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The Bomb Wing at Whiteman is responsible for flying the fleet of 20 nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers to targets around the world, often directly. His awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star for service and the Legion of Merit. He also trained on B-2s at Whiteman in the 1990s, commanded a bomb squadron at the base and was a vice commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in southwest Asia in 2010-2011. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
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Tibbets, 48, previously served as deputy director for nuclear operations for the U.S. His grandfather would also tell them, Tibbets said, that "he's counting on you, he's counting on us, today's generation of airmen, to continue as you do each and every day to raise the bar and set the standard and continue the great work that our nation relies on us to to do." Tibbets told about 500 people attending the ceremony in a hangar at the base that his grandfather would be "touched by your appreciation for his service and the service of those that he was with back in that time." Japan surrendered six days later, ending the war. B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing about 70,000 people. The government in Japan has said that thousands of people have been categorized as still sick from the Hiroshima bombing's radiation. The bomb destroyed much of Hiroshima and killed tens of thousands of its citizens. Tibbets Jr., was assigned to a predecessor of the 509th Bomb Wing when he piloted the Enola Gay in the world's first atomic bomb mission on Aug. Glen VanHerck, who has led the wing since February 2014. Tibbets IV took command of the 509th Bomb Wing during a ceremony at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, replacing Brig. A grandson and namesake of the man who piloted the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II took over leadership Friday of the United States' aging fleet of nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers.īrig.