Dedication and tradition

  • Published
  • By Capt. Marc Clemente
  • 373rd Training Squadron
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Part of the history of the United States Air Force dates back even before her birth. Our legacy includes the "Tokyo Doolittle Raiders" whose mission is one of the most studied and debated missions in history. Retired Lt. Col. Chase J. Nielsen, one of the famed "Tokyo Doolittle Raiders" who helped boost American morale in the early days of World War II with a surprise air attack on Japan and spent a lifetime as an advocate for American airpower, recently died on March 23 at his home in Brigham City, Utah. 

Born Jan. 14, 1917 in Hyrum, Utah, Colonel Nielsen attended Utah State University and graduated in 1939 with a Bachelors of Science degree in civil engineering. In August 1939, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a flying cadet. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1941. Colonel Nielsen, a lieutenant at the time, was the navigator of "Crew # 6," one of 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers and 80 Airmen that launched from the deck of the USS Hornet on April 18, 1942. Led by legendary aviation pioneer Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle, the raid is one of the most studied and talked about missions in the history of aerial warfare. 

It was personally ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as response to Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor nearly five months earlier. Preparation for the attack was conducted in secrecy at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and was executed by loading 16 of the medium bombers onto the deck of the USS Hornet, which departed from San Francisco, Calif., April 2, 1942. Although Doolittle and his crews had perfected the art of taking off on a short field, returning to the carrier was not an option. 

All 16 bombers made it to their targets, however, they were forced to ditch or bail out over or along the Chinese coast because the U.S. task force had been spotted by Japanese picket boats, and Doolittle had decided to launch early -- more than 600 miles from the Japanese mainland and 200 miles farther out than planned. 

The original plan had called for the Raiders to launch during the night and recover in China at dawn, but due to being spotted by the picket boats, Doolittle's improvised plan had them taking off in the early afternoon and landing in China at night. 

Further complicating the recovery, an aircraft with a beacon that was supposed to take off over China and guide the crews to friendly airfields wasn't able to get airborne, so the Raiders were not able to avoid areas where Japanese occupation forces were concentrated. Most of the aircraft were able to reach land, but two, including Colonel Nielsen's, were forced to ditch off the coast of China. Two men were killed. The eight men who survived were taken prisoner by Japanese forces and held in inhumane conditions from which only four of the eight survived. 

Colonel Nielsen spent the next 40 months as a prisoner of war, most of the time in solitary confinement, before being rescued at the end of the war by an Office of Strategic Services para-rescue team and brought back to the U.S. Colonel Nielsen returned to Shanghai, China, in January 1946 to testify in the International War Crimes Trials against his former captors. 

Colonel Nielsen became a member of Strategic Air Command in March 1949 at Roswell AFB, N.M., where he was assigned to the 509th Bombardment Group -- the first group to be organized, equipped and trained for atomic warfare. The assignment was fitting as SAC's mission was to provide the United States with a long-range combat capability. During his decade with the major command, Colonel Nielsen helped SAC develop key operational innovations, including radar navigation bombardment, air refueling employing the flying boom and electronic countermeasures. 

He helped integrate "fail safe" and other emergency war order procedures into SAC's unique set of flight profiles. Colonel Nielsen returned to the air while assigned to SAC and reached more than 10,000 flying hours, mostly in bomber aircraft. Colonel Nielsen retired from the Air Force in 1961 as a lieutenant colonel and began a career as an industrial engineer at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Among Colonel Nielsen's decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart with Cluster. 

There are 14 Raiders alive today. The Raiders are also famous for their annual reunions, which began as a party hosted by Doolittle, in Miami Beach, Fla., in 1947. The reunions have evolved into a gathering of one of the most elite military fraternities in the world. At each reunion, surviving Raiders meet privately to conduct a solemn "Goblet Ceremony." After a role call followed by a toasting the Raiders who died since their last meeting, they turn the deceased men's goblets upside down. Each goblet has the Raider's name engraved twice so that it can be read if the goblet is right side up or upside down. 

When only two Raiders remain alive, they will drink a final toast using a vintage bottle of cognac. 

At last year's 64th reunion, Colonel Nielsen said, "I am proud to have been on the Doolittle Raid. I am more proud to have been of service to my country. I hope and I pray that what we Doolittle Raiders have done will be an inspiration to you people." 

The legacy that Colonel Nielsen leaves is manifold. 

First, his courage and patriotism to be pressed into service on a dangerous, unknown mission remains a shining example for all those in uniform, to have the intestinal fortitude to continue forward despite any odds. 

Secondly, Col Nielsen was a dedicated servant to his country even after serving in the war and suffering through the hardships of being a POW. He used this platform following the war to ensure that American forces were built so strong as to never have to go to war again. 

Finally, Colonel Nielsen left a legacy of dedication to his comrades and a sense of tradition. Meeting annually for 64 years in honor of his fallen comrades to remember them and their sacrifices, encourages us to hold tightly onto the traditions unique to our United States Air Force. Also, he is a constant reminder to harken back to those who have gone before us to provide us the freedoms we so richly enjoy today. 

(Information from www.af.mil was used in the writing of this article)