Doolittle was one of the pioneers of instrument flying and of advanced technology, while also being an outstanding combat leader, commanding the Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Eighth Air Forces during World War II.
James Harold Doolittle, the son of Frank H. and Rosa C. (Shephard) Doolittle, was born on December 14, 1896 in Alameda, California. Jimmy Doolittle grew up in Los Angeles and as a fast punching boy became renowned for his street fighting. After at least one arrest for brawling, he turned to amateur boxing and became the amateur flyweight champion of the West Coast. James attended Los Angeles Junior College, and spent a year at the University of California School of Mines before dropping out to enlist as a flying cadet in the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps Reserve in October 1917 and trained at the School of Military Aeronautics, University of California and Rockwell Field California. It was here that he married the lovely Josephine E. Daniels on December 24, 1917.
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