Just released is the new book, “The Doolittle Raiders: What Heroes Do After A War,” by George Nolta.
Nolta, an Air Force veteran with an MBA from the University of California Berkeley, began writing for the Colusi County Historical Society after retiring from a career of managing the development of new computer systems for Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation. He wrote an article about Ellen Lawson, the widow of Maj. Ted Lawson, one of the Doolittle Raiders and author of “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”
“Ellen liked the article and asked George to write a book about the lives of the Raiders based on her private collection of Raider information and memorabilia,” according to officials with Schiffer Publishing.
“Using the extensive Doolittle Raid memorabilia collection of Ellen and Ted Lawson, Nolta has put a personal face on the 80 men who participated in this historic military event,” said Gene H. Russell, Ed.D., editor of Wagon Wheels, the semiannual publication of the Colusi County Historical Society. “No longer just an audacious World War II secret mission, this account gives the personal history of the individual Raiders — and consequences — after their flights over Tokyo and Yokohama.”
Four months after Pearl Harbor, 80 brave men made a near-suicidal first attack on Japan. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted a quick response to the Japanese ambush on Hawaii to demonstrate to the Japanese that they were not invulnerable to attack, and to give a much-needed boost to American morale. Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle was selected to plan and lead the Raid from the USS Hornet.
While much has been written about the daring raid and the frightening escape through China, little has been written about these brave men’s lives before and after the raid, according to officials with the publisher.
“This collection of biographical sketches tells us much about who these men were,” officials said in a prepared release.
The soft-cover book sells for $16.99.