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Duty: A Father, His Son, And The Man Who Won The War

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When Bob Greene went home to central Ohio to be with his dying father, it set off a chain of events that led him to knowing his dad in a way he never had before--thanks to a quiet man who lived just a few miles away, a man who had changed the history of the world.

Greene's father--a soldier with an infantry division in World War II--often spoke of seeing the man around town. All but anonymous even in his own city, carefully maintaining his privacy, this man, Greene's father would point out to him, had "won the war." He was Paul Tibbets. At the age of twenty-nine, at the request of his country, Tibbets assembled a secret team of 1,800 American soldiers to carry out the single most violent act in the history of mankind. In 1945 Tibbets piloted a plane--which he called Enola Gay, after his mother--to the Japanese city of Hiroshima, where he dropped the atomic bomb.

On the morning after the last meal he ever ate with his father, Greene went to meet Tibbets. What developed was an unlikely friendship that allowed Greene to discover things about his father, and his father's generation of soldiers, that he never fully understood before.


DUTYis the story of three lives connected by history, proximity, and blood; indeed, it is many stories, intimate and achingly personal as well as deeply historic. In one soldier's memory of a mission that transformed the world--and in a son's last attempt to grasp his father's ingrained sense of honor and duty--lies a powerful tribute to the ordinary heroes of an extraordinary time in American life.

What Greene came away with is found history and found poetry--a profoundly moving work that offers a vividly new perspective on responsibility, empathy, and love. It is an exploration of and response to the concept of duty as it once was and always should be: quiet and from the heart. On every page you can hear the whisper of a generation and its children bidding each other farewell.





 

Duty is the story of three lives connected by history, proximity, and blood; indeed, it is many stories, intimate and achingly personal as well as deeply historic. In one soldier's memory of a mission that transformed the world-and in a son's last attempt to grasp his father's ingrained sense of honor and duty-lies a powerful tribute to the ordinary heroes of an extraordinary time in American life.

What Greene came away with is found history and found poetry--a profoundly moving work that otters a vividly new perspective on responsibility, empathy, and love. It is an exploration of and response to the concept of duty as it once was and always should be: quiet and from the heart. On every page you can hear the whisper of a generation and its children bidding each other farewell.

Duty is the story of three lives connected by history, proximity, and blood; indeed, it is many stories, intimate and achingly personal as well as deeply historic. In one soldier's memory of a mission that transformed the world-and in a son's last attempt to grasp his father's ingrained sense of honor and duty-lies a powerful tribute to the ordinary heroes of an extraordinary time in American life.

What Greene came away with is found history and found poetry--a profoundly moving work that otters a vividly new perspective on responsibility, empathy, and love. It is an exploration of and response to the concept of duty as it once was and always should be: quiet and from the heart. On every page you can hear the whisper of a generation and its children bidding each other farewell.

295 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2000

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About the author

Bob Greene

41 books52 followers
Robert Bernard Greene, Jr., who writes as Bob Greene, is a journalist.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

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5 stars
226 (33%)
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279 (41%)
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144 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
Profile Image for Elizabeth George.
Author 102 books5,511 followers
February 1, 2019
This book has so much to offer that everyone should read it. It's about the relationship between a veteran of World War II and his son (the author Bob Greene) and at the same time it's about Paul Tibbets who piloted the Enola Gay to Hiroshima and dropped the atomic bomb. And it's about the relationship the author built with Paul Tibbets. It's a powerful look at what Tom Brokaw called The Greatest Generation. I'm so glad I read it.
Profile Image for LAMONT D.
1,290 reviews16 followers
January 19, 2025
Interestingly enough, I read this book years ago and it inspired me to start writing my own memoir about my life to eventually have to give to my sons down the road. This book is a tribute to the author's dad, a major in the Army during World War II and the author's subsequent interviews and relationship with Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. best known as the aircraft captain who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped a Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima effectively ending the war. The author goes back and listens to the tapes that his dad had made about his earlier life and his time in the war. This is juxtaposed against the conversations he had with Tibbets about life, honor, duty, the war and what he accomplished. A fascinating read and one that gives context to such an important event in the world at the time that reverberates throughout history.
Profile Image for Jim.
Author 7 books2,089 followers
August 2, 2014
I had more time than I'd like to read this past weekend & read this book. The first 1/3 didn't really pull me in, but after that it did.

