Importance of Paul Tibbets and Chuck Sweeney

Hiroshima and Nagasaki are well-known for their connection to the atomic bomb, as are the names of Fat Man and Little Boy. Even the plane that delivered the bomb to Hiroshima, the Enola Gay, is a familiar one. The names of Tibbets and Sweeney are much less so, however, even though they were entrusted as pilots to make sure the bombs reached their targets. The qualities that made both men suitable for the job are complementary to the qualities that made Truman a great leader: their diligence was needed to bring his decisiveness to fruition.