Enola Gay

[F4Gary]

Back in 1980 they were filming the movie Enola Gay at Davis Monthan AFB. I was stationed there and also a member of the CAF. I ended up flying on Fifi, the CAF's B29 4 times and helped do maintenance on it for a few days. Got to meet Billy Crystal, Patrick Duffy, and Greg Harrison and watch them film some scenes.

[Terryshirley]

Thanks for the heads up. I will go to the Motts museum before long. There are so many places I'm afraid I won't see them all before I'm put in the box. Thank you
I can't imagine knowing a person who was on both B29s, let alone piloting one. I sure hope you have a room full of memorable treasures. I would be so proud that I would glow.
Bockscar ended the war, although it doesn't get credit for for doing that. Go to Wright Patterson, they will tell you all about Bockscar and they are very proud of her and display it correctly.
I was in Viet Nam and thats another story... No I didn't kill any babies.
I can't get enough information about WWIi. I wish we could meet. Again thank you. Have fun RVN

[Terryshirley]

Thank you for all the information. I will go to the Motts museum before they put me in the box. There are so many important places to go and pay your respects.
.I can't imagine being related to someone who flew in both B29s. I hope you have a room full of treasures about your hero. I would glow and be super proud.
Bockscar didn't get credit for ending the war. Go to Wright Patterson they will tell you all about Bockscar and her war ending mission.
I was in Viet Nam... That's another story. No I didn't kill any children.
I can't get enough information about WWII. So many stories. When I go to museums I look at the pictures and read about the ppl. All that history is part of who we are and should never forget our heroes.
Thanks again everyone. I hope someday our trails will meet as I would love to hear every story. I will buy that book. Have fun RVN.

[Terryshirley]

Thanks everyone.....

[flywithcoop]

In addition to the Motts Military museum While in the Columbus, OH area be sure to visit the NEW National Veterans Memorial which has just opened. It is dedicated to ALL veterans.

[blues_sunris]

Last summer I visited the Wright Patterson museum .. The Memphis Bell is now on display ... unbelievable the restoration.. It's better than the day it came off the factory line... a few years back while at the annex at Dulles... listening to the tour guide ... the explanation of the difference between restoration and preservation... The Enola Gay and Memphis Bell.. both were brought back to, as close as can be expected to like new condition.

[winniman]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

I do not remember who spoke the famous phrase " those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it", but is IMO very true.

Unfortunately, I think people are forgetting. Heaven forbid we go back there again.

[gmtec16450yz]

Originally Posted by Do26

Always hope... Took a son to the Hornet a few years back. Met a few pilots of the displayed planes. Son is working on his MD, and spends some time at the VA. Daughter wants to see the new Midway movie. Been to to Travis open house and met several current pilots.

Their Great Grandpa was a WWII POW, so there is some built in interest, bit the interest has to be "supported" until their adult years.

I don't want to derail this very interesting thread, but we had an eye opening visit to the Hornet with our kids many years ago. Our son was probably around 4 years old, our daughter would have been around 7. Our daughter thought it was interesting, but didn't really have much reaction to the experience being only 7 years old.

Our son was a different story though. He's always been very empathetic and to this day he's a very thoughtful and wise 27 year old. Most likely an old soul. As soon as we stepped foot on the Hornet he acted differently. He was obviously uncomfortable and just looked at everything intently. When it came time to explore below deck, specifically the area that went down into the operating room, he would have absolutely NO part of it. He literally refused to go below deck, even when I tried to carry him. My wife and I took turns seeing what was down there while the other stayed with our son above deck. I didn't feel particularly uncomfortable, but it was abundantly clear that when I was standing in that operating room I wasn't alone there. It was hard to not "feel" the presence of all those young men that suffered or died on that ship.

I have no doubt whatsoever that our very young son felt or saw the energy left by those young men. It was an experience I will never forget. I'm a "young" 57, I was old enough to get a "feeling" for war from what the generation before me told and taught me. Unfortunately the current generations are getting too far away from anyone that had actual experience in the realities of war. Without those "Enola Gay" and "Hornet" displays to give people a tiny glimpse of what it was like and why they did what they did, they are doomed to forget the past. This country has already gotten too "Politically Correct" and too filled with Snowflakes that don't want to get their hands dirty to even come close to doing what this country pulled off in WWII.

This forum is unique in that obviously it's a much older crowd than most. There are so many of you on here that helped shape and build this country. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you personally. I truly believe that the generation before mine, and the one before that were some of the toughest humans we might ever see. I see what my grandparents and parents endured and accomplished and I've always been impressed and had a ton of respect for it all. My wife wears the same center diamond in her wedding ring that her great grandmother had in hers. Just a small but meaningful stone that's been passed down for generations. That woman who originally received that stone got married at 17, hopped in a covered wagon with her new husband and traveled from Nova Scotia to Cheyenne Wyoming to homestead. She endured everything from harsh winters to Indian attacks BY HERSELF while her husband was busy carrying settlers and cargo west to make money. What 17 year old man or woman could do that now? Not sure we have too many with that kind of inner strength left in this country. That's both sad and scary.

