DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Among the men who actually carried out the order to bomb Hiroshima is the pilot of the U.S. bomber, the Enola Gay. It is the subject of today's "Ask CNN" report.</s>DARRELL CHRISTENSON, CNN VIEWER: My name is Darrell Christensen from Lincoln, Nebraska, and I would like to know more about the pilot of the Enola Gay.</s>BRIG. GEN. PAUL W. TIBBETS (RET.), ENOLA GAY COMMANDER AND PILOT: I guess I had a fascination for airplanes, as back to the point of about 7 or 8 years old. I got into the military service, the man in charge said, "Well, how soon would you like to go?" I said, "Just as soon as they'll take me." I studied harder on academics in the flight school than I ever did in any school because I didn't want to get washed out. I wanted to fly those airplanes badly. When I left Fort Benning I was sent to Savannah, Georgia, to fly A- 20's, attack airplanes. I was with the 97th bombardment group, and they were the first organization sent into the European theater, December, heavy bombardment, I was selected to fly the lead airplane. It was the first strike that took place. This is what we did. We have no apologies to offer. You give me the circumstances we had in 1945. See, people want to judge you in context of this time. They can't take it in context of what the mentality was during the war, or right after.
Ask CNN: More About the Pilot of the Enola Gay