Wings of a Warrior: The Jimmy Doolittle Story

Filmmaker and host Gardner Doolittle's documentary tells the incredible story of James Harold “Jimmy” Doolittle, a remarkable American who was not only involved in two world wars, but also contributed to the development of aviation both in battle and in commercial industry. Born in 1896, Doolittle spent part of his childhood in Nome, AK, surviving in a tough environment with the even tougher company of gold miners. Determined to live by his own rules, Doolittle was a boxer, gymnast, silver miner, and more or less aimless roughneck before joining the Signal Reserve Corps Aviation Section in 1919, where he instantly fell in love with flying. Building his own glider and eventually becoming the first pilot to fly coast-to-coast across the U.S. in 1922, Doolittle's maverick personality and accomplishments would make him a much-admired figure on the world stage in subsequent years, especially known for heading up the “Doolittle Raiders,” a group of 16 B-25 bombers that made a bold 1942 WWII air raid on Tokyo, which would have little strategic impact but was an incredible morale booster (this tale was told in Hollywood's Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, featuring Spencer Tracy as Doolittle). Doolittle would also develop instrument-only navigation systems and retractable landing gear that helped revolutionize flying. Add to that the man's amazing luck (he walked away from many crashes) and his life seems not just a story, but rather the stuff of lore. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)