Paul Tibbets Jr., the pilot of the Enola Gay on its atomic bomb raid against Hiroshima, is tired of young whippersnappers second-guessing the decision to drop the bomb.
The 83-year-old retired general appeared at the Selfridge Air Show in Michigan on Friday, where the last B-29 bomber was on display. The Enola Gay was a B-29.Disgusted with critics who question the use of atomic bombs in World War II, Tibbets had some choice words. "None of them had been born that day," he said. "They had not matured enough, and they hadn't learned their history."
Tibbets flew the Enola Gay on its Aug. 6, 1945, A-bomb mission. "I have talked to many Japanese that said I did the right thing - of course, Americans, too - but a lot of Japanese said I saved their lives, too," he said.
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