Although not politically correct (I doubt that General Tibbets was concerned about political correctness), this statement has to be taken in the context of a man fighting for the survival of his country in a global conflict, and applied to a situation that he saw as much of a threat as he faced in WW-2. Every rational person decries the loss of innocent life in times of conflict, whether it happens at the World Trade center, or on the battlefield. Winston Churchill had to make such a decision when he allowed the German bombing of Coventry during WW-2, rather then tip his hand on possession of Enigma. In that case, the innocent victims were his own people. General Tibbets was simply asserting a reality that modern day, politically correct apologists are loathe to admit, war does sometimes take innocent lives, but that in itself is not a good enough reason to concede defeat.
