Doolittle Raider’s Final Toast To Take Place This November

Warbird Radio ^ | September 5, 2013 | Staff Writer

[Little Ray]

WARBIRD RADIO - The National Museum of the United States Air Force along with the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders announced this morning that the U.S. Air Force will host the famed Doolittle Tokyo Raiders’ final toast to their fallen comrades during an invitation-only ceremony on Nov. 9 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

On April 18, 1942, 80 men achieved the unimaginable when they took off from an aircraft carrier on a top secret mission to bomb Japan. Led by Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, these men came to be known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders. Today, just four of the men survive: Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, co-pilot of Crew No. 1; Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite, co-pilot of Crew No. 16; Lt. Col. Edward J. Saylor, engineer-gunner of Crew No. 15; and Staff Sgt. David J. Thatcher, engineer-gunner of Crew No. 7. At this time, all four Raiders are planning to attend the event. According to Museum Director Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jack Hudson, the Doolittle Raid was an extremely important event in the development of American air power because it marked the first combat use of strategic bombardment by the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II.

[HeadOn]

Just got an email, complete with pictures. Like you, I was a bit confused by the “Last” toast. Here’s what my email said:

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“So now, out of the original 80, only four Raiders remain: Dick Cole (Doolittle’s co-pilot on the Tokyo raid), Robert Hite, Edward Saylor and David Thatcher. All are in their 90s. They have decided that there are too few of them for the public reunions to continue.
...
The men have decided that after this final public reunion they will wait until a later date — some time this year — to get together once more, informally and in absolute privacy. That is when they will open the bottle of brandy.

The years are flowing by too swiftly now; they are not going to wait until there are only two of them.”

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May God Bless you and your families, Gentlemen, and also the families of all those whose goblets are already upside-down.

[Old Sarge]

That’s the one I was referring to, thanks!

[NonValueAdded]

Thanks for the clarification. God Bless them.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Little Ray.

Today, just four of the men survive: Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, co-pilot of Crew No. 1; Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite, co-pilot of Crew No. 16; Lt. Col. Edward J. Saylor, engineer-gunner of Crew No. 15; and Staff Sgt. David J. Thatcher, engineer-gunner of Crew No. 7. At this time, all four Raiders are planning to attend the event.

[GOPJ]

The four men will crack open the bottle of 1896 cognac that has been saved for this occasion. 1896 was the year GEN Doolittle was born.

Honorable brave men... saved a nation.

[Citizen Soldier]

My 2nd cousin’s daughter is married to Doolittle’s great grandson or grandson, can’t remember which, but I met him a couple of times at family reunions and he seemed like a very nice young man. Coincidentally, the cousin’s grandmother knew Amelia Earhart when my great Aunt was 17 or 18 one summer in S.C. She told me Amelia was doing some barnstorming and stayed at a hotel she was working in. Funny how the two paths sort of crossed.