Table Of ContentFIRST
HEROES
RAIG NELSON
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PENGUIN BOOKS
THE FIRST HEROES
Craig Nelson is the author of three previous books; his writings have
appeared in Salon, Blender, Genre, and a host ofother pubhcations. He was
aneditorat HarperCoHins, Hyperion, and Random House foralmost twenty
years and has been profiled by Variety, Interview, File, Manhattan, Inc., the
DailyNews, Publishers Weekly, and Time Out. He lives in NewYork City.
Praise for The First Heroes
"A riveting history . . . The author brings a passionately fresh perspective to
this amazingstory. ... Agrippingdrama ofWWII, retoldwith such freshness
that it's nearly impossible—to put down."
KirkusReviews (starred review)
"The Doolittle Raid was Franklin Roosevelt's answer to Pearl Harbor. The
gutsy mission shocked theJapanese, electrifiedAmerica, and determined the
shape and tenor ofthe entire Pacific War. Ifyou want to read one book to
understand how a humbled America rose to defeat mighty Japan, you hold
that book in your hands. Read about the original 'Mission Impossible' of
World War II. Read about the boys who flew offinto history, believing they
would never come back. Read about the boys who were the first heroes."
—
^James Bradley, author oiFlags ofOurFathers
''TheFirstHeroesis epic in sweep. Thestoryofthe Doolittle Raid lifts offthe
page, as rich and engrossing as any legend, and Craig Nelson proceeds to
brin—g to vivid life the dramatic story behind the story. This is an astounding
feat the hours breathe with even the tiniest gesture ofyoung men desper-
ately fighting to stay alive against the panorama ofmodern war and a turbu-
lent century in the making—. Nelson is an amazingstoryteller.
Doug Stanton, authorof/« Harm's Way
"In this passionate and intimate history, CraigNelson reminds us that Amer-
ica's first response to Pearl Harbor was neither tepid nor undramatic, but
rather one ofwarfare's boldest chapters ofrighteous revenge.
—
Hampton Sides, author ofGhostSoldiers
"Awe-inspiring Nelson paints a shocking portrait not only ofwhat hap-
. . .
pened to American POWs at the hands of the notorious Kempeitai (the
Japanese Gestapo) but also ofJapanese reprisals against Chinese accused of
aidingtheAmericans in t—heir escape."
The Washington Post
"I vividly remember as a boy, in the demoralizing months following Pearl
Harbor, the disbeliefand elation that greeted news that American bombers
had actuallystruckTokyo! Now CraigNelson has given us everydetail, every
secret, everystory behind this raid, which first taught an insecure nation that
we could hit this enemy and, in time, defeat him."
—
^Joseph E. Persico, author oiRoosevelt'sSecretWar
"[Nelson] digs deeply infiising the account with infectious enthusiasm
. . .
and numerous engaging first-person accounts. An involving account ofa
. . .
lesser-known period ofth—ewar."
Publishers Weekly
"Craig Nelson has produced a book that is, quite simply, unforgettable. The
First Heroes lives and mo—ves with staggering power and vitality. I never
wanted it to end." Leon Bing, author ofDo orDie
"77?^FirstHeroesis the best kind ofhistory: important, thoughtful, andwon-
derfullygripping. Craig Nelson has done a splendid job ofmakingAmerica's
firstvictoryinWorldWar—II seemsovital, so relevant, that readingitfeels like
living it." Susan Isaacs, author of Long Time No See and
CompromisingPositions
"Fascinating, enormously broad, richly detailed. Wonderful, important
. . .
reading for thosewho kno—wa lot or nothingabout the Doolittle Raid."
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
"Nelson doe—s a tremendous job ofdescribing the attack from a variety of
perspectives thatofaircrews, theNavy, theJapaneseon theground and the
officerswithin the Imperial military. TheFirstHeroesprovides thekindof
. . .
wider view that is impossi—ble to composewithout the passage oftime."
St. PetersburgTimes
"Nelson ablypicksout the threads oftheoperation, from trainingto recovery
oftheflyers. . . . This boo—kwill find a placein everysubstantialWorldWarII
collection," LibraryJournal
—
m
FIRS!
HEROES
ooooooo
The Extraordinary Story
of the Doolittle Raid
America's First
World War II Victory
CRAIG NELSON
PENGUIN BOOKS
PENGUIN BOOKS
PublishedbythePenguinGroup
PenguinGroup (USA) Inc.,375 HudsonStreet,NewYork, NewYork 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, LondonWC2RORL, England
Penguin BooksAustraliaLtd, 250CamberwellRoad, Camberwell,Victoria3124,Australia
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Penguin BooksLtd, RegisteredOflfices:
80Strand, LondonWC2RORL, England
FirstpublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyVikingPenguin,
amemberofPenguin Putnam Inc. 2002
Published in Penguin Books2003
987654321
10
Copyright©TheCraigNelsonCompany, Inc., 2002
All rightsreserved
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Illustration insertcredits: BobBell: page2, top. DickKnobloch: page5,top;page 10, top. Bill
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Memorial:page 15,topright.BillAldrich([email protected]):page 16.Allotherscourtesyof
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For Mrs. Arlene B. "Tomi" Nelson,
Sgt. William D. "Bill" Nelson,
and Lt. Col. M. Thomas "Tom" Nelson
"Offwe go, into the wild blue ."
. .
CONTENTS
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