Who Is Paul Tibbets? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born on February 23, 1915, in Quincy, Illinois. He rose to prominence as a significant figure in the United States Air Force, particularly known for piloting the Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945. Tibbets’ actions during World War II have led to extensive discussions on ethics and military strategy. He passed away on November 1, 2007, but his legacy continues to spark interest and debate.
| Occupation | Executives |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | February 23, 1915 |
| Age | 92 Years |
| Birth Place | Quincy, Illinois, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 1 November, 2007 |
| Died Place | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
Popularity
Paul Tibbets's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific measurements relating to Paul Tibbets' height and weight are not broadly documented, he was described as being of average height for his time, around 5'10". His military career demanded physical fitness, which he maintained throughout his life.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Paul Tibbets was married to his wife, Andrea Tibbets, for 62 years until his death. The couple had two children, a son named Paul W. Tibbets III and a daughter named Barbara Tibbets. Tibbets’ family life received little media attention, allowing him to maintain a relatively private personal life in comparison to his public career.
Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (23 February 1915 – 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. He is best known as the aircraft captain who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped a Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his passing in 2007, Paul Tibbets' estimated net worth was around $1 million. This figure largely reflects his military career and subsequent involvement in various speaking engagements and historical discussions. His earnings included a military pension and occasional compensation related to his historical significance and contributions.
Career, Business, and Investments
Tibbets enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1941 and rapidly rose through the ranks due to his exemplary performance. His most notable contribution, the mission to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, undeniably shaped the course of history. After the war, Tibbets continued to serve in various leadership positions within the Air Force, retiring as a Brigadier General. Post-retirement, he was involved in several ventures, including aeronautical consulting and public speaking, sharing insights about military history and the ethical dimensions of warfare.
In the late 1920s, business issues forced Tibbets's family to return to Alton, Illinois, where he graduated from Western Military Academy in 1933. He then attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, and became an initiated member of the Epsilon Zeta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity in 1934.
During that time, Tibbets took private flying lessons at Miami's Opa-locka Airport with Rusty Heard, who later became a captain at Eastern Airlines. After his undergraduate work, Tibbets had planned on becoming an abdominal surgeon.
He transferred to the University of Cincinnati after his second year to complete his pre-med studies there, because the University of Florida had no medical school at the time. However, he attended for only a year and a half as he changed his mind about wanting to become a doctor.
Instead, he decided to enlist in the United States Army and become a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps.
Social Network
Given that Paul Tibbets passed away in 2007, he does not currently maintain an active presence on social media platforms. However, his legacy is celebrated on various military and historical pages, and you can find discussions and tributes on platforms like Facebook and Twitter that revolve around his life and contributions.
On that first mission, Tibbets saw in real time that his bombs were falling on innocent civilians. At the time, he thought to himself, "People are getting killed down there that don't have any business getting killed. Those are not soldiers".
But then he thought back to a lesson he had learned during his time at medical school from his roommate who was a doctor. This doctor explained to him about his former classmates who failed the program and ended up in drug sales.
The reason why they had failed the program was because "they had too much sympathy for their patients", which "destroyed their ability to render the medical necessities". It dawned on Tibbets that:"I am just like that if I get to thinking about some innocent person getting hit on the ground. I am supposed to be a bomber pilot and destroy a target.
I won't be worth anything if I do that ... I made up my mind then that the morality of dropping that bomb was not my business. I was instructed to perform a military mission to drop the bomb. That was the thing that I was going to do the best of my ability. Morality, there is no such thing in warfare.
I don't care whether you are dropping atom bombs, or 100-pound bombs, or shooting a rifle. You have got to leave the moral issue out of it."
Education
Tibbets graduated from the University of Florida in 1936 with a degree in civil engineering, which laid a foundation for his analytical skills that benefitted his military career. Additionally, his training in the military contributed significantly to his strategic skills and leadership abilities.
Because he went to a military school, attended some college, and had some flight experience, Tibbets qualified for the Aviation Cadet Training Program. On 25 February 1937, he enlisted in the army at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and was sent to Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, for primary and basic flight instruction.
During his training, he showed himself to be an above-average pilot. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and received his pilot rating in 1938 at Kelly Field in San Antonio.
Conclusion
Paul Tibbets remains a controversial but undeniably significant figure in American military history. His life, marked by pivotal choices and contributions to the field of aviation and warfare, continues to be studied and debated long after his passing. In 2025, he is remembered both for his tactical acumen and the moral implications of his pivotal actions during World War II.
