Old News, But Kind of Sad: Doolittle's Raiders

From the Feb. 2, 2012, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.

The five remaining Doolittle's Raiders were planning to attend their group reunion at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton April 17-20th, for the 70th anniversary of their daring feat.

On April 18, 1942, just months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, 80 flyers under Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle gave the Japanese a taste of their own medicine.

This year's event features a banquet, memorial service, autograph sessions and they were also hoping for a massive fly-over by 25 B-25 bombers.

This year, they will also have the Chinese survivors who risked their lives in Japanese-occupied China, to save the flyers. Surviving crewmembers of the USS Hornet will also be on hand.

Then, the real sad part of the story: all five survivors of the Doolittle raiders are able to travel and will attend. Now, we are down to four with one unable to travel for health reasons who will be attending the very final get-together in Dayton, Ohio, November 9th.

Like I Said, the Greatest Generation. --GreGen