Petition Signed by 'Dozens' Nationwide Force Change In Plans

Here's one that may leave you scratching your head just a bit. While the B-29 FIFI will still be a part of the Dayton Air Show, organizers have decided that they will not stage a "re-enactment" of the bombing of Hiroshima that the B-29 Enola Gay carried out on August 6, 1945.

The re-enactment became controversial after Dayton art curator Gabriela Pickett launched an online petition that objected to the "glamorization of destruction," according to a report appearing in the Dayton Daily News. Pickett said that the display did not reflect the city's image as a "City of Peace." The petition, which was available online worldwide, reportedly drew "dozens" of signatures. Dayton has long promoted its role in the 1995 "Dayton Peace Accords" on Bosnia.

While air show organizers said that the re-enactment was meant to showcase an historical event that in the long run saved more lives than it cost, some historians dispute that contention, saying the Japanese would have surrendered in WWII without the atomic bombing. Ron Katsuyama, past president of the Asian American Council, is one of those, He said that the re-enactment would not only be in bad taste, but "sustains misinformation."

Dayton Air Show spokeswoman Brenda Derfoot said that show, planned for June 22-23, will still feature the "Great Wall of Fire" pyrotechnic show, and that FIFI will still fly. But the Hiroshima re-enactment is out. "The wording we used probably wasn't the best," she said.

FMI: www.daytonairshow.com