scream-of-consciousness;
"If you're trying to change minds and influence people it's probably not a good idea to say that virtually all elected Democrats are liars, but what the hell."
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Wednesday, April 04, 2012
World War Eleven
World
War II
“
Last
night I watched part one of a surprisingly good Military Channel
documentary about dropping the first A-Bombs on Japan. Towards
the
end, the late Col. Paul Tibbets (who flew the Enola Gay) made this
disdainful comment about the school system.
"Our high schools
know nothing of this history. I was once introduced to
students as " a man who fought in world war eleven."
A while back several parents and I were discussing recent events in Iran while their high school age kids were standing near us. One guy asked when we thought Iran would finally back off and start to see reason. I replied that their whack job president wasn't going to back off anything until someone went all Enola Gay on his ass.
The adults laughed. Not one kid in the group understood the reference. Two of them asked me to explain what that meant. I looked at the other parents and said "This is why I sent my kids to private schools."
I've been in both the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH where the Enola Gay is displayed and the Udvar-Hazy (Smithsonian) Air & Space Museum at Dulles where the Bock's Car B-29 that took out Nagasaki is and have seen groups of Japanese tourists awe-ing at them and speaking in hushed tones.
TimO--I think you got that reversed--I was at Wright-Patt back in November and Bock's Car is the B-29 there.
Funny story--I was getting ready to take a picture of the bomber when I noticed two yutes walking in front of me. I waited for them to walk by but instead, they stopped right in front of me.
I lowered the camera to see what they were doing and they just stood there with their backs to me. They would half-glance over their shoulder, then laugh. They must've thought it was a great joke.
But the joke was on them because they both looked to be Japanese, and I waited till you could see their faces as they finally turned to leave, and got them in the picture with Bock's Car.
From Smithsonian/NASM: Museum specialists continued to restore the remaining components of the airplane, and after an additional nine years the fully assembled Enola Gay went on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in December 2003.
This exhibition was on display in Gallery 103 from June 28, 1995 to May 19, 1998"
A while back several parents and I were discussing recent events in Iran while their high school age kids were standing near us. One guy asked when we thought Iran would finally back off and start to see reason. I replied that their whack job president wasn't going to back off anything until someone went all Enola Gay on his ass.
ReplyDeleteThe adults laughed. Not one kid in the group understood the reference. Two of them asked me to explain what that meant. I looked at the other parents and said "This is why I sent my kids to private schools."
I'm surprised one of them didn't ask: "Who is Enola, and why would he go gay on his ass?"
ReplyDeleteI've been in both the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH where the Enola Gay is displayed and the Udvar-Hazy (Smithsonian) Air & Space Museum at Dulles where the Bock's Car B-29 that took out Nagasaki is and have seen groups of Japanese tourists awe-ing at them and speaking in hushed tones.
ReplyDeleteThere were speaking in hushed tones because they were afraid of waking them up...
ReplyDeleteVery funny, David.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I come to this site.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Steve (currently in CA)
During and after the war the Japanese would say "B-29-San." -San being an an honorific roughly meaning Mr.
ReplyDeleteTimO--I think you got that reversed--I was at Wright-Patt back in November and Bock's Car is the B-29 there.
ReplyDeleteFunny story--I was getting ready to take a picture of the bomber when I noticed two yutes walking in front of me. I waited for them to walk by but instead, they stopped right in front of me.
I lowered the camera to see what they were doing and they just stood there with their backs to me. They would half-glance over their shoulder, then laugh. They must've thought it was a great joke.
But the joke was on them because they both looked to be Japanese, and I waited till you could see their faces as they finally turned to leave, and got them in the picture with Bock's Car.
Enola Gay is at Dulles.
ReplyDeletegsebes
From Smithsonian/NASM:
ReplyDeleteMuseum specialists continued to restore the remaining components of the airplane, and after an additional nine years the fully assembled Enola Gay went on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in December 2003.
This exhibition was on display in Gallery 103 from June 28, 1995 to May 19, 1998"
tomw
@Snackeater
ReplyDeleteI almost spit out my drink. Thanks.