A Legend Created by Two Nations:The Doolittle Raid and My Reflections on It
I thought I knew World War II well, for I’ve been working hard on my history textbooks for many years.The battles, the incidents and the persons that turned the tables seemed all too ‘familiar’ and far-off.As time went by, I began to realize that the war was much closer to me than I had ever optimistically imagined.
In the woods south of my school library lies a stone, on which engraved a sentence saying ‘succeeding the ‘Doolittle Raid’ a memorial to their legend and a new page in the Chinese-US friendship’, its color fresh red as blood. Indeed, blood had been streaming on this land, Quzhou, the town with a very important strategic position in the west of Zhejiang province. And that had much to do with the ‘Doolittle Raid’.
Ever since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec.7, 1941, the American morale badly needed bolstering. President Roosevelt expressed his intention of breaking the Japanese’‘invulnerablity’ in a meeting 13 days later. So on Apr.17, 1942, Lieutenant Colonel James.H.Doolittle, together with 15 crewmen, in 16 B-25 aircrafts, set off for the launch point in the enemy-controlled waters east of Japan. Unfortunately, they were spotted by a Japanese picket boat, which was later sunk by gunfire from USS Nashvill, but still radioed an attack warning to its homeland. Ten hours earlier, 170 national miles farther than planned, the Doolittle men launched immediately and safely. The aircrafts flew directly to Japan, succeeding in bombing more than 10 military and industrial targets. Then they proceeded towards eastern China to carry out the plan to refuel in Quzhou airport, the most easily found in Zhejiang, then fly to Chongqing, the wartime Kuomintang capital. However, there quickly fell the night, the weather made the guiding beacons from the airport unavailable. Despite the tail wind, running out of fuel, the Doolittle men knew they had to crash. Six were in Quzhou. With the assistence of the local people, the Americans were back in good condition soon. The grateful soldiers in turn gave the citizens whatever they had on hand, a coin, a watch, a belt, etc.
This should be the end in fantasies, like ‘all the things were back as usual and peaceful’. Reality failed. In order to prevent the eastern coastal provinces of China from being used again for an attack on Japan, Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign was waged. Gem warfare, the noun that was only captured in history textbooks as a definition, was one catastrophe right befell upon my hometown. All airfields where the raiders had landed were torn up. Those who were found with American items were slaughtered. A pledge of friendship now became the bane of disasters.
Even till today, the scars of the war are left over physically and mentally. In some remote villages suffers some old people on whose legs some ugly wounds left by terrible germs can never be healed. Some people have lived under the shadow of war since childhood, through whole life. The wounds on skin and hearts keep bleeding, meanwhile, the waves of the sea of history are roaring forward.
I tremble with exstreme misery every time I review this history and stare at its victims. I did want to paralyze myself and pretend that everything was fine, yet I gradually knew that it is not something I should forget about, but learn from. In a painful sober I start my reflections.
What drove the citizens to shelter the Americans? They saw a troubled man in their paddy, though his skin and eye colour differed from theirs, ignoring any trouble it might bring, they went to pick him up and protect him from the Japanese. It was nither the awareness to improve Chinese-US relationship nor the expectation for something as reward, but the pure instinct of kindness and respect for life this land bestowed them that made them feel obliged to act that way. They paid dearly, but never regretted it.
In them I see the amazing bond between the world citizens and love within humanity. Treatures derived from tribulations. The history they’ve made will run vividly and freshly in the blood of every generation, giving them incredible amount of inspiration and stimulation. I am sure of that, cuz I feel it. Their deeds awake some soft parts of my soul. I’ve never felt such strong emotions as powerful forces, rising my hope for the union of the world.
To obtain patriotism is never a slogan. It is something you know in the depth of your heart all too clear. You don’t have to express it out loud, but take actions,that is, to remember, to taste every little piece your homeland, glory and tribulation, present and memories alike. Love, empathy and respect will then, slowly, take root in your mind.
Doolittle Raid is definitely a legend created by people of the two countries. It left us so many things that have not yet revealed themselves thoroughly. The seed of peace has been sowed. Let’ s sprout it and maintain it together.
Xu yijie