75th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid
April 23, 2017 at 8:31 PM
75th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid
Lt. Colonel Dick Cole, the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, and the Children of the Doolittle Raiders played prominent roles in events commemorating the 75thanniversary of the Doolittle Raid on April 17-18, 2017 on the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF). On the morning of Monday, April 17, a B-1 bomber representing the 34th Bomb Squadron, one of the four squadrons that were part of the Doolittle Raid, was christened the new “Ruptured Duck” at a ceremony on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The ceremony featured members of the family of Doolittle Raider S. Sgt. David J. Thatcher and representatives of the 28th Operations Group from Ellsworth Air Force Base.At an evening event April 17 Melinda Liu previewed a video she produced describing the raid from the Chinese perspective. Raider friend Zheng Weiyong made a captivating presentation describing his efforts to locate crash sites, artifacts, and stories of Chinese citizens who witnessed or have personal knowledge of the events from 75 years ago. At a memorial service the following day, Jeff Thatcher made a powerful and moving speech honoring the Doolittle Raiders who have passed, including his father S. Sgt David Thatcher who died last June. B-25 bombers were on display and conducted an awe-inspiring flyover over the memorial service, as did two USAF B-1 Bombers. That evening, after a showing of "Doolittle's Raiders: The Final Toast," Cindy Chal and Jim Bower conducted a lively Q&A session, wowing the audience with the depth and breadth of their knowledge. The Children of the Doolittle Raiders are deeply grateful to Leslie Greaser and the staff at the NMUSAF, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force General David L. Goldfein,Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the B-25 and B-1 crews, and especially Tom and Catherine Casey for the exceptional planning, coordination, and support that culminated in such a successful commemoration. And we wish to thank Moet Hennessy and Northrop Grumman Corporation for their continued support of the Doolittle Raider family.
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