Thank you to all our Veterans who have served our country.
Known as the Doolittle Raiders, the 80 men who risk their lives on a World War II bombing mission on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor were toasted one last time by the surviving comrades and honored with a Veterans Day weekend of fanfare shared by thousands.
July 14, 1943 photo of Maj. General James Doolittle (third from left, front row} who led the air raid on Japan, April 18, 1942, and some of the men who flew with him drink a champagne toast from coffee cups during a reunion in North Africa on the first anniversary of the flight.
Three of the four surviving members of the 1942 Tokyo raid are left to right, David Thatcher, Edward Saylor and Richard Cole, pose next to a monument marking the raid. The fourth surviving member, Robert Hite, was unable to travel to the ceremonies.
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.
Copy and photos from Yahoo News.
Thank You Art and Jan,
ReplyDeleteThis is a special day for me as I give thanks to those who gave of themselves when called. The WW2 Boys are leaving us. 2 or 3 Vets are committng suicide per day. Many are still suffering, are crippled or homeless. I send cards to as many as I know. Like myself they have a need to be remembered. I am picking up two "old boys that served in SEA for a High School program this morning. Thank God I chose to live in such an old fashioned respectful town. Some "boys" from 2 are still around. Even one who surivied the Bataan Death Match and the POW camp. It is humbling to shake and hold their hands.
Want to do something nice? Send a Vet a thank You card. It will set on their cupboard for a long time.