Anyway, thanks for the interesting thread and thanks for all your service guys!

[ga traveler]

I was three years old (1943) when my family moved to savannah, Ga. My father moved there to work at the shipyard making liberty ships. That was the ships that moved men and supplies to the allies. I still remember the air raid sirens and turning out all the lights in the house while my mother was shaking and looking out the roller shades at the windows. (They did unannounced air raid drills and no one knew if it was a drill or the real thing.) I have been fortunate enough to visit both the Enola Gay and Boxcar. What they did was terrible ad wonderful. Terrible in the sense that so many women and children died and wonderful in that a million to two million soldiers were spared. It was the right thing to do. The Japenese were willing to fight to the death for their Empreor. These two planes saved millions of lives.

[DirtRider]

I don't think this particular exhibit is a good barometer for whether or not people care about history. I'm 39, so much younger than the majority of people here. I'm not a veteran, either. I do enjoy history quite a bit, and do significant reading on politics.

All that being said, the Enola Gay wouldn't be a giant attraction to me. I understand what it represents, and I think what happened in Nagasaki and Hiroshima was a necessary evil. While we shouldn't forget what led the country to that and what we did, we should also not color it as something it was not. Like I said, I think it was a necessary evil. And I believe it saved lives. It was still a terrible atrocity that our country performed. We shouldn't forget that we did it, but we shouldn't celebrate it, either.

I'm confident that if I was touring the Smithsonian and saw the Enola Gay, I would check out the display very carefully, probably in quiet shock, and definitely with no happiness. It wouldn't be with the same enthusiasm I'd look over a Liberty ship, or the U-boat in Chicago, or maybe even a racing Cessna.

[KiteSquid]

Originally Posted by YC1

https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/see/exhibits/

This is a must see if you are in the area.

I agree!!!!!!

[rgvtexan]

Originally Posted by KiteSquid

I agree!!!!!!

X3

And if that close, take the drive to Los Alamos. They Have a great museum also.

A little off topic, but on the way to Los Alamos visit.

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=m...=tee+pee+rocks

[blues_sunris]

Originally Posted by DirtRider

I don't think this particular exhibit is a good barometer for whether or not people care about history. "

"I'm confident that if I was touring the Smithsonian and saw the Enola Gay, I would check out the display very carefully, probably in quiet shock, and definitely with no happiness. It wouldn't be with the same enthusiasm I'd look over a Liberty ship, or the U-boat in Chicago, or maybe even a racing Cessna."

Maybe include in the exhibit with the Enola Gay a mockup of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and a display providing information about the 1937-1938 Nanking massacre, and another display on the Bataan Death March.

Or maybe the simple display of the Enola Gay as is .. all by it's self... your viewing history.

...as for your comment about no happiness in seeing the Enola Gay but enthusiasm on seeing a U-Boat … those good old U boats sunk a lot of ships (233) and caused the deaths of a lot of seamen 5000 +

"or maybe even a racing Cessna. " that's a head scratcher .. you would rather see a Cessna 152, 182 etc. than the B29.. racing Cessna ? that's like saying you would rather see any airplane than the Enola Gay.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a marvel of engineering... the first large transport that was pressurized … the dawn of modern air travel.

Blues

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by blues_sunris

Maybe include in the exhibit with the Enola Gay a mockup of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and a display providing information about the 1937-1938 Nanking massacre, and another display on the Bataan Death March.

Or maybe the simple display of the Enola Gay as is .. all by it's self... your viewing history.

...as for your comment about no happiness in seeing the Enola Gay but enthusiasm on seeing a U-Boat … those good old U boats sunk a lot of ships (233) and caused the deaths of a lot of seamen 5000 +

"or maybe even a racing Cessna. " that's a head scratcher .. you would rather see a Cessna 152, 182 etc. than the B29.. racing Cessna ? that's like saying you would rather see any airplane than the Enola Gay.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a marvel of engineering... the first large transport that was pressurized … the dawn of modern air travel.

Blues

I was making a reference to the original post, that had a bunch of people ogling a racing Cessna. I love old warplanes, and would be very interested to tour a B-29. In fact, I have already.

I was making the distinction between machines of war that were used for normal warfare, and one specific one that was used specifically in an un-targeted attack. A regular B-29 mission targeted factories or whatever, but had collateral civilian damage. Same with the U-boats--marvels of engineering. They targeted mostly military targets. The Enola Gay went on a mission that targeted massive civilian damage.

Like I said, I think Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary evils. But they were still evil on a large scale. I don't look at those bombings with pride. And the atrocities committed by the Japanese don't change that for me.

Anyway, I'm not trying to ruffle feathers here, and this will be my last post in the thread. I was just making the point that just because someone wasn't excited about the Enola Gay doesn't mean they don't understand the significance of it. Or that they don't care about the country's history.