"M.W. Barrow" wrote in message
...

See above. Also, get the DVD set for "Band of Brothers" and listen to the
interviews of the original men from the 101st.

I just watched it with my little brother, who came home on leave from his
second (and final..woohoo) deployment. Had a friend of the family who was a
captain in one of those companies. I never knew anything about it until I
saw his Purple Heart license plate. Asked my mother if she knew he'd been
there and she said that when she was a kid, he was their neighbor and he'd
wake up screaming so loud that my grandfather would go over with a couple of
beers or some whiskey and help him out. When I asked about the plate he
told me he had gone to the unveiling of the World War II memorial, and that
had given him closure.

To be reminded of that every time the History Channel or somebody talked
about dropping The Bomb must have weighed heavy on the old warrior.

Again, based on the radio interview mentioned above, I don't think so.

I wish I could completely believe that. I was raised by a B-17 vet. I
understand the part about fear waking them up, but, I was with him in his
last hours. It was the final moment that I realized I would never, ever
want to have carried that weight.

The 96th was sent to bomb a cathedral city on Sunday, and on that day when
the chaplain came around before the mission he refused prayer because he he
said he couldn't pray for safety when he was about to go bomb civilians in
the houses of God. Of course he knew it had to be done, but, as a debout
Catholic it ate him up. On the other hand, he wasn't fighting the Imperial
Japanese or knowingly striking the blow that could end the war. That might
have made all the difference to Tibbets and his crew.

Thanks for answering my question, though. That's good to know.

-c