three days after Hiroshima, the United States let loose a second nuclear bomb over Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 40,000 people. The Japanese surrendered a few days later, ending the war. Tibbets never expressed regret, viewing the assignment as his patriotic duty.īorn Feb. 23, 1915, in Quincy, Ill., Tibbets spent most of his boyhood in Miami. He was a student at the University of Cincinnati's medical school when he decided to withdraw in 1937 to enlist in the Army Air Corps. He retired from the Air Force as a brigadier general in 1966. He later moved to Columbus, where he ran an air-taxi service until he retired in 1985.īut his role in the bombing brought him fame - and infamy - throughout his life. In 1976, he was criticized for reenacting the bombing during an appearance at a Harlingen, Texas, air show. As he flew a B-29 Superfortress over the show, a bomb set off on the runway below created a mushroom cloud. He said the display 'was not intended to insult anybody,' but the Japanese were outraged. Government later issued a formal apology.
