Doolittle Raid

[Emery]

PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs

Release No. 010407
April 11,2007

US Air Force marks 65th anniversary of the legendary "Doolittle Raid"


San Antonio - The U.S. Air Force will host several events in conjunction
with the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders 65th annual reunion in San Antonio, Texas
April 17-21. The raid, which was ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
as America's response to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, remains one of
the most daring combat missions in American history.

On April 18, 1942, famed aviation pioneer Lt. Col. "Jimmy" Doolittle and 79
other volunteers launched 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers from the deck of the USS
Hornet. It was a bold and audacious mission and gave America a much-needed
boost in morale in the early days of WWII. Doolittle, who was already famous
for setting aviation speed and endurance records throughout the 1920s and
1930s, became a national hero and went on to command the 8th Air Force in
Europe at the close of World War II. He died in 1993 and remains the only
person to have ever held both of America's highest military and civilian
awards - the Medal of Honor and the Medal of Freedom. Of the 79 men who took
off with Doolittle that day, three were killed during the mission, five were
interned in Russia and eight became prisoners of war in Japan. Of those
POWs, three were executed by firing squad and another died in captivity.
Thirteen others would die later in the war. There are 14 Raiders alive
today.

The reunions, which began as a birthday party Doolittle hosted in Florida
in 1947, have evolved into an annual gathering of one of the most elite
military fraternities in the world. At every reunion, surviving Raiders meet
privately to conduct a solemn "goblet ceremony." After a role call and a
toast to the Raiders who have died since their last meeting, the remaining
Raiders turn the deceased men's goblets upside down. When only two Raiders
remain, they will open a bottle of brandy from 1896 - the year of
Doolittle's birth - and toast their fallen comrades. The 80 goblets, which
are normally on display at the National Museum of the United States Air
Force, will be brought to San Antonio by U.S. Air Force Academy cadets.

This year's goblet ceremony will be Wednesday, April 18. The Raiders will
arrive at Randolph Air Force Base Tuesday, April 17, and there will be a
fly-in of vintage B-25s. The surviving Raiders will also attend the Basic
Military Training Graduation at Lackland Air Force Base Friday, April 20,
which will feature a B-25 flyover. Details of the reunion can be found at
http://www.b-25yellowrose.com.

The Doolittle Raiders scheduled to attend this year's reunion are:

Col. William M. Bower
Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole
Major Thomas C. Griffin
Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite
MSgt Edwin W. Horton, Jr.
Maj. Gen. David M. Jones
Staff Sgt. David J. Thatcher

[swamper]

GOD BLESS THEM