April 18 marks the 82nd anniversary of the famed Doolittle性视界传媒檚 Raid in and around Tokyo. Of the 80 B-25 bomber airmen who flew off of the USS Hornet, 13 were Texans.
No other state had as many members of the Doolittle Raiders. Unfortunately, the Texas high school history curriculum has a void. Young Texans are not taught about that heroic mission that took place just 132 days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
Let性视界传媒檚 be clear: Texans respect and honor those who served and continue to serve in the military. Military installations across Texas train and house service members. Nearly a million-and-a-half veterans call Texas home.
Next year, the National Medal of Honor Museum will open in Arlington. National cemeteries in Dallas, El Paso, Houston and Kerrville offer a final resting place for our nation性视界传媒檚 heroes. Texas public schools seeking JROTC programs often have to get on a waiting list.
In February 1942, then Lt. Col. James H. 性视界传媒淛immy性视界传媒 Doolittle called for volunteers for what he described as a secret and dangerous mission 性视界传媒 140 pilots, navigators and aircraft mechanics stepped up. Intense training took place. Doolittle selected 79 airmen to join him on the mission.
Just before boarding the Hornet in California, Doolittle announced that they were going to bomb Japan. Weather in the Pacific resulted in the launch taking place hundreds of miles sooner than planned. The five-man 16 B-25 bomber crewmen knew one thing before takeoff. They would not have enough fuel to return to the ship.
Over 59 minutes, the pilots flew their B-25s off of the deck of the Hornet. Doolittle and his co-pilot, Lt. Richard Cole, led the way. Low on fuel, crews were forced to bail out over China. One bomber landed in the Soviet Union.
Three Texans ended up as POWs. One Texan died in captivity when killed by a Japanese firing squad. Chinese citizens helped rescue many of the airmen. Surviving Raiders continued the fight in the China-Burma-India Theater, North Africa and in Western Europe.
The attack on Japan, jolted the enemy性视界传媒檚 military. The Tokyo raid began America性视界传媒檚 comeback from Pearl Harbor. Throughout 1942, America性视界传媒檚 military ramped up its force and manufacturers switched from making consumer goods to building armaments for war.
Sadly, we are not teaching Texas students about this key World War II event that demonstrated service and sacrifice before self. Soon the heroics of the Doolittle Raiders will fade away. When Cole died in 2019 at 103, there were no more Raiders left to share the story on a personal basis.
Doolittle性视界传媒檚 papers and mementos, along with boxes of materials from those who flew with him, are housed in the special collections section of the McDermott Library on the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas.
By not including the story of the Doolittle Raiders in our state性视界传媒檚 public school history curriculum, we are helping future generations forget about what happened on April 18, 1942. To paraphrase a college history professor, if future educators are not taught about the Doolittle Raiders, it will be difficult for them to teach students about it.
On April 18, let性视界传媒檚 remember the heroism of the Doolittle Raiders. More importantly, let性视界传媒檚 teach our high school students the story of 80 brave airmen who achieved the first major American success story of World War II.
