"The Japanese had been told they were invulnerable. An attack on the Japanese homeland would cause confusion in the minds of the Japanese people and sow doubt about the reliability of their leaders. There was a second, equally important, psychological reason for this attack...Americans badly needed a moral boost."
-Col. James Harold Doolittle
-Col. James Harold Doolittle
Louis M. Salazar
A group shot of Col. Doolittle and his men before they board the USS Hornet.
Jimmy Doolittle. A legend, a man of his word, hero...my Colonel. My name is Louis M. Salazar, and I worked and followed commands and orders from this great man. Jimmy Doolittle was considered a legend for leading the surprise attack of bombing Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 1942 known as the Doolittle Raid (thus creating the name of the raid from Jimmy Doolittle's last name). The Doolittle Raid is marked as the first major revenge attack against Japan since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This is where I begin to enter the picture, I joined the U.S. Army Air Corps around the age 20 in early 1940. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor I received a very secret letter regarding top secret military training for a special mission. Lucky for me I agreed, since I was expecting to fire a machine gun of some sort. I received my training and was given the role of being the engineer/gunner of the seventh aircraft in the raid. That's when I knew that I just volunteered to fight in WWII, and was going to change the course of war. Emotionally I was really afraid of what was about to come ahead, but also excited to know what raid these generals were talking about and what honor I was going to receive.
After a little while, Doolittle entered the room and said to us, "We have a month and a half to train yourself how to be a man. How to listen, obey, and follow. Without these things we will fail. I am sure that is what the Japanese expect us to do from our utter defeat in Hawaii. Although, we do have one, sinister trick up our sleeves. Men we are going to bomb Japan and show them what Americans can do and that we are not cowards!"
Jimmy Doolittle set a spark that day in our minds and souls and we were determined to show the Japanese that we can repeat their process two times better and hopefully let the Japanese know they had made a mistake for messing with the good old U.S. of A. Sadly though, Japan continued to do their wrong doings and the war lasted another three years. Hopefully though, you who scans through this website can fully see what the Doolittle Raid was like and what I had to endure to ensure the freedom of this great country.
After a little while, Doolittle entered the room and said to us, "We have a month and a half to train yourself how to be a man. How to listen, obey, and follow. Without these things we will fail. I am sure that is what the Japanese expect us to do from our utter defeat in Hawaii. Although, we do have one, sinister trick up our sleeves. Men we are going to bomb Japan and show them what Americans can do and that we are not cowards!"
Jimmy Doolittle set a spark that day in our minds and souls and we were determined to show the Japanese that we can repeat their process two times better and hopefully let the Japanese know they had made a mistake for messing with the good old U.S. of A. Sadly though, Japan continued to do their wrong doings and the war lasted another three years. Hopefully though, you who scans through this website can fully see what the Doolittle Raid was like and what I had to endure to ensure the freedom of this great country.