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6  May 2020  news  http://www.luke.af.mil  Thunderbolt                Feature                                                Facebook.com/LukeThunderbolt  7
 Thunderbolt
                                                                                                                                               May 2020
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 Chaplain’s thoughts ...              Doolittle Raid: a look back



 by Chaplain
 (Lt. Col.)
 R. JOHN                                           by                on Pearl Harbor, it was also a stra-  completed the mission, but the   Japanese forces spotted the ship.
 BOYER                                     JESSICA LAWSON            tegically planned mission to bring   carriers had to be nose to nose with   In response, Col. Doolittle revised
                                                                     “shock and awe” to the people of Ja-  the Japanese to make the flight.  the plan and the  USS Hornet
 56th FW Chaplain                          944th Fighter Wing historian
                                                                     pan. The Japanese Empire, at the   The solution came in the form of   stopped 650 miles off the coast
 As an Air Force                        A little over four months after   time, did not believe that America   bringing the worlds of long-range   of Japan.
 chaplain, it’s such a                the bombing of Pearl Harbor on   was able to retaliate without the   bombers and carrier aircraft to-  Sixteen B-25 bombers took off
 blessing and joy to                  Dec. 7, 1941, the United States   Empire first knowing about and   gether. The Army Air Force had the   from the Hornet and made their
 care for Luke AFB                    began secretly planning a reprisal   stopping it.            B-25 Mitchell Bomber that could   way to Tokyo. The raid was a suc-
 Airmen and their                     attack on the Japanese Empire. In   The U.S. government had to   make a long-range flight from an   cess and the bombers managed to
 families! Chaplain                   fact, the initial plan was already   think outside the box to pull this   aircraft carrier, but this had never   hit their targets in Tokyo, Kobe,
 Corps members                        underway and the U.S. Army Air   off. They had long-range bombers,   been attempted.       Yokosuka, and Osaka. Waning fuel
 get a chance every                   Forces had begun to train their   like the B-17, but those aircraft   Many thought the plan was   levels meant the pilots needed to
 day to make a posi-                  pilots for this incredibly dangerous   had to be far enough away to   impossible and doomed to fail but   head toward China, where they
 tive impact in the                   and covert operation.          launch undetected. The most ad-  if the United States wanted to   had plans in place to travel back
 Courtesy photo
 lives of so many.                      The mission that these men   vantageous locations had limiting   send a message to Japan, this was   to safety. Unfortunately, fifteen of
 Whether it’s host-                   chose to accept was to bomb the   factors that would jeopardize the   the only possibility. The mission   the aircraft crash-landed or the
 ing a resiliency retreat to Grand Canyon for our single   Japanese capital city of Tokyo. A   mission. The Navy had aircraft   received the blessing of President   crew had to bail out. The remain-
 Airmen fresh out of high school living on their own for   strike in retaliation for the attack   on their carriers that could have   Roosevelt and training began.  ing plane made it to Vladivostok,
 the first time, conducting a marriage resiliency weekend                                            Col. Jimmy Doolittle, a re-  Russia, but the plane and the crew
 for military couples at beautiful Sedona, or visiting our                                         nowned pilot in the Army Air   were interned. Three other crew-
 maintenance Airmen on the flightline where our chapel                                             Forces, took over training the   members died, and the Japanese
 volunteers feed hundreds of Airmen a free home-cooked                                             pilots that would be flying this   took eight prisoners.
 meal, there are so many opportunities to make an impact                                           unusually large aircraft off an   Strategic planning and absolute
 in the lives of thousands of Airmen each month. High-                                             aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet.   dedication shown by Col. Doolittle
 lights include: workplace visitation, weekend worship                                             The pilots would have to push the   and his crew led to what will for-
 services, Vacation Bible School, family and marriage                                              planes to their max to get them off   ever be known as one of the great-
 retreats, the Fall Harvest Festival and so much more!                                             the carrier.                  est  surprise attacks in modern
 Hosting these events costs money, and unfortunately,                                                After just a few weeks of train-  times. The resolve and patriotism
 the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for those                                             ing, they were out to sea. The plan   of these brave aviators has gone
 who normally give financially and tithe toward our                                                called for the carrier to be 400   down in history as making the
 Chaplain Corps ministries during our worship services                                             miles off the coast of Japan, but   impossible a reality.
 to do so.
