A Memorable Visit: Military history in Oakland pitcher's blood

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Charles Rivezzo
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Strolling through the halls of the Travis Heritage Center July 21, Sean Doolittle was taken through a time machine of Air Force history - coming face to face with a lineage he is all too familiar with.

Military life indeed hits close to home for the Oakland Athletics closer, as his father, Rory, is retired Air Force and now teaches high school Reserve Officer Training Corps in New Jersey. His stepmother, April, serves as active duty Air National Guard and is stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

But perhaps Doolittle's most heralded connection to the military comes from a man he never met. A man recently determined to be the late Gen. Jimmy Doolittle - a seventh cousin to Sean Doolittle.

Jimmy Doolittle was an aviation pioneer and one of the most-noted pilots of his time. It was Jimmy Doolittle who planned the first retaliatory air raid on the Japanese homeland, leading a top-secret attack of 16 B-25 Mitchells from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, with targets in Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya.

"I always knew I had some sort of connection to him," he said. "Every time we head toward the airport for a road game we take Doolittle Drive and the guys would always ask if there was any relation. I see his legacy everywhere around me and I wanted to be sure of what our relationship actually was.

"I am constantly learning new things about the man he was and his significance in history. It never ceases to amaze me."

During his visit to Travis Air Force Base, Sean Doolittle bore witness to an Air Force much evolved from its early beginning as the Army Air Force.

After an outing on the flightline to meet aircrew members aboard a C-17 Globemaster III, Doolittle headed for a C-17 aircraft simulator to try his hand at living up to the family name.

Flying a mission profile through the Bay Area, Doolittle departed the simulator beaming with confidence, joking that he was ready to head back to the flighline and "fly the C-17 for real."

Throughout the day, Doolittle met Airmen from across the base, signed autographs, shook hands and took more "selfies" than he can probably remember, but to Doolittle this visit was about supporting the men and women in uniform.

"The military is a part of my family, it's a part of my history," he said. "I remember what it was like when my dad deployed after 9/11 and I can relate to sacrifices our military families make. As a society, I think we tend to forget that we still have people overseas defending our freedoms every single day.

"No matter what your political stance is or whether or not you believe in the places we are in the world, it should be noted that there are men and women in uniform who are willing to go to these places for us, and defend our freedoms."

When the day Doolittle will "never forget" began to come to an end, it was his final stop on his tour that resided closest to his heart - a meet and greet with Travis youth.

In a gymnasium filled with hunter green and California gold balloons and dozens of children, Doolittle relayed a message he hopes will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

"It wasn't so long ago that I was sitting right where you are today," he told them. "Don't ever give up on your dreams because you may think a military kid doesn't have a chance. I am living proof that dreams do come true. I am one of you guys."