Saturday's trip to Pendleton reminded me that there is a rich heritage of military service here in Oregon. It gets overlooked all the time, either because of the population's attitude, or that few have bothered to try and record it. But it is there for those who want to seek it out.
As we flew into Pendleton, I looked down at the airfield and saw a B-25 Mitchell mounted as the centerpiece for a memorial out behind the main hangar. What would a B-25 be doing in Pendleton? At the start of WWII, the base served as an Army Air Forces facility and was home to the 17th Bombardment Group. The 17th was one of the first to get the new B-25, and for the first few months of the war, they flew anti-submarine patrols off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. They were credited with sinking a Japanese I-boat during these otherwise dreary and boring missions.
That changed when men and aircraft from the 17th served as the cadre for the Doolittle Raid. All that began in Pendleton, Oregon, and the first real counter-blow we inflicted on the Japanese had its genesis out east of the Cascades. It was quite a moment for me to slip away after the mob ceremony to go spend a moment by the B-25. The aircraft are different today, but the spirit, the daring and the courage it took to carry those bombers over Tokyo in April, 1942, thrives in the military to this day. That is the greatest achievement of the Raid--moments like that one serve as an example for all who follow and wear the uniform.
Seventeen of the eighty men on the mission died during the war. Another eight returned home from prison camps after the VE and VJ Days.
In 1992, I was fortunate to meet and interview four Oregonians who flew on the Doolittle Raid. I remember General "Brick" Holstrom the best. He was a dynamic, engaging man with a solid sense of humor. The Doolittle Raid was only the start of his war. He returned home, rejoined the 17th Bomb Group and went on to take part in the invasion of North Aftica in November 1942. By that time, the 17th had traded its B-25's for the B-26 Marauder. In early 1943, Brick was shot down and captured. He took part in the Great Escape and even had some actor play him in the movie. He told me with a rueful smile that all his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
I stood by that B-25, remembering my few hours with Brick and the other Raiders in Eugene that day. They'd come into town to be honored by the local air museum. It made me feel blessed; this life I've led has brought me into contact with exceptional human beings. It has been my defining passion to be able to tell their stories.
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