RICK RADER, MD ■ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Revenge, Retribution and Retaliation
Exceptional parents don't have the time or the energy for revenge, retribution or retaliation. Their efforts are singularly dedicated to insuring that their children are given opportunities to explore their potential, indulge their talents and feel welcomed and included.
"They started it, and we finished it."
While one might think this was uttered by a six-year-old in a sandbox quarrel, it was a remark made by the last member of Doolittle Raiders.
On December 7, 1945, the Japanese caught America sleeping and bombed Pearl Harbor in a sneak attack that President Franklin Roosevelt termed, "A day that will live in infamy." In addition to America losing many servicemen and ships from the attack, American lost something else. They lost their feelings of security, omnipotence and invincibility. They were shocked, paralyzed and impotent; but only for several months.
"They started it, and we finished it," was the simple explanation provided by Dick Cole, a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel who was a crew member of the Doolittle Raiders. Cole died recently at age 103, the last of the Doolittle Raiders.
The Doolittle Raid took place on Saturday, April 18, 1942. It was an air raid on Tokyo and served to reignite America as it entered into the war with Japan. The raid was planned and led by U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle.
The Doolittle Raid was conducted against all the odds. The attack was launched from U.S. Navy aircraft carriers from the Pacific Ocean. The raid involved sixteen bombers; each with a crew of five men, all volunteers, and the only information given was that it would be an "extremely hazardous" secret mission.
The planes did not have enough fuel to reach Japan, carry out their bombing mission and land safely in China. Despite efforts to remove weight from the plane, including removal of protective steel plates removal of the gun turrets, and scrapping all the radio equipment and trading the bomb sights for a twenty cent makeshift replacement, it was obvious that the planes would have to be ditched before reaching a safe airfield. They tried to increase the fuel carrying capacity of the plane by installing an additional fuel tank with 160 more gallons plus using collapsible neoprene auxiliary fuel tanks in every nook and cranny of the plane.
Whatever increase in the flying range was achieved by the reduction of weight and the additional fuel tanks, the specially constructed heavy bombs negated the added range. There was no debate on whether they should drop bombs or leaflets.
The bombing raid caused negligible material damage to Japan, but it had major psychological effects. American morale was raised and it gave the Japanese second thoughts about the ability of the Japanese military to protect the home islands.
According to Richard Joyce in Eighty Brave Men, "15 aircraft reached China, but all crashed, while the 16th landed in the Soviet Union. Of the 80 crew members, 77 initially survived the mission. Eight airmen were captured by the Japanese Army in China; three were executed. Fourteen complete crews of five, except for one crewman who was killed in action, returned either to the United States, or to American forces." Doolittle was awarded the Medal of Honor and the entire mission members received the Distinguished Flying Cross. The Doolittle Raiders held a convention every year from the late 1940s to 2013. There they renewed their friendships and celebrated their membership in an exclusive club that no one else could join.
Revenge is thought to be an opportunity for defeating an opponent who has defeated you in the past. Retribution comes from the Latin "retribuere" meaning to pay back; while retaliation implies the return of like for like.
The Doolittle Raid checked all three boxes. After the war, the Japanese leaders admitted that the attack on Pearl Harbor had "awakened the sleeping giant."
Since the beginning of the Disability Rights Movement, parents have used the metaphor of war to describe their experiences. They often cite they were "outgunned" by the system, "outmaneuvered" by the other side, "outflanked" by allied groups and were derailed by hidden landmines.
Exceptional parents don't have the time or the energy for revenge, retribution or retaliation. Their efforts are singularly dedicated to insuring that their children are given opportunities to explore their potential, indulge their talents and feel welcomed and included.
One thing exceptional parents are not caught doing is "sleeping."•
TARGET TOKYO: Take off from the deck of the USS HORNET of an Army B-25 on its way to take part in first U.S. air raid on Japan on April 1942. The surprising and daring raid was on military targets at Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, and Kobe.
ANCORA IMPARO In his 87th year, the artist Michelangelo (1475 -1564) is believed to have said "Ancora imparo" (I am still learning). Hence, the name for my monthly observations and comments. – Rick Rader, MD, Editor-in-Chief, EP Magazine Director, Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center Orange Grove Center, Chattanooga, TN
