When hope and change were the real goals and were achieved

On April 18, 1942 a daring mission led by Army Air Corp Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle was launched from the pitching deck of the carrier USS Hornet 650 miles off the coast of Japan. The raid which would bear Doolittle’s name was to launch 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers to bomb Tokyo, the heart of Imperial Japan. Doolittle’s raid was undertaken for 2 reasons, both of them psychological. First, the Japanese felt their homeland was untouchable and the US wanted to cast doubt on that confidence. Second, the US people badly needed to see a “win” from their troops.

Both objectives were achieved. The US public saw that they faced a foe that could be bloodied and beat. They also saw that their armed forces were not outmatched at every turn and had the fight in them to win the war, if supported at home.

Jimmy Doolittle passed away in September of 1993. Godspeed, sir, to you and all of your men. We remember you this day.

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