One December morning, a day that will forever live in infamy, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor. A sucker punch if there ever was one that left over two thousand Americans dead. We needed to hit back. Who would go? Lt. Colonel James Doolittle. The man had already been awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and was obviously capable.Planning was set into motion as Doolittle took B-25 bombers and stripped them down as best as he could removing all unnecessary weight. Bombers taking off from an aircraft carrier was not really in the realm of imagination for anyone, except James Doolittle. The men trained and trained and trained for four months. The targets for the bombers included the capital city of Japan. We were going to strike back in the heart of their country. They hit us on our outer perimeter, we'll hit them right at home.Four months after the notorious attack on Pearl Harbor, Doolittle led the 16 bombers towards the heartland of Japan. All hit their targets and made their way for their recovery airfields in China. The actual damage done was not significant, however, it proved a point. The point? Japan now knew they were in for a fight and the United States would not just roll over and die. Rather we'd hit back, and hit back hard.

The actions by Doolittle and his bomber crews forced Japan to reassign fighter squadrons to protect the homeland and remove them from other bases. This action paved the way for the United States to gain important footholds and win decisive victories like the Battle of Midway.For his actions, planning and executing the raid, James Doolittle was awarded the Medal of Honor and went on to have an extremely successful career in the United States Air Force until he retired in 1959 as a General.

Be bold, be cunning, think outside of the box, like James Doolittle!Read more stories of American Grit:

JOHN BASILONE: MOWIN EM DOWN

GENERAL KELLER ROCKEY: ROCKING THROUGH TWO WORLD WARS

RALPH H. BOELK: A HARD LIFE IS A GOOD LIFE