Description: WWIIDoolittle RaidersTravis HooverTung Sheng LiuCrew #2Signed Photo Colonel Travis Hoover (September 21, 1917-January 17, 2004) enlisted in the National Guard on November 9, 1938 and was a flying cadet in the regular Army in August of 1939. He completed pilot training and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May of 1940. Hoover was a pilot of the second (of only 16) Army Air Corps B-25 bombers to take off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet on the Doolittle Tokyo Raid of April 18, 1942. After successfully bombing industrial targets in Tokyo, Hoover’s crew #2 headed their B-25 bomber west toward China, knowing full well they did not have enough fuel to reach safe haven beyond the Japanese occupied China coastline. As anticipated, they ran out of fuel as they reached the coastline and were forced to make a crash landing in Japanese occupied territory. After evading the Japanese for several days, Hoover was contacted by a Chinese student aeronautical engineer, Tung Sheng Liu who guided the B-25 crew inland to safety from the Japanese forces. While in China, Hoover and his crew received the highest Chinese medal decorations from Madame Chiang Kai Shek.He served as a bomber pilot, squadron commander and operations officer, flying B-25s and B-24s in England; North Africa; and Italy from September 1942 to May of 1944. He then volunteered to fly P-38s as a dive bomber and a fighter pilot in Italy until September 1944, experiencing many close calls and flying a combined total of seventy three combat missions in World War II. Hoover instructed in air operations at the Command and General Staff School at for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Hoovers’ peacetime overseas service included tours in Okinawa and Turkey. His stateside assignments have been in Kansas; Washington, D.C.; California; Texas; and Mississippi. He was rated as a command pilot.Hoover’s decorations include the Silver Star; Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster; Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters; Army Commendation Medal; and the Chinese Army, Navy and Air Corps Medal, Class A 1st Grade. Tung-Sheng Liu, (December 3, 1917-May 3, 2009) helped rescue members of a U.S. B-25 crew, one of the B-25 bombers taking part in the Doolittle Raids on Toyko which had crash-landed near the Chinese coast in April 1942. Acting as interpreter and guide, Liu helped lead the Americans through Japanese-occupied areas to a dusty landing strip where they flew to safety. Liu was named an honorary member of the Raiders; he maintained lifelong friendships with the airmen he had helped in China and eagerly took part in most of the Raiders' yearly reunions. This signed photo is a copy of an actual period photo. The signature is real and was most likely signed in the 1980s-2000s Condition: nice condition Size: 8 x 10 inches Look over pictures to see the exact item you will receive and to determine the overall condition of this item. Thanks for looking! Jeff
Price: 45 USD
Location: Liverpool, New York
End Time: 2024-11-08T03:03:42.000Z
Shipping Cost: 6 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Industry: Military
Signed: Yes
Autograph Authentication: Not Authenticated
