Political Quotes

“Madam President, today I would like to recognize the 74th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. Following Japan's deliberate attack on Naval Station Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States was looking for a way to retaliate and boost morale. General Henry Arnold, the chief of the Army Air Corps, and U.S. Navy ADM Ernest King, the Navy Chief of Operations, were tasked with organizing a raid on mainland Japan that would act as the United States' return salvo. They needed an extraordinary airman and leader to execute the raid, and they found one in Army Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel James ``Jimmy'' Doolittle, a well-respected pilot who they believed could inspire his fellow airmen as they carried out this dangerous mission. Doolittle immediately began selecting crew members for the mission, eventually recruiting 80 flyers who would later be nicknamed the Doolittle Raiders. The Raiders volunteered without knowing any specifics of the mission, but they trusted Doolittle enough that they were willing to follow him anyway. The geographic isolation of the Japanese mainland posed numerous logistical challenges while planning the raid. Doolittle decided to use B-25 bombers launched from the U.S.S. Hornet, which would be positioned about 500 miles away from Japan. The B-25 bombers were an inspired choice, as they were mid-range bombers that were not normally launched from the decks of aircraft carriers and had limited fuel reserves.…”