Seeds Of War

   At first there was very little that this country could do to engage the Japanese in warfare because of the damage to our Navy and Air Force in the Pearl Harbor attack. However, it was decided that the United States would give the Japanese something to think about and the people of our country reason to buck up their spirits by conducting the Doolittle raid on Tokyo and other cities in Japan. It was April 18, 1942 when sixteen B-25 twin-engine bombers took off from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier and successfully dropped their bombs on the selected targets. None of the planes were able to land in China because their mission had been discovered by a Japanese vessel and they were forced to take off 150 miles sooner than planned, which left them with insufficient gasoline to make their intended final destination.

   Looking back at the attack on Pearl Harbor, hindsight tells us that the seeds of our war with Japan had already been planted well before. Diplomatic efforts between The United States and Japan had been getting more and more aggressive with tempers becoming hotter and hotter. The US had made it plain that Japan’s increasing incursions into China should be stopped and we had embargoed oil imports to Japan. In addition we were increasing our military presence in the Far East. Historians now have had access to communications of high level military and civilian figures in President Roosevelt’s administration questioning his actions leading toward war with Germany and Japan that were contrary to the mood of the American people. It was evident that the seeds of war were well sprouted and World War II would soon be upon us.

   Like many other students at the University, I was turned on during the spring term of 1942 when a couple Army Air Corps P-40s would buzz the campus every few weeks.  Therefore, it won’t be a surprise to you to note that I enlisted in the Army Air Corps Reserve in July 1942. Apart from the desire to fly one of those Army Air Corps planes, a promise was implied that I would not be called into service until after graduation.  However, it was after completing the first semester of my junior year that I learned that I would likely be called to active duty sometime in March of 1943 and that is exactly what happened.

   My own experiences about being drawn into World War II shows that the circumstances that drew young men and women into that war were probably of greater consequence and motivation than many other situations that are described in later chapters. It is safe to say that the majority of the US population was highly motivated to serve the nation either in the military services or in the production of food and munitions required at home and by our partners in Europe.

   Both in World War I and World War II the draft ensured that there would be enough manpower in the military services to meet the needs of the United States in those conflicts.  At the present time the Department of Defense has satisfied its needs on the basis of voluntary enlistments. What are the reasons that cause men and women to volunteer their service to their country?  Probably many of the reasons are the same as those that caused men to be willing to go to war in past generations or for that matter for thousands of years in the past. In addition to serving one’s country there is the respect and glory of it that must be considered. Witness for example the National Cemetery in Arlington, the World War II Memorial in Washington; the Vietnam Memorial and the   service Memorial’s that have been recently constructed in the Washington area. In addition we have scattered all over the country monuments and memorials of various kinds in most communities. Another factor that must be considered is the fact that many people like the idea of serving and associating with groups of men and wo