Historic Wendover Airfield Utah August 5, 2017

Historic Wendover Airfield, Utah August 5, 2017

By Edwin P. Hawkins, Jr.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and a special welcome to Sadako Sasaki’s nephew Yuji who joins us today all the way from Japan and the reason for gathering here today.

What a historic day, at this historic place, at this location, far away from major cities—just as Colonel Paul Tibbets envisioned.

Hiroshima and Enola Gay. These two words together hold so much meaning and emotion. It’s hard not to be moved, standing here in the very hangar that Enola Gay sat. We are witnesses to history today.

For the first time, two sides, one representing those who dropped the atomic bomb, and the other, victim, come together in the United States of America, not with enmity in their hearts but with thoughts of reconciliation.

It’s not an easy decision for either. One still harbors deep pain at the fate of one they loved; the other feels pride in the accomplishments of men who they consider heroes. Both strive to keep those memories alive.

We here do not represent Japan or the Japanese people; and we don’t represent the United States or the American people. Nor do we claim to. But we and what we are doing here are representative of both. We share the noblest of human values: compassion for victims, and the willingness to overcome anger, distrust and hatred toward whose who committed the act. We believe, what Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe termed when he visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor with President Barak Obama last December, in the “Power of Reconciliation.”

And so we are gathered here today. Not to cast aspersion on the crew of the Enola Gay nor members of the Atomic Bombing Group, but recognize their service and heroism. At the same time, we remember the tragic victims of their act, the dropping of an atomic bomb, symbolized here by Sadako’s paper crane. We can and should do both. Because by understanding these respective truths, we will be able to move forward, to promote mutual understanding and strive for lasting peace.

True reconciliation must include both elements. This act, presenting the very paper crane Sadako folded as she lay dying, in memory of the Enola Gay and the Atomic Bombing Group, this simple act speaks powerfully to the power of reconciliation.

I suspect few will fully appreciate what we witness here today. Maybe not now; perhaps in generations to come.

In closing, I want to express my deepest respect and admiration to Historic Wendover Airfield Museum Director Mr. Jim Petersen, and to Sadako’s nephew Mr. Yuji Sasaki, for their courage and wisdom, for coming together at this historic place, to perform this act of reconciliation. Their act will serve as a legacy for future generations, so they will continue to keep alive these powerful stories, so they will understand the “Power of Reconciliation.”

Colonel Paul Tibbets and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay. (Utah State Historical Society, photograph no. 18480.)

For full citations and images please view this article on a desktop.