I had the great pleasure of meeting Gen. Doolittle in 1985 at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas Texas at the dinner in honor of him sponsored by George Haddaway. Years later I got to know CV Glines and see him regularly now.

This is the most thorough biography I have seen on Gen. Doolittle and CV worked closely with the General and later his family. The book answered one of my lingering questions about "The Raid on Tokyo": Was the Hornet spotted AND reported by the picket boat that they sank? The answer came when an outbound flying boat passed underneath the B-25s as they approached Tokyo.

I am not looking forward to the portrayal of Gen. Doolittle by Alec Baldwin in the new Disney Movie "Pearl Harbor". I have a sense of dread and foreboding about what Disney may do to the facts

I found this book to be two things. First, it was a wonderful overview of US air history delivered by an indisputable authority on the subject. Second, I learned a lot about a true American hero, both in achievement and personal life. How refreshing to discover a humble, brilliant, down-to-earth individual who made such a positive impact on our country! The book was well written and easy to read. In some places it threatened to be tedious, but nothing serious (hence the 5 star recommendation).

It was the privilege of a lifetime to be asked to assist General Jimmy Doolittle in writing his life story. He had said for years that he thought an autobiography would appear to be too self-serving but his family didn't agree. I had written a biography of Jimmy and three books about his famous raid on Japan during WW II so they thought I could do the job. The title comes from his answer to a question about whether he would like to live his life over again. His answer: "No. I could never be so lucky again." I would like to hear from anyone who reads this book. Jimmy died in 1993 and will be eligible to have a commemorative stamp issued in 2003. If you agree that a stamp should be issued, I would appreciate your input which I will use to justify one.

In April, 1942, the U.S. Navy set out to strike back at the Japanese. The plan was to launch B-25 Mitchell bombers from the deck of an aircraft carrier, bomb Tokyo, then fly to safety in China. In this excellent book by Carroll Glines, the story of the famed Doolittle Raiders unfolds. President Roosevelt conceived the idea. American morale was very low after the Pearl Harbor attack, and the President felt that an attack on the Japanese homeland would do wonders for the American civilians as well as the armed forces. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle was selected to lead the mission. Famous for his air racing and numerous speed records, Doolittle assembled sixteen crews and began training in Florida. Finally, the planes were loaded aboard the U.S.S. Hornet and the task force set sail for Japan. The original plan was to approach to within about 350 miles of the Japanese coast before launching, but a Japanese sampan discovered the task force while they were still some distance from the take off point. I enjoyed the way that Mr. Glines told the individual story of each crew involved in the attack. This aspect of the book made it much more enjoyable to read. The dialogue is so vivid that one can imagine themself sitting in the cockpit. In the end, most of the planes successfully crash-landed in China, but eight men were taken prisoner by the Japanese. They suffered horribly at the hands of their captors. One man died in prison, three were executed by the Japanese, and four survived the war to return to the United States. Another book, entitled Four Came Home, also written by Mr. Glines, tells the story of the four survivors in much greater detail than this book. I would highly recommend both of these books as they both do an excellent job describing this first strike against the enemy.

This book, I believe, is a very good account of a relatively forgotten event during the Second World War in the Pacific theater. Sandwiched between two intensely covered events such as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the American victory at Midway, the Doolittle raid often gets overlooked. The author did a good job to provide a detailed account of the events leading up to the raid as well as an excellent account of the experiences of each of the sixteen bomber crews as they made their raid over Japan. Other lesser-known areas concerning the raid were covered such as the voyage of the carrier task force and just how close they came to being attacked by Japanese aircraft and surface forces. Also the technical challenges that occurred to the aircraft were elaborated on as well as an account from the Japanese standpoint pertaining to their preparedness for such an air raid. To complete this telling of the Doolittle Raid the author explains the fate of the aircrews that either survived the raid to continue the fight or those that were captured by the Japanese. Finally the plight of the Chinese people as a result of their part of the raid was not forgotten or overlooked, as is often done by history. Overall, for a person generally interested in World War II history this book would rate a 4 out of 5. If you are particularly interested in the Pacific war against Japan this book is definitely a 5 of 5.

