The Air Force Academy recently unveiled alternate uniforms for its football team meant to honor the Doolittle Raiders, a collection of bombers that attacked Japan in response to Pearl Harbor.
Led by then-Lt. Col. James Doolittle, the Raiders were sent to Japan four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor to bomb targets in Tokyo and military locations on April 18, 1942. While they didn’t cause significant damage, it was seen as proof that Japan was vulnerable and gave U.S. forces a morale boost following the events of Pearl Harbor. The raid killed approximately 50 people and injured 400.
Air Force’s alternative uniforms will feature a chrome helmet with “B-25” on the front to represent the 16 B-25B Mitchell bombers that launched from the USS Hornet to carry out the attack. The numbers and letters will appear to include steel and rivets. The phrase “Ever into Peril,” a mantra used by the Doolittle Raiders, runs down the pant leg.
D O O L I T T L E R A I D E R S pic.twitter.com/xpaAKxE9R6
— Air Force Falcons (@AF_Falcons) August 17, 2023
While the uniform is meant to honor the pilots and crew who served in the military, reactions to the uniform choice have been mixed. Some found it distasteful to correlate war with football while others didn’t appreciate that it was a celebration of an ambush on a country that is now a U.S. ally.
1. This was not necessary
2. Football is still a growing sport in Japan with a lot of young fans that want to engage in American sports culture, and shit like this will do nothing but damage that effort.
3. This was not necessary. https://t.co/qRyPL0n1uV
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) August 18, 2023
Guessing there’s no Japanese players on the squad this season…
— Brent (@brentschmidt) August 18, 2023
Excited for the Bay of Pigs throwbacks and the Iran Contra alternateshttps://t.co/24IRX9TGIF
— Dave Rappoccio (@DrawPlayDave) August 18, 2023
Get your very own piece of war atrocity history https://t.co/bCu1ul6IT7
— GFC (@PodvsEveryone) August 18, 2023
Air Force reading the Oppenheimer hype: https://t.co/qI37WYtQuK pic.twitter.com/cwbIab14dl
— Keg. (@GratefulKeg) August 18, 2023
Others noted that the Doolittle Raiders were actually part of the U.S. Army and aided by the U.S. Navy, which makes the Air Force connection confusing.
there's a lot here but in before the war dads:
the Doolittle raid was primarily a Navy product finished off by the USAAF, this isn't even the right one to claim https://t.co/8c7iSh12qK
— ¡BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL! (@edsbs) August 18, 2023
The Doolittle Raid was conducted by the @USArmy and wouldn’t have been possible without the @USNavy. #OldAndGnarly https://t.co/HlsY0Qqhmc
— The Old and Gnarly Goat (@OldGnarlyGoat) August 16, 2023
Not everyone had an issue with the alternative uniforms and the honoring of the Doolittle Raiders.
My Grandfather flew on B-25 Mitchell’s during WWII and was stationed in Columbia. SC as Doolittle’s Raiders we’re training over Lake Murray. This is awesome! https://t.co/vFaK8AYBsf
— Jonathan Reynolds (@RJR_Harvest) August 18, 2023
The replies show how terribly our education system has failed. If you have a problem with the Doolittle Raid, you're either ignorant, stupid, or both.
Sick uniforms too https://t.co/Hfr2Mnlr6x
— Patrick Sawyer (@PatrickS615) August 18, 2023
Big fan of the alternate uniforms for the Falcons https://t.co/2Qq6HjpyVI
— Abbi Bennett (@abbibennett99) August 17, 2023
Nice!! https://t.co/zk8feyp1nF
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) August 17, 2023
For their part, the Air Force Academy feels as though the reaction to the uniforms has been overwhelmingly positive.
“This year’s edition of the Doolittle Raiders has been extremely well received,” the Air Force athletic department told the LA Times. “The post you mention has caused a few negative social media posts, but most of the people on the forum have reacted to the negative posts in a supportive way for the Academy. All of the posts have been factual and taken from accounts of the raid and aftermath.”
