Doolittle Raiders celebrate 67th anniversary in Columbia
2009-04-24 / Front Page
 Photo by Bob Ford The U.S. Army fliers known as the Doolittle Raiders Flying 16 B- 25 Mitchell Bombers took off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, April 18, 1942. The raiders destination was Tokyo, Japan. This was the first American raid on the Japanese homeland since the attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Four of the raiders returned to Columbia last week to mark the 67th anniversary of this historic attack. They are (l- r) Lt. Col. Richard Cole, 93, co- pilot of B- 25 #1 with Jimmy Doolittle as pilot; Major Thomas Griffin, 92, navigator and gunner on B- 25 #9; Lt. Col. Robert Hite, 89, co- pilot of B- 25 #16; and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, 87, engineer and gunner on B- 25 #7. Nine of the Doolittle Raiders are still living. The other five did not attend for health reasons. |
