At midnight August 5-6, Colonel Paul Tibbets held a final briefing for the 26 men who would fly the three planes for the Hiroshima mission. Enola Gay, named after Tibbets’ mother, would carry the atomic bomb and be piloted by Tibbets. The Great Artiste would measure the blast with special instruments. A then unnamed plane, later known as Necessary Evil, would photograph the bomb and carry scientific observers. At the end of the briefing a 25 year old Protestant Army Chaplain, Bill Downey, gave the following prayer:
Almighty Father, Who wilt hear the prayer of them that love Thee, we pray Thee to be with those who brave the heights of Thy heaven and who carry the battle to our enemies. Guard and protect them, we pray Thee, as they fly their appointed rounds. May they, as well as we, know Thy strength and power, and armed with Thy might may they bring this war to a rapid end. We pray Thee that the end of the war may come soon, and that once more we may know peace on earth. May the men who fly this night be kept safe in Thy care, and may they be returned safely to us. We shall go forward trusting in Thee, knowing that we are in Thy care now and forever. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Interviewed in 1985 he noted that he was often asked what he would say to the survivors of the bombing:
Exactly what needed to be said.
Japan provides an early example of the new phrase “Fool Around and Find Out”
“I am sorry for your suffering and may God bless you”….that’s all that a chaplain should say to anyone who is experiencing pain in their lives. No need for him to throw politics or the history of the war back in their faces. IMO not an example to be followed.
Faithful,
In some cases, I might agree. I think though …the chaplain’s viewpoint makes sense in context. Given the malice I’ve seen directed against American servicemen, even since Vietnam; given the degree of hate I’ve seen directed against America, I understand his message. You see a polite version of “up yours” directed against Japanese. I see a subtle “Stop it!” to those who smear America.
I suspect you well understand the question being loaded. We’ve had “peace” activists howling about the US having fought at all in World War II since 1942. Too many have portrayed Roosevelt et al as warmongers, inspired mostly by racist motives. ..Such voices tend to refuse to admit to the hatred, sadly the intrinsic racism, professed by the Japanese of that era. Japanese leaders in particular.
I think the chaplain’s thought does well to warn against such ignorance.