May Staff Sgt. David Jonathan Thatcher rest in peace.
One of the other last Doolittle Raiders, Edward J. Saylor lived just a few miles from us. He was 94 and died last year. I took video of him speaking at the annual Heritage Dinner at the Officer’s Club at McChord AFB on Joint Base Lewis-McChord the year before he died. He was a very good speaker and it was an amazing talk. After he died I asked the Retired General in charge of the retired officers group if he would mind if I posted the video online but he didn’t want me to.
We last visited with Ed Saylor at a “Ronald Reagan Club” meeting in South Tacoma a few months before he died. He was still very sharp mentally, but did seem tired compared to previous years. My wife was scheduled to speak; she asked if Ed would say a few words, but he wasn’t feeling up to it.
My wife met Doolittle’s granddaughter, Jonna Doolittle Hoppes and several remaining Doolittle Raiders in Hawaii in 2008. Jonna has written several books. My wife was invited to attend the ceremonies commemorating the Pearl Harbor attack that year by the Fort DeRussy Museum Staff. My wife works with museums and military organizations setting up displays and giving presentations honoring our military. It is more of an obsession and hobby, but it does give us the opportunity to travel and meet a lot of interesting people.
Had the privilege to take my father (WWII) vet to the last official Doolittle Raiders reunion in Fort Walton,Florida a couple of years ago. At the time, there were 4 survivors, but only 3 in attendance.
One of the highlights of the trip was watching Col. Cole flying a B-25 that was at the reunion. The owner of the aircraft said he offered Col. Cole an opportunity to take the controls and it was as if Cole had flown the aircraft every day. Cole was as smooth as glass, not deviating altitude and actually landing the aircraft.
It was an amazing week having the opportunity to see and talk with these brave aviators up close. It was also the last opportunity for me to have some quality time with my father who was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
It was a humbling experience to be at this reunion with Thatcher, Cole and Saylor. As the last of the Doolittle Raiders, their stories held the attendees captive. Although old in years, as the stories were told, you could see the young men that had departed the deck of the Hornet as if it were yesterday
Now there is only one.
May God welcome SSgt Thatcher into Heaven and reunite him with the other Raiders that have already made that journey. May Col. Cole take solace in the fact that even after all the Raiders are gone, their stories will live on in perpetuity.
God speed SSgt Thatcher. Your missions are over, you are home at last.
It turns out that the Japanese high command, shocked and humiliated by the surprise attack on their homeland, drew fighter and reconnaissance aircraft back to the home islands. This weakened Japan's front lines and permitted US forces to be more aggressive.
More important, suspecting that US held Midway Island in the central Pacific could be used to launch more attacks on the home islands, the Japanese Navy came up with a complicated plan to seize the isolated scrap of sand and coral rock. US cryptanalysts though detected the preparations, which permitted the US Navy to ambush the Japanese at the Battle of Midway and destroy three Japanese fleet carriers.
The US victory at the Battle of Midway proved to be the turning point of the entire Pacific War. After Midway and the loss of their best carriers and pilots, the Japanese suffered only defeats. And it was the Doolittle Raid that goaded the Japanese into the Battle of Midway.