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He once said, "I am an Airman, a pilot."
But retired Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets-Jr. was also the Airman who altered the course of world history. The pilot of the B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay," the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb, died of natural causes Nov. 1 in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 92.
America lost a remarkable Airman ... when retired Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets Jr. passed away," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley said in a letter to Airmen the same day.
"Today, let us remember the Tibbets legacy - the U.S. Air Force is a better combatant organization because of General Tibbets!" General Moseley said.
General Tibbets joined the Army Air Corps in 1937 and, after earning his wings in February 1938. went to Fort Benning. Ga. There he was the personal pilot and hunting partner of Col. George S. Patton, state Air University historical archives.
He joined the World War II effort and on Aug. 17, 1942, in a bomber named "ButcherShop," General...