Retired Gen. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle disembarks from an Aero Commander at the Lewiston Airport after returning from a fishing and float trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in this photo published in the July 22, 1967, Lewiston Tribune. Doolittle, of Santa Monica, Calif., strode from the airplane into the shade of the Potlatch Forests Inc. hangar where he described the fishing trip, according to an accompanying story. “It was a wonderful outing. I had been fishing in Idaho before, but never on the Salmon’s Middle Fork. We all caught many fish.” Doolittle was dressed in an Air Force shirt, complete with the shoulder epaulets which once carried his general’s stars. The group, which also included U.S. Sen. William J. Fulbright, D-Ark., had floated, fished and camped four nights along the 80-mile stretch of water. Five planes carried the men and their equipment, and 71-year-old Doolittle’s plane was piloted by Richard W. Wagner, of Lewiston. Doolittle was well known for the bold World War II air raid — the Doolittle Raid — he led on Japan while flying in the U.S. Army Air Corps April 18, 1942, four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor in leading the raid. Readers who would like to share their historical photos (20 years or older) from throughout the region may do so by emailing them to blasts@lmtribune.com or submitting them to: Blast from the Past, P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501. Questions? Call Jeanne M. DePaul at (208) 848-2221.
