In 1909, Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, the first and only Five-Star General of the Air Force, saw his first airplane in Paris. His adventurous spirit would not allow him to sit the bench while this new technology took off. In April of 1911, Hap Arnold began learning how to fly-- his instructors: the Wright Brothers! A year later, while flying his Wright Model C airplane, he went into an uncontrolled spin. He was able to recover the aircraft, but this event so traumatized Hap that he didn't...
More DescriptionIn 1909, Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, the first and only Five-Star General of the Air Force, saw his first airplane in Paris. His adventurous spirit would not allow him to sit the bench while this new technology took off. In April of 1911, Hap Arnold began learning how to fly-- his instructors: the Wright Brothers! A year later, while flying his Wright Model C airplane, he went into an uncontrolled spin. He was able to recover the aircraft, but this event so traumatized Hap that he didn't know if he could ever convince himself to fly again. From that moment, Hap Arnold forged an unconquerable spirit on which our Air Force would be born. Hap Arnold not only continued to fly, but he built up American airpower to the global scale we recognize today. Thirty years following his brush with death, Brigadier General Hap Arnold was compelled to react to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The days that followed were dark, and while the nation was reeling from a brutal blow, President Roosevelt, with the help of Hap Arnold, designed a retaliation plan relying on a very capable Lt. Col. James Doolittle to carry it out. On the day of execution, Doolittle, along with his co-pilot, Lt. Dick Cole, launched their B-25 from a carrier not knowing for sure what their fate might be. Recently, when asked what it was like to execute Hap Arnold's plan to fly a bomber off a carrier, now retired Lt. Col. Cole, the last surviving Doolittle Raider, shrugged, smiled, and said, "We just did it." This same can do attitude and unbreakable spirit has been witnessed countless times from Bomber Airmen in the last 75 years. The Vietnam conflict's Operation LINEBACKER II called on the Mighty Eighth to contest the densest air defense of its time. It has been more than 40 years since LINEBACKER II and yet the heroic actions of American Airmen on Guam, "the rock," still echo in the minds, hearts, and history of today's Bomber Airmen. To understand the blood shed, the brotherhoods forged, and the selflessness personified by the warriors on Guam is to understand a key piece of our Air Force and more specifically, our Bomber legacy. This monograph captures not just the actions taken and the decisions made, but recounts the personal stories from the Airmen who were there--the ones who did it. LINEBACKER II has been analyzed numerous times, examining what it meant to our country, to our Air Force, and to our Airmen. To some, the operation served as our final bargaining tool, bringing the North Vietnamese back to the negotiating table. To others, it served as an undeniable proof of the vitality of airpower and as an example of the evolution of tactics, techniques, and procedures. Still, to all, this is history to be remembered, recounted, and honored because of the legacy left by the Warrior Airmen of The Mighty Eighth. To the Bomber Airmen of today, this book serves as a record of the hopes and dreams of every Airman that put his or her life and reputation on the (flight) line. LINEBACKER II restored hope to those locked away in the Hanoi Hilton and unlocked the chains of previous operations, allowing us to do what we were made to do, take the fight to the enemy. While negotiations for peace were in a stalemate, the nation called on the Mighty Eighth and we answered in force. This is the story about the Airmen who, with an aircraft designed and built 20 years prior, flew a wildly successful campaign against a highly capable enemy. If asked how each Airman committed himself or herself fully to complete that task, I'm sure the summary of their stories would state, "We just did it." Today's B-52s are more than 60 years old and yet it is still the indomitable spirit of the Bomber Airmen, not the aging equipment, that gets the mission done. For them, this book is not just bomber history--it is heritage.