BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Gen. Paul W. Tibbets Jr.
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FORT MITCHELL -- The man who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, effectively ending World War II, has little respect for today's commander in chief -- even with Thursday's retaliation against terrorists.
Gen. Paul W. Tibbets Jr. said if he were serving in the military now and had the same ideas he did as a young man, "I don't think I could even salute the man."
"If you're going to command troops, you have to have the respect of those troops, and respect is gained through leadership," he said Thursday, referring to President Clinton's sex scandal. "You've got to be honest. You've got to motivate."
Gen. Tibbets, 83, is best-known for piloting the Enola Gay B-29 when it dropped its payload over Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945. He's a hero to many.
Leading by example
In Northern Kentucky to attend an Ohio Valley Military Society convention, Gen. Tibbets, of Columbus, said he was pleased the United States took action against terrorists suspected in the bombings of two U.S. embassies.
"We have to be decisive, to let them know we are serious," he said. "Hopefully, this will send a message that we won't tolerate those kinds of actions."
While pleased with the strikes, he's not pleased with the man who ordered them.
"He evaded the draft like a coward," Gen. Tibbets said. "You cannot lead troops if they're aware of even the smallest lie because you won't have their trust. If they trust you, they will die for you." The nation backed Gen. Tibbets when he dropped the first atomic bomb, an action he thinks saved lives.
That devotion to Gen. Tibbets is easy to find at the military conventions, Air Force bases and other places he visits. People clamor for autographs. They ask whether he has regrets. They tell the general their own war stories.
"He's a hero to me," said Michael Heidkamp, president of the Ohio Valley Military Society.
When Gen. Tibbets arrived at the Drawbridge Estate Thursday, Mr. Heidkamp told him of his wife's excitement to meet the man Patrick Duffy played in the 1980 television movie Enola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb.
Gen. Tibbets laughed. "Patrick Duffy did a good job, but Bob Taylor did the best," he said.
"Nothing ever happened in this country that united people as did the bombing of Pearl Harbor," he said. "You can't imagine. It ignited the country. The one thesis you heard over and over was "Let's kill those bastards.' "
There's nothing that could have such an effect on the United States now, he said, because people are raised under different ground rules.
"We were taught patriotism. We were taught to respect our elders. We were taught to give up our lives to protect our country," Gen. Tibbets said.
And while a certain element of the military is sworn to uphold those values, he said the education system is failing to teach young people to be proud of their country. "Instead we get people who want to know what the country can do for them."
Gen. Tibbets flew 25 missions in B-17s during World War II, including the first American Flying Fortress raid against occupied Europe. He travels now, educating people about the importance of the war and the bombings.
"When I was assigned the bomb project in September 1944, I was confident that if it was a success, it would save more lives than it took," Gen. Tibbets said. "I did what I thought had to be done."