The book is a first hand look by Greene at his father's death, with whom he'd never communicated well. His father defined much of his life by his experience in WWII. While unimpressed by most people, Greene's father held the heroes of WWII in very high esteem, especially Paul Tibbets, the man who assembled & led the team that delivered the atomic bombs to Japan. He also was the pilot for the first bomb, the one dropped on Hiroshima. Young Greene meets Tibbets & in learning his story, learns more about his father than he'd ever known before.

The story is several entwined & well done. We learn about both Greenes, their relationships & history. We also learn about the men that fought in WWII, especially Tibbets, a very tough man who held one of the toughest jobs in history. How he met the challenge & why he was able to are very interesting.
Profile Image for Ken Heard.
758 reviews14 followers
January 2, 2022
Bob Greene has taken an encounter with Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, and crafted a beautiful book about understanding the life of his father and the post World War II culture. On one level, the book is about Tibbetts and his training for the bomb run, his impressions of the bombing and his life. And that alone would be enough for a great read.

But Bob — as he always does — has given this so many more levels. He writes of his father who died after a lengthy illness and of listening to a tape recording his father did of his life in the service. It provides the nuggets of the American life during and just after World War II. It's not just Tibbetts' life. Bob parallels his father's life with Tibbetts, and he asks Tibbetts many things about that time, giving him an insight into who his father really was.

It's an emotional read. It's moving, it's funny, it's full of heart. Everything Bob writes is like that. And he provides so many little observations that most people wouldn't really notice to show the contrast and give a better example of his ideas. For example, he writes about the itinerary that the three Enola Gay flight members have when they traveled to Branson, Mo. Included in the list is the number of steps at the hotel they will have to climb to get to their rooms. Not a big deal for some, but it shows the aging and the contrast between them now as older men and their days as war heroes. Here are three men who were involved in one of the most monumental, historic acts in the world and now they are counting stairs.

Bob is also good in noting background things... music playing somewhere, something on television, conversations of people standing nearby ... knockoffs that many would not even pick up on, but when included in the story, it really helps set the scene.

I am not really much of a history buff, but I am a Bob Greene buff. For him to totally captivate me with a book on World War II history means he is a fantastic writer.
Profile Image for Charlie.
362 reviews43 followers
October 20, 2015
A good story on Paul Tibbets but otherwise a disjointed read. Wanted more on Paul but had too much on Bob Greene's dad. It was like two stories in one book. Not trying to put down the book or Bob's dad but it was not what I expected on the pilot and mastermind of the bombing of Hiroshima. I wanted more on Paul and less on Bob's dad in this book.
Profile Image for Sandra Strange.
2,695 reviews33 followers
April 2, 2015
Read prepared with lots of tissues, because this one will bring you to tears. Bob Greene is a columnist, and obviously, judging from the writing of this book, a good one. This book is three interwoven stories: his father's dying, his father's own account of his WWII service, and Bob's account of meeting and getting to know Paul Tibbets, the unforgettable man who directed the training and deployment of those involved in delivering and dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima, the incredibly competent and wise man who actually piloted the Enola Gay (the plane named for his mother). The book is laced with humor, goodness, wisdom, especially wisdom, and historical truth about that mission and the men who accomplished it. These admirable men experienced war and refused to glorify anything they did out of love for country and way of life. The account is well told and touches the readers' emotions with the heroism, humor, and devotion and dedication that it expresses.

Note: I know that our politically correct culture decries the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as unnecessary and thus deplorable. The records of the Japanese commanders and rulers show that they wanted to pursue the war until the end of all on the island nation because in their militarism, surrender was only for less-than-men. Blessedly, the Emperor was convinced to end the war by the bombs and their destruction and commanded the surrender. I, as Greene and millions of Americans, British, Australians, Japanese, etc, am a child of one of those soldiers slated to fight in that last battle that would have been necessary to end the war begun by Japan, and probably would never have been born if it had not been for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. All mourn the horror of the deaths involved, but war is just that--horrendous loss of life, as this book so details in the accounts by Greene's father and in the other war experiences Tibbets recounts. I, along with all of our generation, pray that never again will these awful weapons be used, that those who out of hatred in the name of nationalism or religion who would use these weapons and their like never get that opportunity.
Profile Image for Craig.
230 reviews
September 11, 2010
A thoroughly moving and enjoyable book. This account of Bob Greene's loving memories of his father and his father's involvement in WWII was an effortless read, but not because it was simplistic; it was because it was so well-written. Greene weaves parallel plot lines of his father's life and service in WWII and the man who ended that war, Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, who just happened to live in the same city as Greene.

