American Valor Quarterly Issue 3 - Summer 2008 | Page 10

Religion
I have supreme confidence in the efficacy of prayer and
believe, wholeheartedly, in the Golden Rule.
I know that bringing God into the picture has made a big
difference in many situations I’ve faced. Not that God
should remove obstacles or grant special protection or
favors but he helps give one confidence and power to
overcome the difficulty and fear.
Prayer doesn’t need a dramatic answer to be effective.
And there have been times when without prayer to help
guide me, I’ve done stupid and foolhardy things. This is
enough proof for me.

Proposal for the
Bombing Attack on Tokyo

White House Photo

President Ronald Reagan and Senator Barry Goldwater pin General Doolittle’s fourth
star on his uniform in a ceremony on April 10, 1985.

Lt. Col. Doolittle had earned a doctorate degree from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and knew the
get traffic tickets fixed or hear you lie about their age in order to
necessity for thorough planning for any assigned task. After being
get them into a movie at half-price, they’re going to discount all
given the order in January 1942 to plan a secret mission to retaliate
your pious talk about morality.
for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he knew that modified
Army B-25 Mitchell bombers launched from a Navy aircraft
A parent must learn to say “No” occasionally, especially when
carrier was the only way it could be done at that time.
children are in their formative years. A parent has to be a
companion, someone a child can turn to with problems, someone
Doolittle wrote the following proposal to General Henry H.
who cares. It’s really a very subtle and complex relationship. I
Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces. It is this document
don’t think laying down the law does much good; people have
that led to one of the most daring attacks of World War II; it had
to make their own mistakes and learn from them.
far-reaching favorable effects on American morale, and was such
a psychological blow to the Japanese that they changed their
Why America is Great
strategy in the Pacific by attacking Midway Island and lost four
carriers and hundreds of men and planes to American forces.
There are certain human qualities that make this country great:
Although some changes were made during preparations for the
1. Courage, physical and moral.
mission, this classic document shows why Doolittle became known
2. Integrity, honesty in word and deed.
as “Master of the Calculated Risk.”
3. Intelligence, a knowledge of things and of people.
4. Ambition, a willingness to work, to strive mightily to
Subject B-25 Special Project
attain our ends – but not at the expense of others.
To: Commanding General, Army Air Forces
5. Patriotism, a willingness to place country above self.
6. Discipline, a capacity for orderly conduct, self-imposed.
The purpose of this special project is to bomb and fire the
7. Respect, for the person of superior attainments, for
i