Institutes

History in the Flesh: CHOICE Students Meet 'Doolittle Raider'
  September 21, 2006

CHOICE Aviation students had a rare encounter with history. They met "Doolittle Raider" Ed Horton, the gunner of Plane #10 who took part in the daring  first raid on Japan in WWII.

Instructor John "Jazz" Janazzo wants his students to understand that heroes are real people, not just photographs in books. He points out that Ed Horton was not much older than the students when he bravely accepted his mission.

The Air Force Armament Museum has a special display dedicated to the "Doolittle Raiders," who trained at Eglin for three months before their mission.

CHOICE Aviation students were treated to a rare encounter with history Wednesday. Ed Horton, a gunner on Plane #10 of the "Doolittle Raid" - the first air attack on mainland Japan during WWII - met with the students under the wings of a B-25 bomber at the Air Force Armament Museum to talk about his experience.

"When we talk about aviation history, we don't just show them pictures," noted instructor John Jannazo. 

The students asked Horton questions about the April 18, 1942 attack, which provided a huge morale boost to the US and forced a change in Japanese strategy. Up until the raid, the US had suffered nothing but defeat in the Pacific. The surprise attack had a deep impact on the Japanese, who redirected their soldiers to defend the homeland, thus thinning out their attack force.

Horton's plane was one of sixteen B-25's led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle. They took off from the Hornet, a large aircraft carrier. The mission was endangered when the carrier was spotted by an enemy fishing boat. They were forced to take flight immediately, though they were 200 miles short of their destination and risked not having enough fuel to arrive in China for their landing. All of the crews were instructed to prepare to bail out, if necessary.

Horton's plane was attacked, but still succeeded in bombing its industrial target just north of Tokyo Bay . As the pilot flew toward the landing destination in mainland China , the plane ran out of fuel. Horton was the first to bail out: "I'm on my way," he called out over the intercom. "Thanks for a swell ride!" Then he jumped.

"I wasn't scared," he said. "I can't answer why, because I don't know - but I wasn't."

It was raining and dark when he landed. He rolled up in his parachute and went to sleep. The next day, he realized he had landed on a mountain top.

"When it got light, I looked down into the valley and I could see signs of inhabitation. People were working in rice fields," he recalled. He walked down the mountain and encountered two schoolteachers. They took him to the schoolhouse, where they had a Chinese-English dictionary.

"We tried to communicate but it didn't work out," he laughed.

After about 20 minutes, his navigator was brought into the schoolhouse: "That was a big moment, of course," said Horton.

They were taken to Chuchow, where they met up with many of the Raiders. Although they didn't know it at the time, they learned later that two of the men had drowned as they attempted to swim ashore and one had died of injuries suffered when he landed. Eight were captured by the Japanese and only four of those survived the war.

The Raiders were welcomed by the Chinese and even had the opportunity to meet Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Chek and Madame Kai-Chek. As a result of their assistance to the Americans, the Chinese suffered heavy retaliation. Thousands were killed by the Japanese in the province where the American planes went down.

"Did you enjoy the mission?" asked one of the students.

"It was a matter of getting it accomplished and survival. We were pretty quiet - there was no joking," repled Horton.

"Do you think it was a successful payback for Pearl Harbor ?" another student inquired.

"Yes, it was successful," said Horton. "The morale factor was tremendous. It gave the US a real morale boost."

"I want you to know these heroes are men. They're now granddads but they're real Americans and just a few years away from where you are now," Jannazo reminded the teenagers. "They're not people out of the movies or a video game. They are a real part of history."

To learn more about the Doolittle Raiders:

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/misc-42/dooltl.htm

http://www.doolittletokyoraiders.com/doolittle_crew10.htm