First Doolittle Award presented to 4th Fighter Wing

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Heather Stanton
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  The 4th Fighter Wing received the inaugural Air Force Historical Foundation Doolittle Award during a ceremony at the Air Force Memorial here June 2.

The Doolittle Award promotes the history and heritage of a unit as opposed to an individual. The award is named after Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, a Medal of Honor recipient whose surprise raid on Japan in early 1942 is generally recognized as the U.S.'s first World War II victory and helped turn the tide in the Pacific theater.

"Units have a living history of their own," said Jim Vertenten, the AFHF executive director. "The people come and go, but the units stay and accumulate their own history over time."

The 4th FW received the award because of its significant contributions to the Air Force for more than 70 years.

"Over many conflicts, the teams at the 4th (FW), on a continuing basis, kept its history alive with outstanding achievements and have never really fallen out of the limelight in any way at any time," Mr. Vertenten said.

Air Force Assistant Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III presented the award at the memorial site, just outside Arlington National Cemetery.

"Just over that hill, General Doolittle is buried, along with fellow Doolittle Raiders and those who served countless ages in this nation, who have given the ultimate sacrifice," the general said. "So I think it's fitting that the Air Force Historical Foundation inaugural award be named in his memory, not only to his service but to his dedication to airpower."

Col. Patrick Doherty, the 4th FW commander, accepted the award on behalf of the wing.

"This is quite the honor; very humbling," Colonel Doherty said. "We stand on the shoulders of previous warriors over the last 70 years. It's all teamwork, we all know that and we talk about it each and every day. We talk about the importance of our history and the standards that have been set in all of our nation's conflicts up to this point and where the 4th Fighter Wing sits. That propels us to raise our limits and motivates us to put in 110-percent effort. Thank you very much for this award, it's very humbling."