His father's final days and how Greene's growing friendship with Tibbets sheds light on his father and his life.

Greene's discussion of the genuine dignity, courtesy, and attention to detail of his father's generation is spot on. Where is that today? I know there are still some who are respectful, but their percentage in the general population seems to be shrinking. Or is that simply the perception of an old man?

I recommend this book to anyone.
Profile Image for Diana.
220 reviews
April 6, 2009
This book was interesting. It provided historical details that I didn't have before now and it was good to hear the perspective of a man that lived a historically important life. However, there were times during the book that I disagreed with the author's take that this one man's perspective was that of every man that lived through the war.
Despite that, I enjoyed it and appreciated the book.

Interesting note: My grandfather--a man of 28 and a father of two (my mother being one) was drafted early in 1945. He went into training in June & July, had a week long furlough, which he completed on Aug. 5th. My grandmother said good-bye to him that day, not sure she'd see him again, as he was being deployed to the S. Pacific. Only one day later the Enola Gay made it's historic flight, ensuring my grandfather could live peacefully for another 50 years.
Profile Image for Missie.
164 reviews4 followers
August 11, 2016
I think that this could have been better. The layout was disjointed and at times it felt like the author was using General Tibbits as a therapist to work out his daddy issues. This book it touted as a story about a son his father and the man who stopped WWII. For me it was a son asking questions to the man who ended WWII that he wanted to ask his dad but never did. He assumed that his dad would have felt the same way about life and society as General Tibbits because they both participated in WWII. Not all men are the same but maybe I missed the meaning. With all that said it is still interesting to hear General Tibbits opinions.
82 reviews3 followers
November 30, 2019
I love the values represented in this book. Bob Greene is present in his hometown in Ohio as his father is dying, and while there he is able to strike up a friendship with Paul Tibbetts, who flew the Enola Gay which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Tibbetts was a long time resident of Bexley, Ohio. The words of his father, recorded for posterity non a series of audio tapes, echo the values held by Paul Tibbetts. This is the “greatest generation” for sure.

Profile Image for Danny Jarvis.
202 reviews2 followers
June 24, 2024
This is not a war story. It’s a story of how a man connects to his father through the perspective of a man whom his father admired. The author tells parallel stories. His father, a typical WWII veteran like so many others who started life before the war, did his duty during it, and did his best to make a life after it. General Tibbets was a man of that same generation who’s name is tied to historical significance, but never thought of himself as any different from the others who did their duty in WWII (and for any country). Through a series of interviews with Tibbets, the author tries to answer questions about his own father and their generation; what they thought of the world they’d fought for and their opinions about what they’d accomplished, how they felt about it, and how it shaped their perspective for the rest of their lives.

This is an “ok” book (2.5 stars) which I personally don’t connect with. It comes off very “Tuesdays with Morrie” ish (which I best heard described as reading a long bumper sticker); I even felt annoyed at times at how much he assumed about his father/Tibbets or overthought his father’s war time experience just because he never bothered to ask while the man was alive. Through most of the book I can almost feel as if Tibbets’ answers are really “what are you asking me for?” and Greene is so oblivious it still made it into the book. As a veteran from a family of veterans who considers myself an amateur historian, I’ve never understood these kind of stories. How people can simply not want to connect with the generations which preceded them while they’re still living baffles me. If anything, the book makes me partly upset someone from a healthy upbringing would wait until their parent is dying to realize how important their sacrifices were, but glad I never felt that way (more boomer generational trauma to break I guess). I know my own parents’ and grandparents’ stories and have even been able to have them write it down and expand on parts I felt relevant. They don’t need to have played a part in world history; if they played a part in your history, you should care.
Profile Image for Renaissance.
152 reviews1 follower
March 29, 2020
An easy-to-read book written by a well-respected journalist, Bob Greene. On the surface, the story is about the journalist's interview with Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, and his interaction with some of the flight's crew. The surviving crew members have lived into their 70's and 80's and reflect on the past and evaluate the present. The topic of whether the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was justified ethically or practically is addressed throughout.
However, the book runs a parallel storyline: the relationship of the author with his father, also a WWII veteran. Thus, there is much reflection on the father-son relationship.
I believe the most striking passages in the book was the attendance of the Enola Gay crew survivors at a Japanese stage show in Branson, MO. One cannot overlook the irony of it all.
Profile Image for Gloria.
27 reviews
July 2, 2017
I found myself touched by several places in this book as it moved back and forth from the author's father who had served and now was dying; and Brigadier General Paul Tibbits, Major Dutch Van Kirk, and Colonel Tom Ferebee who were the crew that flew the Enola Gay, as the idea of duty was revealed at almost each page turn. I had had this book set aside for almost four years. It had been on my bookshelf since it was moved from out of my parent's home. It was a couple of days before Father's Day that I reached for it, and opening the front cover was surprised to read my hand written note to my dad who had passed way eight years before and who had also served, "Happy Father's Day! I love you very much! 2000". I had forgotten that this book was a gift to him. My dad showed up in a few of these pages throughout Duty, and I wished I had taken more time to ask him questions about his service.
Profile Image for Susan .
57 reviews
May 20, 2019
Insightful

