The Shadow
Dear Editor,
Today, April 18, 2012, is the 70th anniversary of a very heroic, historic event, Doolittle’s Raid on Japan, the first retaliatory strike by the United States against the Japanese Empire in World War II.
On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25B Mitchell Bombers took off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet and headed for Tokyo and other key Japanese cities. Each bomber carried incendiary bombs, four 500 pound bombs along with a brave flight crew of five, each member of each crew knowing that their chances of returning from this attack were slim.
Several crews did not return.
The physical damage to the Japanese war machine was better than expected, however, the Japanese people never recovered from the psychological effect of this raid for until now, they considered their homeland impenetrable.
Many military historians consider Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle’s Raid to be the turning point of World War II in the Pacific Theater.
We should give thanks every day, not only for those brave men of Doolittle’s Raid, but for all of the men and women who put on the uniform to preserve our rights, our freedoms, our privilege to be Americans.
Sincerely,
Mary Jayne Rowe
John Z. Rowe
Dressler Drive
Covington
