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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, With his brilliant planning and inspiring |
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leadership, General James Harold Doolittle carried out one of the |
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most courageous deeds in military history as a pilot in the United |
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States Army Air Force during World War II; and |
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WHEREAS, On April 18, 1942, "Jimmy" Doolittle led the first |
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U.S. air strike on the Japanese home islands in what is known today |
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as the Doolittle Raid; this dangerous mission helped to boost the |
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morale of the American public in the wake of the attack on Pearl |
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Harbor by proving that the Japanese islands were not invulnerable; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, A prominent aviator and aeronautical engineer, |
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General Doolittle had instructed Air Corps students in aerial |
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gunnery and tactics during World War I, and during the 1920s, he |
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made a record-breaking transcontinental flight, won the biggest air |
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racing trophies of the time, and played an important role in the |
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development of instrument flying; he earned his doctorate from MIT |
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and in 1940 became the president of the Institute of Aeronautical |
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Science; and |
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WHEREAS, After the devastating events at Pearl Harbor, |
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Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle returned to active duty in the Air |
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Corps and, with Captain Francis S. Low and Lieutenant General Henry |
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H. Arnold, developed a bold plan for an air strike on Japanese soil; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Because no bases were available in China for a heavy |
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bomb attack and because Navy carrier aircraft lacked both range and |
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bomb load for such a mission, it was decided that Army Air Forces |
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bombers would be flown from carrier ships in the Pacific; |
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servicemen from the 17th Bombardment Group and the 89th |
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Reconnaissance Squadron bravely volunteered to perform this |
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dangerous and audacious maneuver; and |
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WHEREAS, Called a "master of calculated risk," Lieutenant |
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Colonel Doolittle was the first off the deck when the mission was |
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launched 30 hours ahead of schedule and more than 200 miles farther |
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off the coast than was planned; he skillfully flew through the wind, |
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rain, and low clouds, guiding the way for his crew; the Japanese |
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were taken by surprise, and all but one B-25 hit their targets; and |
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WHEREAS, General Doolittle's unwavering courage and |
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steadfast leadership on that day earned him the admiration of a |
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nation and led him to become the first airman in World War II to be |
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awarded the Medal of Honor, which was presented to him on May 20, |
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1942, by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Jimmy Doolittle exemplified |
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the ideal of those in military service; his actions and |
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accomplishments are an inspiration to all Americans, and it is |
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truly appropriate that he be honored for his notable contributions |
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as a soldier and patriot; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby honor the life of James Harold Doolittle and pay tribute to |
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his exceptional military aviation achievements that truly |
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influenced not only the course of World War II, but also the future |
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of the world. |