The alternative to Hiroshima would have been one of the bloodiest, if not the bloodiest, slaughter in human history. … Tragic as the bombing of Hiroshima was, it was also necessary. He never second-guessed Truman’s decision and took pride in knowing the critical job he performed in bringing the war to an end. He was always calm and confident in answering critics. While he is distinguished in his hometown of Mocksville, N.C., he was occasionally accused, in later years, of having blood on his hands. president to visit Hiroshima:Īs the bombardier, peering through his Norden bombsight, he was the last man to see Hiroshima in any detail before it was leveled, making his perspectives on the event somewhat unique. He always said he never tossed and turned at night over his role in the mission. James Martin, a Marine Corps veteran, wrote of his uncle in an op-ed for USA Todaypublished three days before Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. Thomas Ferebee, a decorated crew member of B-29 bomber the Enola Gay that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, does not regret carrying out the bombing in order to save American lives, his nephew wrote.