JAMES DOOLITTLE
Name: James Doolittle
Nickname "Jimmy"
Born: 14 December 1896 Alameda, California
Died: 27 September 1993 California
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, Sc.D. USAF (December 14, 1896 –
September 27, 1993) was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a
general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War, after
first earning the Medal of Honor as commander of the Doolittle Raid while a
lieutenant colonel.
Doolittle was born in Alameda, California, and spent his youth in Nome, Alaska
where he earned a reputation as a boxer. He attended Los Angeles City College
after graduating from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, and won admission
to the University of California, Berkeley where he studied in The School of
Mines before taking a leave of absence in October 1917 to enlist in the Signal
Corps Reserve as a flying cadet. In order to achieve extra pay Doolittle worked
as a traveling salesman. Doolittle trained at the University of California
School of Military Aeronautics at Rockwell Field, California, and was
commissioned a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps' Aviation Section on March
11, 1918. During World War I, Doolittle stayed in the United States as a flight
instructor and performed his war service at Camp John Dick Aviation
Concentration Camp ("Camp Dick"), Texas; Wright Field, Ohio; Gerstner Field,
Louisiana; Rockwell Field, California; Kelly Field, Texas; and Eagle Pass, Texas.
Doolittle's service at Rockwell Field consisted of duty as a flight leader and
gunnery instructor. At Kelly Field, he served with the 104th Aero Squadron and
the 90th Aero Squadron, and with the latter unit he served at Eagle Pass. The
latter duty included the Border Patrol that had started prior to the Mexican
Punitive Expedition of 1916, and which was turned over to the Department of the
Treasury in 1921.
Qualifying for retention at the start of the reduction in force at the end of
the war, 2nd Lieutenant Doolittle received a Regular Army commission, and was
promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 1, 1920. Subsequently, he attended the Air
Service Mechanical School at Kelly Field and the Aeronautical Engineering Course
at McCook Field, Ohio.
Having at last returned to complete his college degree, he earned the Bachelor
of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley in 1922. [1] He was a member
of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Doolittle was one of the most famous pilots during the inter-war period. In
September 1922, he made the first of many pioneering flights, flying a
DeHavilland DH-4 - which was equipped with early navigational instruments - in
the first cross-country flight, from Pablo Beach, Florida, to Rockwell Field,
San Diego, California, in 21 hours and 19 minutes, making only one refueling
stop at Kelly Field. The U.S. Army awarded him a Distinguished Flying Cross.
Afterward, Doolittle was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree by the University of
California, even though he had never finished his studies after leaving to
enlist during World War I.
In July 1923, after serving as a test pilot and aeronautical engineer at Mc.Cook
Field, Doolittle entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In March
1924, he conducted aircraft acceleration tests at McCook Field, which became the
basis of his master's thesis and led to his second Distinguished Flying Cross.
He received his S.M. in Aeronautics from MIT in June 1924. Since the Army had
given him two years to get his degree, and he had done it in only one, he
immediately started working on his Sc.D. in Aeronautics, which he received in
June 1925. He said that he considered his master's work more significant than
his doctorate.
Name: James Doolittle
Nickname "Jimmy"
Born: 14 December 1896 Alameda, California
Died: 27 September 1993 California
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, Sc.D. USAF (December 14, 1896 –
September 27, 1993) was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a
general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War, after
first earning the Medal of Honor as commander of the Doolittle Raid while a
lieutenant colonel.
Doolittle was born in Alameda, California, and spent his youth in Nome, Alaska
where he earned a reputation as a boxer. He attended Los Angeles City College
after graduating from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, and won admission
to the University of California, Berkeley where he studied in The School of
Mines before taking a leave of absence in October 1917 to enlist in the Signal
Corps Reserve as a flying cadet. In order to achieve extra pay Doolittle worked
as a traveling salesman. Doolittle trained at the University of California
School of Military Aeronautics at Rockwell Field, California, and was
commissioned a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps' Aviation Section on March
11, 1918. During World War I, Doolittle stayed in the United States as a flight
instructor and performed his war service at Camp John Dick Aviation
Concentration Camp ("Camp Dick"), Texas; Wright Field, Ohio; Gerstner Field,
Louisiana; Rockwell Field, California; Kelly Field, Texas; and Eagle Pass, Texas.
Doolittle's service at Rockwell Field consisted of duty as a flight leader and
gunnery instructor. At Kelly Field, he served with the 104th Aero Squadron and
the 90th Aero Squadron, and with the latter unit he served at Eagle Pass. The
latter duty included the Border Patrol that had started prior to the Mexican
Punitive Expedition of 1916, and which was turned over to the Department of the
Treasury in 1921.
Qualifying for retention at the start of the reduction in force at the end of
the war, 2nd Lieutenant Doolittle received a Regular Army commission, and was
promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 1, 1920. Subsequently, he attended the Air
Service Mechanical School at Kelly Field and the Aeronautical Engineering Course
at McCook Field, Ohio.
Having at last returned to complete his college degree, he earned the Bachelor
of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley in 1922. [1] He was a member
of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Doolittle was one of the most famous pilots during the inter-war period. In
September 1922, he made the first of many pioneering flights, flying a
DeHavilland DH-4 - which was equipped with early navigational instruments - in
the first cross-country flight, from Pablo Beach, Florida, to Rockwell Field,
San Diego, California, in 21 hours and 19 minutes, making only one refueling
stop at Kelly Field. The U.S. Army awarded him a Distinguished Flying Cross.
Afterward, Doolittle was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree by the University of
California, even though he had never finished his studies after leaving to
enlist during World War I.
In July 1923, after serving as a test pilot and aeronautical engineer at Mc.Cook
Field, Doolittle entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In March
1924, he conducted aircraft acceleration tests at McCook Field, which became the
basis of his master's thesis and led to his second Distinguished Flying Cross.
He received his S.M. in Aeronautics from MIT in June 1924. Since the Army had
given him two years to get his degree, and he had done it in only one, he
immediately started working on his Sc.D. in Aeronautics, which he received in
June 1925. He said that he considered his master's work more significant than
his doctorate.