[Larry Lucido]

RIP

[Dagnabitt]

The Dolittle Raid: Another event of which Michelle Obama is not proud.

[DUMBGRUNT]

Always wondered about the name.
...Roosevelt maintained the air of mystery by sharing none of the operational details of the attack, and quipped to reporters that the raid was launched “from our new secret base at Shangri-La.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Shangri-La_(CV-38)
Nomenclature
The naming of the ship was a radical departure from the general practice of the time, which was to name aircraft carriers after battles or previous US Navy ships. After the Doolittle Raid, launched from theHornet, President Roosevelt answered a reporter’s question by saying that the raid had been launched from “Shangri-La”, the fictional faraway land of theJames Hilton novel Lost Horizon.

[GOPJ]

Of those who didn’t make it back, two men drowned and another was killed while bailing out. Eight were captured by the Japanese, of whom three were executed and one died of disease. The highest price was paid by China. An estimated 250,000 Chinese civilians were murdered in reprisal actions by Japanese forces for the assistance given to American flyers.

Never knew the Chinese were murdered in reprisal... Interesting post - thanks.

[PiperShade]

Who got to drink the “tontine” (sp?) ?

IMNSHO the “Doolittle Raiders” had to be the ballsiest bunch of aviators ever. But that only reflects upon the character of their leader. Their passing marks the end of a bucaneering era in America......>PS

[CedarDave]

With his ego, Obama probably thinks his* decision to hit Osama was the gutsiest call.

* Asterisk because some reports are that his indecisiveness led to CIA chief Leon Panetta to make the call.