The final toast of the Doolittle Raiders
There were 80 and now there are four surviving members of the Doolittle Raiders who struck our first blow against the Japanese mainland four months after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. From the Associated Press;
Three of the four surviving Raiders attended the toast Saturday at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Their late commander, Lt. Gen. James “Jimmy” Doolittle, started the tradition but they decided this autumn’s ceremony would be their last.
“May they rest in peace,” Lt. Col. Richard Cole, 98, said before he and fellow Raiders – Lt. Col. Edward Saylor, 93, and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, 92 – sipped cognac from specially engraved silver goblets. The 1896 cognac was saved for the occasion after being passed down from Doolittle.
Hundreds invited to the ceremony, including family members of deceased Raiders, watched as the three each called out “here” as a historian read the names of all 80 of the original airmen.
The fourth surviving Raider, Lt. Col. Robert Hite, 93, couldn’t travel to Ohio because of health problems.
Hite is the last survivor of the Raiders who were captured by the Japanese. Of the eight who were prisoners, one died while in captivity and three others were executed by their captors.
Category: Real Soldiers
Listening to them answer the roll would have been awesome. Too bad that this is the last reunion, they are what made this nation great.
#1, The ceremony was streamed live – it might have been archived someplace.
And you are right – it gave me a chill to hear those men call “Here!” the way they did on a pitching deck seventy one years ago.
Mike
Thank God we had such men then, in time of need.
And wish to God that we had such men now, in time of need.
Such men, ordinary, mortal men, are the stuff of legend.
Gob bless and care for these heroes. They are almost all gone now. I am glad and proud they were there for our country when we were in such need. Here, here gentleman. To you and all those 80 who went before.
God Bless them all.
Read the news of the day, as published in the NYT of 18 April 1942.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2873555/posts
They’re all beginning to fade away now.
When I was stationed ar Presidio of Monterey in 87 they had a 45th anniversary ceremony with Jimmy Doolittle and Jimmy Stewart in attendance. B25/17s overhead, jets, frigates firing salutes in the bay – very impressive. I thought those guys looked old then – who knew 26 years later they’d still be going strong? God bless them all.
Like I said, they are slowly slipping away from us.
http://news.msn.com/us/wwii-reunions-poignant-for-dwindling-veterans
I hope their grandchildren have taken down their stories.
For those who haven’t seen the final toast, I believe you can watch the ceremony and roll call here;
http://michellemalkin.com/2013/11/10/video-doolittle-raiders-final-toast/
Very moving.
In addition to the surviving Raiders answering the roll, surviving family members of the deceased Raiders stood in the audience as their departed Raider’s name is called.
Powerful stuff, this should have been streamed into every classroom in America.
Dammit….right down the road from me and I didn’t realize it until after the fact….wish I could have been there. Real heroes….
Every day 900 of these WWII hero’s die. God Bless them all.