If you’re in to history, or curious about some of the men who flew the WWII Mission to Hiroshima, this book is wonderful. Additionally, the Author writes of the illness and eventual death of his father, also a WWII Veteran. The reader can’t help but relate to the loss of a parent, and the insights gained along the way. Personally, I loved hearing from General Tibet’s, Jr, as well as from Thomas Ferebee, (the bombardier), and also ‘Dutch’ Van Kirk, the Navigator (remember, no computers back then! The Navigator took readings from the stars if it was dark -which it was, the first few hours of the flight- once the sun was up, he used maps or reconnaissance photos to navigate their way). All in all, an eye-opening read!
Profile Image for Nicole L.
116 reviews
June 14, 2023
Fairly interesting read... I like the aspect of the book that gives you insight into an event not widely talked about anymore. It gives you a new perspective on the men who flew the Enola Gay, what their mindsets were, and what the goals of the country were at the time. I feel more people should educate themselves on this event, however, the book is kind of dry and wouldn’t motivate a non-reader or someone not totally interested in WW2 to finish the book.
The book is equally about the author trying to gain insight into his fathers mind after he passes away. Some stuff included in the book feels insignificant to me, I’m sure it’s significant to him, though. It’s just lengthy and dull at times.
489 reviews
March 26, 2022
A great story. After WWII ended, most of the air force as the other branches all discharged their troops and they blended into the country again. The pilot and crew of the Enola Gay among them. This story is very well written and informative of what these service men contributed to society and as they aged came to grips to an aging society who served in WWII. I really enjoyed the insight that this book brought to me and my father about his reluctance to keep his uniform and ribbons from WWII.
Profile Image for Scott Wilson.
316 reviews33 followers
January 7, 2019
I wanted to read a book about Paul Tibbets so I grabbed this book. I was disapointed at first when I realized the book was only half about Tibbets and half the book is about the authors father and his role in the war. What was initially a disappointment turned out to make this a better story. I loved both sotries and how they pieced together. I'm guilty of reading about the famous people from the war and forgetting that everybody who severed played their role.
Profile Image for Darla Ebert.
1,207 reviews6 followers
November 13, 2023
Outstanding tale with a dual purpose. The life of the author's father, a World War 2 survivor is show-cased in a story parallels that of Paul Tibbets, the man who piloted the Enola Gay. Tibbets was not only articulate, but he gives the valid reasons for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Outstanding re-telling in every way.
Profile Image for Mary Vogelsong.
Author 12 books25 followers
December 7, 2022
Columnist Bob Green gets to know his father better by learning about his his experiences in WWII. Green also meets the crew of the Enola Gay, the B-29 which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Green extensively interviews the pilot, Paul Tibbets.
Profile Image for Jedi Master Megan.
102 reviews58 followers
October 14, 2017
Eh.... I mean if you're into these sort of books, you'd probably like it but... I hated it. It took forever to read and it was boring for me. I'm just not really into non-fiction.
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,135 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2017
#94 of 120 books pledged to read in 2017
316 reviews
April 14, 2020
A side of Paul Tibbets that I never knew....from the Enola Gay to a retired business man in Ohio helping the author understand the Greatest Generation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Pam.
430 reviews
March 30, 2021
One of the most touching books I've read. Very good.
Profile Image for Nolan.
3,803 reviews38 followers
February 18, 2023
This is an unapologetic tribute to those who fought in World War II. The writing is beautiful. I could say much, much more, but that suffices for this site.
446 reviews9 followers
August 22, 2023
What an excellent book! Every high school student should read this to learn about Patriotism and duty to one's country!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews

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