Jimmy Doolittle Set Many Records for Flying

RAY FREEMAN: EXPLORATIONS, a program in Special English on the Voice of America. Today Shirley Griffith and Frank Oliver tell about a famous World War Two pilot, Jimmy Doolittle.

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FRANK OLIVER: He was a scientist, an airplane engineer and a general in the United States Army.

At one time, he held the record for flying faster than any other person. He was the first pilot to cross the United States in less than twenty -four hours. He was the first pilot to fly "blind," that is, using only instruments to guide his airplane.

And, when his country entered World War Two, he led one of the first successful attacks against the enemy.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: His name was James Harold Doolittle. But to the many thousands of Americans, he was Jimmy -- Jimmy Doolittle.

Jimmy Doolittle was born on December fourteenth, eighteen ninety-six, in the western state of California. His family soon moved to Nome, Alaska. Jimmy was a small boy. Henever grew to be very big. Yet larger boys made a mistake if they thought being small also meant being weak. Jimmy would fight if someone tried to hurt him. And he almost never lost.

FRANK OLIVER: As a young man he became a boxing champion. He held the American West Coast championship for his weight. He continued to box when he entered the University of California to study mineral engineering. He held both the lightweight and middleweight college boxing championships.

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: When the United States entered World War One, young JimmyDoolittle joined the Army. He also asked to be trained as a pilot. On March eighteenth, nineteen eighteen, Jimmy passed the tests and graduated from flight school. He had hoped to go to France and fight in the war. The army, however, had him train other pilots. When the war ended, Jimmy chose to stay in the army. He thought this would give him a chance to combine his flying skills and his interest in engineering.