 One of the questions I’m often asked, and is impor-
 tant now more than ever, “Chaplain how can I help give   Courtesy graphic
 back financially to support all these   you’ll be directed to a secure Chaplain Corps website   tion, etc.). Donations can be made using Visa, Master-
 great opportunities you all host for   where you can enter your donation! Or, on a smartphone   Card, American Express or Discover. One hundred
 Airmen?”   enter:  https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=Mu3yDq. STEP   percent of your donation goes to Luke AFB Chapel.
 The easiest way to give is through   2: Fill out the quick form. Use the comment section to   Thanks for your generosity in partnering with us to
 online donations. STEP 1: Wave   let us know how you’d like the donation to be used (i.e.   make the greatest impact possible in the lives of Luke
 your phone over this QR code, and   flightline feast, Single Airmen, unit/workplace visita-  AFB Airmen and their families.
                                                                                      Courtesy photo
                                      The aircraft carrier Hornet had 16 AAF B-25s on deck, ready for
                                      the Tokyo Raid.
 STrikE   (from Page 2)  safe evacuation of the growing numbers   ers keen to press home their advantage.  number of assets so numerous that it
 of wounded was up to my special tactics   I watched this unfold with a sense that   far exceeded normal training scenarios.
 This was no low-level commander and his   teammates in close-range gun battles   ‘this is how  it  happens  … this is how   I don’t know exactly how many of the   The Tokyo Raid
 men: this place was ‘ISIS-K’s Pentagon.’  with the enemy – literally fighting room   aircraft get shot down.’ Yet, the enemy   wounded would have died without imme-
 I am aware of at least three previous   to room. During the fight, the  combat   wasn’t able to get a single shot off as the   diate medical evacuation, but I can say
 assaults against this position that were   controller with the lead element of the   patients were extracted, one by one. The   with certainty that the medical evacu-
 quickly defeated by virtue of the enemy’s   assault force reached out for help, and   reason there will be no memorials  for   ation aircrew  would have  been among   “Give ‘em hell for me” — Seaman Robert Wall
 elaborate defense, high degree of training   got Spooky 41 on the radio.  three separate medical evacuation, or   the casualties if it weren’t for the fires
 and commitment, and skillful application   In short order, I heard the bark of the   MEDEVAC, aircrews is because Spooky   provided by Spooky 41.
 of firepower against friendly forces.  Still reeling from the shock of the attack on Pearl Harbor, The U.S.
 In my 20-plus years of training and   AC-130U’s guns. I distinctly remember   41’s fires were so responsive and so   I personally took fire the following   Navy and Army Air Forces devised a plan to strike at the Japanese
 experience in the art of attacking and   wondering whether they were shooting   precise that the enemy was effectively   day and the enemy’s expert gunnery   mainland. With the cooperation of Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold and Admiral
 defending ground objectives, I have   at the right target, given the speed of   neutralized.  put the bullets within arm’s reach. Had   Ernest J. King, American bombers would launch from an aircraft carrier
 seen few more formidable defensive   their reaction – in 10 years as a JTAC,   At least three members of my team   they been allowed to get a shot off at   to attack five major cities. Arnold chose Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle to
 positions – or ones more daunting to at-  I’d never seen any kind of fire support   were relaying information on two dif-  the MEDEVAC  helicopters, we’d have   lead the mission.
