World War II Honoree

Thomas Wilson Ferebee

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Mocksville, North Carolina

Honored By

Pearl Thomas

He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was accepted for flight school. After two years, he was assigned as a bombardier in the European Theater of Operations, completing more than 60 bombing missions over North Africa and German-occupied Europe. In the summer of 1944, he was recruited by Colonel Paul Tibbets to be part of the 509th Composite Group which formed to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945 as the bombardier on the Enola Gay, he opened the bomb bay doors and released an atomic bomb nicknamed "Little Boy". He flew sixty-four combat missions in both the European and Pacific Theaters and played a major role in ending the war.