Lone Eagle 839 Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 http://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-s-doolittle-raider-dead-at/article_02082abc-d078-5936-9111-3d6dc21192c0.html#utm_source=missoulian.com&utm_campaign=%2Femail-updates%2Fbreaking%2F&utm_medium=email&utm_content=915BC70546249E1A793D44B19FCE4851D1FB2B1F Missoula’s David Thatcher, one of the last two airmen from the Doolittle Raiders of World War II, died early Wednesday in a Missoula hospital. Thatcher, 94, passed away from complications of a massive stroke he suffered on Sunday, according to his son Jeff. Thatcher’s death leaves Dick Cole of Comfort, Texas, as the lone survivor of the 80 Doolittle Raiders who flew a daring bombing over Japan on April 18, 1942 – months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Cole was Col. Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot on the raid. He turned 100 last September. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 Yep. True hero's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
patriot 7,197 Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 A sad day... Who can possibly replace them? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Mark 2,452 Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 The first guys to punch back after Pearl Harbor. True Hero's in every sense of the word. May God rest his soul. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChileRelleno 7,071 Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnnyE 81 Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 The Greatest Generation is leaving us. We're on our own... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 https://youtu.be/JmGdaQFQRiI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin38 2,117 Posted June 23, 2016 Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 I was at the 70th Anniversary Celebration at Wright-Patt AFB. There were 4 of them at the time. I didn't get to meet them due to the huge crowd, but I did get a decent video of the flyovers. Sorry for the shaky hands, but the sound is pretty good so watch it with good speakers. The little girl's voice at the beginning is great! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0fMIcWME_o Hopefully their history is never forgotten. BTW, their goblets and the last bottle of Cognac are on display at the WPAFB Museum as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HB of CJ 1,263 Posted June 25, 2016 Report Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) How time marches on. Many historians tell us the Dolittle Raid changed the whole show of the Pacific War. The Japs had pretty much forgot the US and were planning to continue South and West. They were just one good sea battle away from parading their navy heavy cruisers up the Suez Canal to link up with the Nazis. Perhaps the Dolittle Raid can be described as a extremely successful psyck ops. It certainly got the Japs attention. They changed their planning and went East with pretty much their entire navy. Place called Midway. That carrier sea battle probably changed US history. We won. The Japs lost. History is so amazing. The Dolittle Raid caused this as far as we know. All the USA fliers were told their part of the mission was basically suicide. They flew off anyway. Admiral Halsey knew if his dinky task group was caught by the Japs that close to the mainland, the entire group would probably be lost in a running sea battle. Brave folks. One flier left. Edited June 25, 2016 by HB of CJ 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
G O B 3,516 Posted June 26, 2016 Report Share Posted June 26, 2016 We stand on the shoulders of giants. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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