Thomas Wilson Ferebee, 81, of Windermere, Florida, bombardier of the World War II B-29 Enola Gay that dropped the world’s first atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan, passed away on March 16, 2000, after a brief illness.
Mr. Ferebee was born to William Flavius and Zella Ward Ferebee in Mocksville, North Carolina, on November 9, 1918. He attended Mocksville High School and graduated from Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina.
Rather than pursue a career in professional baseball, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, and in March 1942 was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. After heavy bombardment training, Mr. Ferebee was deployed to Europe aboard the first B-L 17 Flying Fortress to land in Great Britain.
Mr. Ferebee’s World War II career was distinguished, diverse, and valorous. In 1942, he was among the first Americans to drop bombs on Nazi-occupied France; and he was the lead bombardier aboard the B-17 Red Gremlin on American’s first 100 airplane daylight raid against Nazi-occupied Europe. His 64 combat missions included the invasion of North Africa and the attacks against the heavily defended German held oil fields of Ploesti. In September 1944, he was hand-selected for B-29 service in the air war against Japan by Enola Gay Pilot Paul Tibbets, who called Thomas Ferebee, “the best bombardier who ever looked through the eyepiece of a Norden bomb sight.”
Mr. Ferebee was a humble hero who led by quiet example. Those who knew him looked up to him. Triple rated as a bombardier, navigator, and in radar, his decorations included the Silver Star for gallantry in action, the Legion of Merit, two distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with 13 Oak Leaf Clusters, and four Air Force Commendation Medals.
Following World War II, Mr. Ferebee served as the Deputy Wing Commander for Maintenance in several B-47 Stratojet commands. He fought and flew in B-47s during the Cold War and in B-52s during the Vietnam War. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1970 and went on to work in real estate for more than a decade.
In recent years, he dedicated significant energies to educating the public about the frequently inaccurate accounts of the fabled flight of the Enola Gay. He was especially committed to talking to children and hoped that by sharing his story, future generations would never have to repeat the tragedies of history.
Mr. Ferebee participated with Pilot Paul Tibbets, Navigator Ted Van Kirk, and Radio Operator Richard Nelson in a video presentation co-produced by the Smithsonian and Greenwich Workshop of Shelton, Connecticut. This true first person account was a made-for-broadcast documentary about the Enola Gay mission entitled, “The Men Who Brought the Dawn.” The crew and the community of World War II veterans remain forever convinced that their actions aboard the Enola Gay negated the need for an invasion of the island of Japan, sparing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Allied, American, and Japanese.
The crew also worked behind the scenes of the “Enola Gay Controversy” at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. They reviewed the scripts, corrected the historiography, and provided personal information to ensure that the story was thorough and accurate. This assurance of historical truth was an important part of Mr. Ferebee’s legacy.
It was important to Mr. Ferebee to give back to his childhood community, and he returned frequently to Mocksville, North Carolina. In his honor, the state of North Carolina placed a historical marker outside of the home where he was born and named a highway and bridge after him. There are few people to be so memorialized in their lifetimes.
Funeral services in his memory were an awe-inspiring, emotional, and humbling experience. Hundreds of people attended. Farmers and residents put on their Sunday dress and stood outside their homes on the funeral route to honor him.
Thomas W. Ferebee is survived by his wife of 19 years, Mary Ann Conrad Ferebee; four sons, Thomas W. Jr. (Donna), Clinton K. (Janice), Robert Steven, and Robin C. (Greta); stepson, Jon (Laura); and stepdaughter, Debra. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Kelly, Suzanne, Chris (Allison), Clint Jr. (Katrina), Bob; great-granddaughter, Lindsey; and step grandsons, Andrew, Ben, and William.
He leaves two brothers, William (Ophelia) and Joseph (Tiffany); five sisters, Annie Lois Simpson, Maxine Pruett, Katherine (Jim) Loudermilk, Lou (Don) Bailey, Amanda (Clifton) Wilkinson; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mr. Ferebee is predeceased by his brother, John; and two sisters, Virginia and Carolyn.
