Three years back my wife and step-son visited the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre and saw the Enola Gay. The Docent related a tale of Paul Tibbets' recent visit to see the plane he had flown. Mr. Tibbets was wheel chair bound at the time but upon seeing his old aircraft he summoned the strength to stand and actually walk around the display of the Enola Gay. During his walk a malcontent who had smuggled a balloon of red paint threw it at the aircraft whereupon it burst, smearing the plane. Paul Tibbets ignored the cretin's actions and continued with his inspection of the Enola Gay. I assume his thoughts were of the freedom gained so that ne'er-do-wells can and do such things as urinating on national War Memorials, shooting blanks at monarchs on horse-back, and throwing paint on national treasures. Fortunately, most people do understand the sacrifices many made in the past for their freedom today.
