On this date 69 years ago, some very brave men flew the first of two missions that helped end WWII. Recent events give me pause to reflect. Last week, on July 28, I had just come home from my day on the EAA grounds to enjoy the late-day air show from the sidewalk of my host family, the Kujawa’s, living but a block from Wittman Field and who I have stayed with each year since 1996. My cellphone rang – a call from Colin Havenpoop (name changed here out of pity), a Brit with the BBC World News Radio network who wanted my on-air take on the passing that day of ENOLA GAY navigator, Theodore Van Kirk (better known here as Dutch). First of all, the death of Dutch, age 93, was news to me. I thanked Mr. Havenpoop but explained I did not know Dutch all that well, other than attending several events with Paul Tibbets over the years at which Dutch took part. Revealing desperation, he really pressed me, so I offered that he might do better to look up Dutch’s longtime agent, Ed Humphreys, again emphasizing I was not close to Dutch, did not carry his agent’s contact info with me, plus was on a lawnchair at Oshkosh (consuming a cold American beer and watching a Beech 18 show overhead). Wow, this dude was relentless, asking if perhaps it would help were I to call him back later. I was firmly instructing him to Google up Humphreys when he mentioned something that really pressed my buttons. “I just thought you might be of similar assistance, as in 2007 when General Tibbets passed and you were kind enough to come on the program.” Well, let me tell you, THAT was the last thing he wanted to remind ME of. In brief, this chucklehead indeed had previously invited me onto BBC World News Radio, live, to speak of Paul and understandably of course to his key role in hastening war’s end. Having been a friend and business associate of Paul’s, plus then being the Exec Director of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, I was proud to offer such insight to their world radio audience. But once the line of questioning developed, it was very clear Havenpoop was fishing for someone (i.e. me) to say something like Paul had in fact been long wracked with guilt over “the killing of so many innocents at Hiroshima” by leading the Atomic bomb missions. Maybe ‘fess up to him having nightmares, substance abuse issues, mental breakdowns, and such. Negative. Wrong bloke. Tibbets told me and others that he not only slept like a baby, he would drop another “Little Boy” again in a heartbeat, if necessary. Throughout our on-air exchange, I attempted to frame such historic milestones in the context of THEIR day, not ours, as always. Eventually I had to get pretty forthright, firmly pointing out that he and his kind would be speaking Deutsch were it not for men like Dutch, Paul Tibbets and the boys of the U.S. 8th Air Force coming over there to bomb the daylights out of the Nazis, not to forget those in the Pacific Theatre fighting Hirohito’s fanatics. (I recall being slightly more diplomatic, but crystal clear about the Motherland going German). Funny, that was about when the BBC conveniently had a technical glitch, and I was cut off (“Sorry, old boy – we seemed to have lost you…”). But I could plainly hear over my phone Havenpoop prattling on about the passing of Tibbets, the man who unleashed horrific death on the unsuspecting civilian population of Japan, thus creating a legacy of terror and nuclear conflict that lasts to this day, blah, blah, blah. Nitwit. Goebbels would have adopted this guy. I can’t recall what I had for lunch yesterday, but won’t forget that little 2007 media experience. So, no, I did not call back last week. My condolences to the Van Kirk Family. Dutch had no regrets over helping end WWII either, by the way. One of the events I got to spend with him was Paul Tibbets’ 90th birthday bash at Epps Aviation in Atlanta, in February of 2007. Dutch got a ride on a B-17 over his Stone Mountain home and I was privileged to shoot it from a C-47. Paul and Dutch’s surviving ‘Red Gremlin’ B-17 crew (who had led the first U.S. mass daylight bombing of occupied France) were also there and held a press conference. With Dutch, we’ve lost another great American who I am grateful to have met and will never forget. And let us be reminded that revisionism lives even in those countries who should know better (including this one, I am sad to say). Fight it at every turn, in memory of men like Paul Tibbets and Dutch Van Kirk, and for your own good and certainly that of your children. This and other free nations are again at war, on many fronts – do not forget how to achieve victory.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 19:53:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015