As someone who knew the late Adolf Galland and the authors, this book is a most honest representation of his life in both war and peace. The importance of his strife, both in the air and on the ground with Hitler and Goering, as well as his post war success are inspiring. A book that should be read by all who enjoy reading about the human experience.

A very fascinating and interesting book. From the time he grew up in Westerholt, Germany and entered the Luftwaffe, and his activities after the war, was very descriptive and very easy to read. It did not become bogged down with non essential details that tend to make biographies difficult to read. I would recommend this book to anyone

If current events leave your head spinning...if you go to bed at night wondering where have all the heros gone and wake-up in the morning still searching, read "Gabby A Fighter Pilot's Life" by Francis Gabreski.

In this age, when everybody has an excuse for every meaningless thing, it is humbling and skin dingling to unfold the tale of Gabby's life through each chapter. Gabreski, a man of simple elegance, scripts a tale of greatness throughout the book. This is greatness earned by actions. From humble beginnings, Gabreski travels the American dream through a never boring progression of character challenging and character building struggles. Gabby tells his story with the humility and directness only a real honest hero can possess.

If you never want to be bored, always want to be inspired and feel good throughout, then this book is a "must read". Gabreski's story will leave you shaking your head, with a tear in your eye and a smile on your face.

"Gabby" is a primer in character development. If it needs to be said, Gabreski makes the point that determination, faith, morals and hard work combine to pay a big dividend. Yet, he is subtle, entertaining and a real "class act". Thank you Gabby.

I have been trying to research Mr. Doolittle and the Doolittle raids. This is one of the most informational books I've yet read. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it.

He was one of a kind.

He got in on the ground floor of aviation & rode the elevator all the way up.

He grew into a doctorate in aeronautics; he grew into military administration. He KEPT growing, for nine decades.

He had spunk, integrity, loyalty, vision. The only thing he ever lied about was his height.

Like Nestor, he wanted to share fame with his wife.

Diplomacy was not his strong point, because he was an individualist. His friends were individualists: Patton. His antogonists weren't: Eisenhower. His was a century of individualists. It was a different age, and he was right about it: He never COULD be so lucky again, not nowadays anyway.

[Paperback edition hard to read, as 8-point print disappears into binding; no offset. If you are over forty, read the hardback, if you can.]

Gen. Doolittle is an extrordinary man. This book is filled with several of his exploits from the early days of aviation to modern times. In it he recollects several amusing stories from his career as well as heart-warming stories from his family life. I strongly recommend this book to any aviation enthusiest.

Intelligent, courageous, and honest, Jimmy Doolittle is an excellent example of a true American hero. He proved his worth as a test pilot during the early years of aviation, as commander of the 8th Air Force during World War II, and as chairman of NACA, the predecessor of today's NASA. His view that dishonesty is a form of cowardice and his determination to serve his fellow human beings well into his old age is refreshing in an era of selfishness, half-truths, and outright deceit.

Doolittle's autobiography does a wonderful job of portraying his life. And what a life! If only one could achieve less than half of what Jimmy Doolittle had, he or she would already have a very full and worthwhile life. Let the reader be warned, however, the book is written as only a lifelong engineer could write it; succinct, precise, and relatively technical. Yet among the descriptions of aerodynamics experiments and strategic bombing raids over World War II Germany one also finds heartfelt accounts of his family life. Doolittle reveals that the one thing that has sustained him throughout is the support of his beloved wife, Josephine.

While I would primarily recommend the autobiography of Jimmy Doolittle to aviation and World War II history buffs, I would also recommend it to anyone interested in the life of a real hero of American history whose sacrifices will benefit mankind for years to come. Thanks to remarkable individuals such as Jimmy Doolittle, I'm proud to call myself an American.

This book is a relatively well written story of one of the key figures of the golden age of aviation, Roscoe Turner. Through flying in races, movies, record breaking flights and attempting to stay financially aloft, this is a good overview of a life. The only issue I had with this book was that it never truly conveyed the character of Mr. Turner and seemed more like a chronology than a true biography.