Last Doolittle Raider Reunion

The Raiders had their final toast this weekend at the USAF Museum. Here's a video of the full ceremony as seen on the Museum's website.

http://www.dvidshub.net/video/307435/doolittle-raiders-last-toast#.Un74RJRa1vA

 

"DAYTON, Ohio—In 1942, Ed Saylor was a 22-year-old Army Air Corps sergeant heading toward Japan aboard an aircraft carrier on a secret mission when he realized his bomber had an engine problem.

"With no bomber mechanics or spare parts on board, his commander told him that if he couldn't fix the plane, they'd just push it overboard, says the 93-year-old retired lieutenant colonel, who was the plane's engineer. "That didn't sound good," he says, so he stripped the engine down and fixed it himself.

"Lt. Col. Saylor, who was then a sergeant, and dozens of other Army airmen ended up taking off from the carrier hundreds of miles from the Japanese coast in 16 B-25 bombers. They became the famed Doolittle Raiders, after their commander Lt. Col. James Doolittle. Their daring attack boosted U.S. morale and began a shift in strategic momentum of World War II in the Pacific.

"Of the original 80 men, only four remain. The three who can still travel met here Saturday at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, for a final toast to their comrades—a tradition they have kept up for more than 50 years."

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304672404579185672209422310