Enola Gay Mission 68 Years Ago

[SamuelKhan]

A decision not made lightly by Harry Truman, but the right call. This mission saved millions of lives.

Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. – pilot and aircraft commander
Captain Robert A. Lewis – Co-pilot; Enola Gay's regularly assigned aircraft commander*
Major Thomas Ferebee – bombardier
Captain Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk – navigator[N 4]
Captain William S. Parsons, USN – weaponeer and mission commander.
First Lieutenant Jacob Beser – radar countermeasures (also the only man to fly on both of the nuclear bombing aircraft)
Second Lieutenant Morris R. Jeppson – assistant weaponeer
Technical Sergeant George R. "Bob" Caron – tail gunner*
Technical Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury – flight engineer*
Sergeant Joe S. Stiborik – radar operator*
Sergeant Robert H. Shumard – assistant flight engineer*
Private First Class Richard H. Nelson – VHF radio operator*

The bomber would later drop another bomb on Nagasaki, which then brought Japan to the peace table.
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[paracarl44]

I have talked to several people who told me that they might not be here had we invaded Japan to make them surrender. It was a good decision to end a long war.