 tack. I would have to reach for examples   as responsive. Sure enough, the first   ferent nets in an effort to coordinate air   lost aircraft. But again – after the ini-  The USS Hornet got under way on April 1, 1942, loaded with 16 B-25
 like Normandy, Iwo Jima or Hamburger   rounds were right on target – a good   and ground movement. Looking back, I   tial gunshots and improvised explosive   bombers. On April 18, the task force sighted a Japanese patrol boat and,
 Hill to appropriately convey the degree   thing, because the enemy was so close to   am amazed that Spooky 41 managed to   device blast injuries, no further harm   fearing discovery, decided to launch the aircraft 150 miles farther from
 to which the enemy were prepared and   the assault force.  track everyone so effectively. Even with   befell Americans  or  our Afghan  allies   Japan than the plan intended. All planes took off and six hours later
 ready for our assault.  The enemy now had a problem on   my high degree of situational awareness   that night.  completed their bombing runs over 16 military and industrial targets.
 The enemy stayed hidden until the as-  their hands. They had probably figured   as the man on the ground and with my   Spooky 41’s legendary airmanship is   With the exception of one bomber, (which landed in Russia) the planes
 sault force drew close. The result was an   that their proximity to friendlies would   degree of experience, I had a hard time   the reason why – period.  crash-landed or were ditched after running out of fuel in Japanese-
 intense firefight where the lead elements   mitigate our ability to bring fires to bear   keeping it all straight. At several points   I resolved that the first thing I would   occupied China.
 found themselves under fire from not   on them. Now, they were being heavily   they were engaging different targets   do upon getting back to Bagram Airfield   Of the 80 men who volunteered for the mission, three died in action   Courtesy photo
 only all sides, but also three dimensions.   attacked by the AC-130U’s weapons.  simultaneously and on different nets. I   was to seek out each of them and thank   (two drowned, one died after bailing out) and eight were captured by   Airmen of the U.S. Army Air Forces, led by Lt. Col. James H. (Jim-
 The enemy had prepared apertures in   The precise application of fires al-  had one net in each ear – I watched and   them for what they did for us that night.   the Japanese. Of these, three were executed and one died in prison. One   my) Doolittle, carried the Battle of the Pacific to the heart of the
 floors and ceilings, and used barricaded   lowed friendly forces to establish a de-  listened as they delivered salvo after   I’ve been to far too many memorials and   crew of five was interned by the USSR but eventually returned. The very   Japanese empire on April 18, 1942, with a surprising and daring raid
 shooters to devastating effect. By using   fensive perimeter and turn to the task   salvo of fires with zero error.  seen far too many folded flags. I didn’t   last survivor of the raid, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Richard Cole, passed   on military targets at Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, and
 networks of subterranean passageways,   of evacuating the wounded. The terrain   A colocated teammate directed a few   have to do that on this trip because in-  away on April 9, 2019.  Kobe. This heroic attack against these major cities was the result of
 the  enemy would reappear behind our   prohibited the helicopter from landing,   F-16 Fighting Falcon strikes during   stead of Americans giving their lives for   Although the raid achieved very little tactically, it seriously damaged   coordination between the Army Air Forces and the U.S. Navy, which
 forces even after they’d cleared buildings.  so they performed hoist lifts of the most   this time and I worked with Spooky 41   their country that night, Spooky 41 made   Japanese confidence in her military’s ability to protect the homeland.   carried the 16 North American B-25 medium bombers aboard the
 Despite our numerical superiority, the   critical patients. This entailed coming   to integrate the fires. It felt almost like   the enemy die for theirs – on time, on   Strategically it gave an enormous morale boost to America and her al-  carrier USS Hornet to within take-off distance of the Japanese Is-
 situation was dire. From my support-by-  to a hover within machine-gun-range of   a weapons-school exercise, in that the   target, and in the most complex environ-  lies and set up a series of events that lead to the spectacular Japanese   lands. Here, a pair of alert escorts follow the USS Hornet to protect
 fire position, I could do little to help. The   dozens, if not hundreds, of enemy fight-  degree of difficulty was so high and the   ment I’ve ever seen – training or combat.  defeat at Midway.  her lethal cargo of B-25 bombers.
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