I recently got a long chain email about this. Uplifting, and sad at the same time.
We will not see a generation like that again in our lifetime.
Perhaps I’m misunderstanding ... there are 4 survivors who will attend this year. Is this their annual “final toast” ceremony and there will be another one held next year? Or is this the last ever (final) ceremony as the survivors are in failing health and unable to attend [as happened with our local Battle of the Bulge ceremony - so very sad].
1972 Gen. Doolittle came to VAFB, CA, for our Olympic Arena competition.
ICBM combat crews compete in all aspects of missile and RV assembly, test, and checkout, leading up to launch.
Also, got see Gen. Curtis LeMay.
Where do we get such men? The Doolittle mission was one of the most heroic and daring of any military action of any nation. It was incredible.
It never did mention why this is the last toast. Presumably because of the advanced age and deteriorating health of the last 4 survivors.
All volunteers on that mission of course, and I’m sure they had to turn many others away who would have gladly gone.
Great article on a very special occasion. Great website too.
Very interesting and informative link:
Lots of pics and biological info too.
“Ligwa megwa,” as Thatcher told the Chinese.
“We’re Americans.”
A group of our finest men.
Someday I’m going to put together a post on all the extraordinary things that the US Army has done, from this heavy bomber Aircraft Carrier raid, the Air delivered soldiers, to the largest amphibious landings and having a large Army Navy, to putting us in space, even the Indian Code talkers of WWI and WWII.
Mine, too.
Coincidentally, I watched “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” a couple of weeks ago. A true classic, made in 1944.
When I saw this thread, I knew I just had to join in.
And I think I'll go watch it again myself...
while militarily insignificant in terms of damage, it was monumental in setting the tone of the war. contrary to what the japanese thought, the US was never going to allow Japan to stay behind a defensive perimeter while the US sued for peace. the doolittle raid showed that, it tagged the japanese homeland as the target. that shocked the japanese and forced them to recalc the need for home defense.
but to me, the most significant thing was that the raid was basically a suicide raid. it showed the USA would do whatever it took, at any cost, to acheive total victory. that was the essence of the japanese miscalculation, they totally missed that aspect of US culture.
could they have really conceived that less than 5 years after the pearl harbor raid, there country, and particularly the top 20 cities would be in absolute ruin, including two nuclear strikes?
one never knows where war will go.
Probably a wise decision. As elderly as the 4 survivors are, it’s a real possibility all would be gone by next year, which would be sad not to have them share the final toast as planned.
